Find out how and when to transplant seedlings you started indoors to your outdoor garden.
It demands close attention to the rather dramatic shift in conditions your seedlings are about to experience.
It requires a bit of effort, but only for a couple weeks.
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Thats all about to change.
These tips will help you maximize your seedlings successful transition to your garden.
Know when to harden off seedlings.
The best time to begin transitioning your seedlings from indoors to outside varies slightly with crops.
For warm season crops (tomatoes,peppers,cucumbers, etc.)
and more tender herbs and flowers, wait until night temperatures are in the upper 50s.
Introduce seedlings to the outdoors gradually.
Pay attention to your seedlings appearance.
If they look stressed, slow down on their outdoor exposure.
Once they seem to tolerate being outdoors all day, leave them out overnight.
Pick a protected spot.
A spot in dappled shade helps seedlings to adjust to themore intense light from the sun.
This will cause leaves to scorch and may result in stunting or even death.
Wind can also cause serious damage so place your seedlings in a location that is protected from blustery winds.
A box with sides that deflect strong air currents works well.
Check seedlings regularly; if its sunny and warm check them at least twice a day.
Keep them moist but not saturated and be sure their pots have drainage holes.
And a hard rain can break fragile stems.
Slowly increase exposure to garden conditions.
Now its time to move them to a site with more exposure to sun and wind.
Transplant on a calm overcast day.
Transplanting when bright sunshine is tempered by clouds reduces stress on your young plants.
If the wind picks up, use plant covers or some sort of baffle to protect them.
Inverted large plastic pots also can provide temporary shelter.
Plant protective caps, inverted pots, or floating row covers willhelp them survive late season frostsor damaging storms.
