Hardening Off Plants

[Durgan]

http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/Working_Mans_Guide_to_Hardening_off_Plants.pdf
Hardening-Off your Plants: Whenever you start plants inside, you will need to harden-off the plants before planting out. Hardening is 10% about acclimating to temperature and 90% about building resistance to the suns UV Light. Direct exposure to the suns UV will cause the leaves to sunburn and turn white. Plagiarized from the Internet.

 

[ducks4you]

You don't plagiarize when you give us a direct link. You are simply sharing.

Thanks...for sharing.

 

[digitS']

I probably take more time hardening off plants than most gardeners.

There is a "sweet spot" in my backyard that is close to the steps and just south of a deciduous tree. It is against the south side of the house but the bare tree branches protect the plants from some of the sun. The steps protect them from too much wind.

At first, they are only out there for a couple of hours. I try to hit the moment when the temperature is the most comfortable. That usually means it is a sunny spring day but, as Durgan says, that sunlight can burn them.

The next day, they can have a little more time outdoors. After a few more days, they are out for 4 or 6 hours. I do not leave them overnight. Our temperatures drop quite a ways in this arid climate and my thinking is that if they are tuff enuf to take the overnight chill, they are tuff enuf to go out into the open garden. They have almost always had a good 2 weeks of, at least, some outdoor exposure.

If they are especially cold- and sunlight-sensitive plants, like melons, I may well put a little newspaper tent around them once they are in the garden. I just pull the paper around a stake driven in beside the plant and weight the paper down with stones. The top, near the stake, is left open.

Yes, I baby them but they are babies. And, why not baby them? Life will be difficult enuf for them thru the rest of the growing season.

Steve