Hardening Off Seedlings A week before you want to put your seedlings in the garden they need to be “hardened off” or made tough enough to withstand the elements. Even seedlings grown in a nursery need to be hardened and fertilized. Gather all your seed starters and put them on a wagon or toboggan, if you have one. This will make it easy to move all of them at once. Leave them in an open garage or on the porch during the day. They could also sit on the sill of an open window but keep an eye on them. If it’s very windy they could get blown off the sill. Remember to bring them in each night especially if there is a chance of frost or rain. After about a week they should be hardened off enough to stay outside if the weather is warm enough. Once you’ve hardened off all your seedlings they can be planted in your garden if the soil has warmed up. If it still gets chilly at night protect your seedlings with mini greenhouses once they are planted outside.
|