Topic: Hardening off seedlings advice

[grawrc]

On my windowsills I have trays of tomatoes, chillies, peppers, celeriac and sweetcorn which are getting too big for their boots (and their trays) and which should really have been hardened off ages ago and planted out/ transferred to the greenhouse.

The thing is - I'm not awfully clever at the hardening off business. If I put them outside before i went to work and brought them back in about this time in the evening for a few days would that do the trick? Is there a minimum temperature for putting them out? I'm assuming they should be out of direct sunlight and protected from wind and (heavy) rain? How lonmg before they can go out?
Thanks for any advice.

[manicscousers]

i'm not very good either, grawc..that's exactly what I do, in a sheltered spot, away from wind..usually for about a week, dependng on the weather..mind you, I was hardening off my barlotto beans and brought them back inside yesterday, before the cold and rain   :)

[flossie]

snap - I'm not an expert either

[Curryandchips]

Not even competent here, never mind an expert ... I am always getting it wrong ...

Derek :)

[grawrc]

Looks like this could be a niche market? ;) If none of us is any good then maybe there's room for a "hardening off for Dummies"? Could be a best seller? :P ;D

[manicscousers]

you start it off, grawc, we'll join in  ;D ;D

[kitten]

Not any good here either - i get it in theory but in practise.....  We've left ours out tonight but plan on bringing them in tomorrow when it's meant to be down to -3 overnight  :o

[MrsKP]

My hardening off technique is going to be stick in the ground and cover it well with fleece !

Mind you my sweetpeas, calendula and marigolds are doing just fine outside (although  some of the marigolds are looking a bit purple).

I'm more worried about the wind that the temps tbh with you.

[grawrc]

Yep the wind got the sweetcorn last year. Mind you covering them with fleece is tempting! Especially the tomatoes. They'd probably crop sooner and it's less work too.  8)

[MrsKP]

My back garden is covered in the stuff atm.  with lots of bamboo canes and pegs.

The neighbours must wonder what on earth I've got hidden under there.   :P

[jennym]

The business of putting seedlings outside for the day seems to work for me, the only problem is the space they take up when they are back inside the house! Seem to remember May last year was very cold, I know I didnt plant my tomatoes outside until end of first week in June.

[Emagggie]

I put mine out all day in a sheltered but not too hot spot, bringing them in at night for about a week, then I leave them out altogether for at least another week or untill I'm ready for planting. But in this dreadful weather I have wrapped a sheet of fleece around the toms and sweetcorn which have been out for 2 weeks. (Got to dig up the horsetail before I can transplant ::))

[Cuke]

Well I had no idea what I was doing, this being my first year growing veg and all, but I bought one of those plastic greenhouse things you can get for £30 or so, the ones big enough to stand up in but only a couple of feet deep. Then when my seedlings were big enough I moved them into there, lefts the door open 24/7 to stop it getting too warm and they seem to have done fine. It got them used to the tempratures but kept them sheltered from the rain and wind... :)

[Emagggie]

I bought a £10 cheapo 3 tier g/house and it has been worth it's weight in gold. At the mo it has loads of stuff on the shelves hardening off (cover removed) and to begin with I put newly germinated stuff in with cover on when I ran out of room in small glasshouse. I may go and get another-I'm so impressed. :D

[allaboutliverpool]

I use one of my raised beds as a frame with side 12 inches high and a polythehene top and put them in there. After a week, I leave the top off for a week and then plant out.

Like most of you I find that wind is the biggest problem and there is obviously some variation on the above times according to the weather.

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage

[BarbaraGood]

I wonder if I could simply open the whole door of my plastic greenhouse?? Its one of those 4 tier jobbies with a plastic cover... at the moment it has lots of new growth in it so I can't for now, but once they are all ready I can...

My sweetcorn look fine after about a week of in and out (out in the garden of day, inside the greenhouse at night, but the test will be when I plant them out  :-\

[grawrc]

Is all this copyright free or do you want to share the royalties when I publish? ;D :P

[MrsKP]

We want credits !

"Many thanks to all contributors ....... The Dummies:

BarbaraGood
allaboutliverpool
Emaggie
Cuke
jennym
MrsKP
kitten
manicscousers
Curry
flossie

without whom, I'd never have published this tome"

Got a nice ring to it !

 ;D

[Emagggie]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[amphibian]

I am very slap dash with my hardening off, tend to just stick stuff out in a coldframe, and bring them in if it is going to be VERY cold.