![]() ![]() How to Transplant Plantsīefore you're ready to transplant seedlings into your garden, you'll first need to harden off the plants. Follow these simple tips to transplant successfully and avoid transplant shock. Like every other part of the growing process, it's vital to follow certain steps when transplanting plants to ensure they survive. Once your seedlings have sprouted, it's time to start thinking about how you'll transplant them. If you’re planting out tomatoes, make sure you know what goes in the planting hole.Germinating seeds is just the first step in growing a thriving garden. Once they’re completely hardened off and last chance of frost has passed, you can transplant your veggies into the garden. While you’re waiting for them to harden off, prepare your garden beds or containers for planting. It takes about 10 days to harden off seedlings, but you can push it to 7 days if you’re in a rush or take as long as you want. Once your seedlings have been hardened off, you’re all set to plant them out in your garden! How long for hardening off seedlings? But very young seedlings with few leaves will need extra care to make sure they don’t get sunburned or dry out. Seedlings are never too young to spend a bit of time outside, and a breezy day can be great for strengthening their stem. Remember to give them a good watering before and after you set them out in the sunshine. Give them a day or two to recover indoors and then start over.Īnother issue can come up if your seedlings get dried out from the sun and wind. If your seedlings get some sunburn spots on them, don’t panic. Sunburn causes thin papery white patches on your plants’ leaves ( click here to see a picture). The most common problem with hardening off is the burning of your plant leaves. We move our transplants to the greenhouse as soon as the weather starts to warm. Either prop up some shade or shorten their time outside to about 30 minutes for a day or two.Īfter a couple of days in the shade, gradually move them and extend their time outside by 30 minutes to 1 hour until they can tolerate 8 hours of full sun per day. If you don’t have any indirect sunlight and it seems too harsh to you, it probably is. Overcast days in early spring are perfect for hardening off tomato seedlings. If it’s cloudy out, they can sit without cover. Too much sun too fast will burn the leaves in just a couple of hours. ![]() If it’s a particularly sunny day, they should sit in the shade at first. ![]() Start by placing them where they will receive indirect light such as in a greenhouse or under a porch or eave. To harden off your seedlings, simply move them outdoors for 1-2 hours for a few days. These broccoli plants are hardening off on a cool spring day. For example, 1-2 weeks before your last frost is ideal for hardening off tomato seedlings. This timing should also be after transplanting and before your planting date which depends on your frost dates. You can definitely take longer, but any shorter and you could have trouble. You’ll want to start the process of hardening off at least 1 week prior to planting in the garden. Fortunately, hardening off is not difficult and doesn’t require any special equipment or gardening space. If you don’t harden them off, they’re susceptible to sunburn, stem breakage, and drying out which leads to all the problems mentioned above. They need a gentle transition into direct sunlight and wind. Transplants that aren’t gradually weaned outside can be stunted, slower to produce, or even die. But all that work could be ruined if you don’t go to the trouble of hardening off. The whole point of starting plants from seed is to grow the healthiest vegetables for your garden. Hardening off seedlings – why go to the trouble? ![]() This is important to prepare our seedlings for the harsher environment that exists outside their cozy little space in your home. Hardening off seedlings just means that you’re gradually exposing them to full sun over the course of a week or so. Before you set your seedlings out in the garden, you must go through the process of hardening them off. ![]()
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