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Gardening Guide: How to Harden Off Seedlings in 7 Days 🌱

 

Hand holding seedlings

Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash

Hardening off seedlings is an important process that allows young plants to gradually adjust to outdoor conditions before being transplanted into the garden.  If you skip hardening off your seedlings and go straight from indoor to transplanting, you may risk stressing them.  Stressed seedlings can show signs like limp stems, off-color foliage, or even sunburn.

Gardening is already an exercise in patience, so why not give your seedlings the best chance at thriving by gradually introducing them to the outdoors?  Note that this process can look different for everyone; some seedlings are more sensitive than others, and all yards have different sun/wind conditions.  Feel free to try this 7-day plan as a starting point, and then adapt it to suit what works best for your environment and what you're growing.  The main idea is: take baby steps.  Your baby plants will thank you.

Here is a cheat sheet for our 7-day process for hardening off seedlings:

Table showing a 7-day plan for hardening off seedlings

The detailed step descriptions (that elaborate on the table above) are as follows:

  1. Day 1: Set your seedlings outdoors in a sheltered, shaded area in the afternoon. This will allow them to get used to the outdoor temperature.  Bring them back indoors after approximately 2 hours. 
  2. Day 2: This time, give the seedlings partial sun and increase the time outdoors to 3 hours.  Keep them sheltered from strong wind. Get used to the idea of hauling all these trays back & forth for 6 more days.  Reconsider your choices for next year.  Etc.
  3. Day 3: Starting in the afternoon, leave the seedlings outdoors for 4 hours in full sun. Make sure to protect them from any strong winds, but a light breeze would be beneficial.  Check on them halfway through to make sure that they haven't dried out.  Bring them back inside.
  4. Day 4: Start in mid-morning to expose the seedlings to cooler temperatures.  Place the seedlings outdoors in a more exposed area for 6 hours.  Check every few hours to make sure that they don't dry out.  Bring them back inside in the afternoon.
  5. Day 5: Leave the seedlings outdoors in the morning and let them soak up the sun for 8 hours.  Check on them a few times to make sure that they don't dry out (and the critters don't get to them!)  Bring them back inside in the evening.
  6. Day 6: Leave the seedlings outdoors in the early morning in a sunny and breezy area for 12 hours, allowing them to receive plenty of sunlight.  As before, check that they don't dry out and that they're safe from the neighbourhood squirrels/bunnies/bears/etc.  Bring them inside one last time before the end of the day.
  7. Day 7: Finally, leave the seedlings outdoors all day and overnight in a fully exposed area. Make sure to keep an eye on the weather forecast and bring them in if you expect any extreme conditions.
By the end of this 7-day process, your seedlings should be fully acclimated to outdoor conditions and are ready to be transplanted into your garden.  Congratulations!  You officially have the patience of a saint.  Have an amazing growing season.
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