Hi Besties! Great job starting your seeds and growing them into baby seedlings! Now that your seedlings are getting big and strong, it’s time to start preparing them for their new home in the garden. You do this by slowly exposing plants to outdoor conditions and allowing them to strengthen themselves and get used to the wind, sunlight and other environmental factors that are outside that they were never exposed to inside. This process is called “hardening off,” and it involves gradually acclimating your seedlings to the outdoor environment before transplanting them into the garden. If you were to stick your seedlings straight into the ground, they would likely go into shock which would be very sad after all of your hard work getting the seeds to grow! Here’s how to do it:

When to Start Hardening Off

I generally begin hardening off my seedlings about a week before I want to plant them into the garden. So if you’re past the last frost date and looking at the extended forecast and you see that nighttime temperatures are staying above about 50 degrees, now is a good time to start hardening off your plants so that they are ready to plant when those soil temperatures warm up!

Also, it’s important to note that if you have a greenhouse and are moving your seedlings from the greenhouse to the garden, they still need to be hardened off!

How to Harden Off Seedlings

To harden off your seedlings, start by placing them outside for a few hours each day, in a sheltered, shady location. Gradually increase the amount of time they spend outside, as well as the amount of sun exposure they receive, over the course of 7-10 days.

During this time, monitor your seedlings closely for signs of stress, such as wilting or yellowing leaves. If they show any signs of stress, move them back inside or to a shadier location outdoors.

Now, this is a perfect example of “do as I say and not as I do”. Realistically, I always end up sticking my seedlings out in the morning intending to bring them back in within a couple hours and end up totally forgetting about them for the day. This is not best practice, but if it happens to you, don’t worry – plants are more resilient than you think they are! Even when this happens, I do always bring them back in once I remember and always keep them inside overnight while I am hardening them off.

Transplanting Seedlings into the Garden

Once your seedlings have been hardened off, they are ready to be transplanted into the garden! There is not going to be a magic sign from the plant that tells you when they are done being hardened off. Go with your gut and once your plants can stay outside most of the day without showing any signs of stress (about 7 – 10 days after beginning the hardening off process), they are ready! Choose a location with well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight and dig a hole that is slightly larger than the root ball of your seedling. Tip the pot that your plant is in upside down and push from the bottom while slowly pulling and wiggling the plant out of the container. Be careful not too pull too hard and tear the plant in the process. If your plant is tall, like a tomato plant, be sure to support the whole plant while you are removing it from the container so that it doesn’t break. Gently loosen the roots before placing it in the hole. This is important, my seedlings would get completely root bound before I planted them out and it makes a huge difference to them acclimating to their new spots if you loosen up their roots a bit to let them grow!

Backfill the hole with soil, making sure the seedling is planted at the same depth as it was in the pot (or even a bit deeper). I like to add a bit of fresh Miracle Gro garden soil in the hole with my seedlings to make sure the seedling is getting fresh nutrients as it is being planted into the ground. Water the seedling well and add a layer of mulch to help retain moisture. Mulching is optional, but definitely helps both retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

Caring for Newly Transplanted Seedlings

Now that your seedlings are planted you get to enjoy and watch them grow! Water them regularly and provide them with support, such as stakes or cages, if necessary.

Where I live in New Jersey, we always have to worry about the deer eating our new seedlings! This is just a theory – but I have found that planting cayenne pepper plants near my other vegetable plants keep the deer away. I have also found that spraying the plants with Deer Stopper spray works extremely well!

In conclusion, hardening off your seedlings and transplanting them into the garden is an important step in the gardening process. Take the time to properly acclimate your seedlings to the outdoor environment before planting them in the garden, and provide them with the care and attention they need to thrive. Happy gardening!