Transplanting Tender Plants to the Outdoor Garden
Seedlings and plants coming out of an indoor environment must be carefully transitioned in order to survive and thrive in the outdoor garden. Without a period of “hardening off,” they may not survive the shock of exposure to bright sun, fluctuating temperatures, rain, and wind. Vegetable seedlings and plants that have been started or kept indoors over the winter will not be ready to transplant into the garden until temperatures are around 60 degrees and all danger of frost is past, typically after April 5. Check your local forecast. Until then, keep seedlings and plants in a sunny window or under fluorescent lights, rotating the pots to keep stems straight. Keep soil evenly moist.
The hardening off process should take 7-10 days.
On a warm day, move the plants outside to a protected location, sheltered from full sun, wind, and hard rain.
Bring them back inside at night for a few days, and gradually increase the length of time they are outside. By the third or fourth day, depending on weather conditions, they should be able to stay outside at night.
Keep soil evenly moist—not too wet, not too dry.
Plants that are to grow in full sun should be gradually exposed to full sun over several days.
