Seed Starting Pt. 5 – Hardening Off

It’s been a cold, wet spring in Wisconsin and I’ve been busy with my land in Missouri, so my garden planting is far from finished. But that’s given the plants started indoors ample time for hardening off in preparation for setting into their final destination.

In the Spring, your skin needs time to acclimate to being exposed to bright sunlight, and your plants do too. Getting plants accustomed to outdoor conditions is called hardening off, and it’s very important to follow this step or all of your efforts getting your plants started will be for naught.

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When you first bring your plants outdoors they need to be placed in a location sheltered from the wind, and exposed to only an hour or two of direct sunlight, preferably morning or evening sun. Too much sun too quickly will result in light patches on the leaves of the plants known as sunscald, the plant equivalent of a sunburn. Badly scalded leaves will die and the plant will struggle to thrive. But just as gradually increasing your skin’s exposure to UV rays results in a tan that can withstand full sun without burning, so your plants will toughen up over a period of days until they can safely be exposed to a full day of sunlight.

Watch the weather forecast during the hardening off period for potential frosts or high winds that can damage your plants and temporarily move them to a more sheltered location as needed. Keep them well watered as they will dry out more quickly when outdoors and can easily suffer wind damage if wilted. Increase the exposure time every couple of days, and within a week to 10 days your plants will be ready to handle the outdoor environment.