It's a proud moment - planting out all those
seedlings and plants you so carefully raised indoors over the past few months. It's important to acclimatize into their new outdoor home however or you run the risk of
losing your plants and all that hard work. This is a process known to
gardeners as 'hardening off' and in this video will show you exactly how to do it. Hardening off should take a minimum of a week and may take up to two. Suddenly moving plants
from a stable environment to one with wide variations in temperature light
and wind can seriously weaken plants. For most plants, start hardening off
about a week before the final frost date for your area. Our Garden Planner uses data from your
nearest weather station to give you an indication of when it's safe to plant out,
providing a helpful guide to work back from. An intermediate home such as an unheated greenhouse
or cold frame is a great tool for hardening off. Place seedlings and plants into the structure
for a couple of hours on the first day then gradually increase the length of time
they are in place by two or more hours per day. After a week they can be left there overnight so long as there's no danger of frost. These structures have the added advantage of windows or doors that can be opened increasingly wider with time to gradually make under-cover
conditions more similar to those outside. Wind speeds up evaporation, which can
cause plants to wilt surprisingly quickly. Choose a sheltered position to harden off your plants, and water them before they go outside so there's
less risk of them drying out. Pots can be clustered into crates, tubs or buckets. This not only stops them from blowing over, over but acts as a windbreak around the foliage. Sudden bright sunshine on delicate plants can cause leaves to scald - the plant equivalent of sunburn! - so begin hardening off on a still,
cloudy day when temperatures are fairly steady. Set plants out for two hours in a
shady part of the garden. The next day leave them out for two more, with perhaps
an hour's direct sunshine in the morning. Gradually increase the length about all
time in direct sunshine over the course of 1 or 2 weeks. Remember their areas of shade will move
over the course of the day. If you can't be at home all of the time, pay close attention to where and when the shade and sun fall. You could also use shade cloth, fleece or row covers to
shield delicate seedlings from strong sunlight. Simply drape it over the top
and tuck it in at the sides so it can't blow off. In regions with cold winters,
plants will need to be prepared for the cooler nights experienced earlier on in
the growing season This is especially important for tender plants such as
tomatoes and peppers which are easily damaged by low temperatures. If you don't have a greenhouse or cold frame, just set your plants outside for increasingly longer periods of time. Towards the end of the hardening off
period you can also use fleece or row covers to protect foliage against the
chill of night. Even after crops have been planted into their final positions, be on hand with crop protection
to guard against any unexpected late cold snaps. As well as these guidelines it's worth considering some further points. First, avoid placing plants in the ground where they can
easily be knocked over by birds or nibbled by slugs. If you have the space, grow a few more plants than you need so you can hold some back just in case. If you don't need them you can always give them away. Remember that bought-in plants may also need hardening off particularly if they have
been kept in sheltered conditions. And finally, don't hurry the process. Hardening off takes time, but will ultimately result in stronger, more resilient plants that are more productive. If you've got a tip on hardening off plants that you'd like to share, just drop us a comment below. And if you've found this video useful, be sure to subscribe. I'll catch you next time!