Hardening off your seedlings can be simple if you know the schedule you should begin hardening off your plants. What does “hardening off your seedlings” mean? The hardening off process accustoms your seedlings to the outdoor environment. Just planting your seedlings outdoors after growing them inside without accustoming them to the sunlight would be the same as you going out to sunbathe on the first hot spring day without sunscreen. If we take a little time and make sure to harden off our seedlings so they are ready for the outdoor environment we will have a lot better luck having them live and thrive. It will take 4-7 days to ready your plants to live outdoors permanently. Watch our High Performance Garden Training Video to follow the idea hardening schedule and learn the shortcuts to save time hardening off your seedlings!

 

The Ideal Schedule to Harden Off Seedlings

Harden Off Seedlings Day 1Day 1: Set the plants out in an area that is free of wind and is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You want your seedlings to only get two hours of sun. The plants can stay outdoors as long as it is warm, wind free and has little sunlight. Be sure to check the water frequently! The seedlings have a tendency to dry out fast when they are set outside.

Day 2: Place the plants outdoors for three hours in the sun. A slight breeze will also be good for your plants. Make sure that the temperature is warm and keep watch of any dramatic weather changes.

Day 3: Set the plants in the sun for four hours in a breeze and during the warmth of the day.

Day 4: Set your seedlings outdoors earlier in the day so they experience some cooler temperatures. Let them get five hours of direct sunlight and keep out of heavy wind conditions.

Harden Off Seedlings Day 2-5Day 5: Leave the plants outdoors all day in the breeze and in the sun. Be sure to check their water as they will need to be watered more than once on a warm day. Placing your plants in a shallow dish of water allows for them to wick up the moisture that they want and saves you time!

Day 6: Let your plants stay outdoors all day and all night if the temperatures will be above freezing. The hardening off process is almost complete!

Day 7: Plant your seedlings into the garden. If a frost is predicted during the next seven days of your plants life make sure to cover them.

Are their shortcuts so you can do this faster? We have 3 shortcuts that are riskier but save so much on time and energy.

Shortcuts to Harden Off Your Seedlings

Shortcuts For Hardening Off Your Seedlings

Shortcut 1) Buy or build a mini greenhouse to put over your plant and plant them out the first day. Watch the training video above to find out how you can create a mini-greenhouse with woven wire, plastic  and burlap. This is a great frame to use when you need to cover your plants when it is cold. If the temperatures are low leave the plastic on. If it is warm outdoors taking the plastic off and putting a burlap over the mini-greenhouse frame for a week is a great way to accustom your plants to the outdoors. I slowly adjust the burlap until by day seven it is completely off of the frame and the plants receive full sunlight. You can build a mini greenhouse with no tools that can also serve as a trellis with your plants. I use this system in my gardens to help with vertical growing and plant protection. Watch one of our earlier training videos How to Build Your Abundantly Easy Trellis so you can build this one of a kind system in your garden!

Shortcut 2) A wall of water or an Aqua Dome act as a mini greenhouse for your plants. They cut down on UV rays and keep them warm during cold nights . The Wall-of-Waters are about $9-$15 for a three pack. The only issue with these tools is that when you try to reuse them after your first seasons they tend to leak. They also put your plants at risk. If a heavy wind picks up these plastic tubes of water can easily be knocked over and squash your plants. When you take the wall of water off your plants will go through a shock although they are tougher than plants that were brought directly from being inside. An Aqua Dome is a rigid structure that should last many seasons and works the same way as a Wall-Of-Water. I love mine and recommend this gardening tool heartily. The best place to purchase them is at Sustainable Living Today. When I was shopping around recently one Aqua Dome had almost doubled in price since the last time I bought one.

Shortcut 3) Plant the plants outdoors if you know the weather will be cloudy for a week. If your area gets cloudy, cool, windless days for a week you can plant your plants immediately. This is an especially risky shortcut because of how quickly the weather can change. Because of the high elevation I cannot use this shortcut because the sunlight is so intense that it burns plants and people even on cloudy days. If you live in a lower elevation and are confident in your weather patterns then I would say give this a try… And then tell me all about how it goes! I would love to see pictures.

Which methods will you choose? Do you have time to follow the schedule or will you use one of the shortcuts? I would love to see pictures and hear all about your process!

Share this article with the struggling and the wanna-be gardeners in your life. The High Performance Garden Community is the place for them to find the support and training they need to begin the journey of transforming their gardens. I look forward to seeing you next week where we will discover how to transplant your seedlings that you have hardened off.

Until next time may your garden be easy, fun, productive and always organic!

Lynn Gillespie

Email me any questions you have about hardening off your seedlings or any type of gardening question. I would love to help you achieve the high performance garden of your dreams!

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