If you’ve been babying your vegetable transplants for the past few weeks in anticipation of getting them out in the garden to officially start your garden season, aren’t you glad you didn’t jump the gun and plant a couple of weeks ago.

Spring weather can be deceiving, especially when we were in the 70s and 80s. But, as usual, we had a few more cold days that could have beat down our little veggie plants if we had put them in the ground early. It’s just always a good idea to wait until that average final freeze date.

Here in NE Oklahoma, the average final freeze date is April 15^th, but looking at the weather, it looks like freezing weather is behind us at this point. I probably just jinxed it by saying that.

While the last freeze date is important, we also need to be aware of the soil temperature. 2-to-4-inch soil temperatures are hovering just below 60 degrees at the time of this writing. For your veggie plants to grow, they need soil temperatures above 60 degrees, otherwise they will just sit there in the ground. However, the soil will be warming up pretty quickly with the temps we see on the horizon, so planting day is coming.

During this in-between time, there is something you can do to better prepare your plants for the outdoors, and it’s called hardening off your plants. Hardening off your plants is the process of acclimating your transplants to the outdoors in a gradual manner. If you think about it, they have been living in a perfect environment. Now you are about to introduce them to the natural elements which can be a bit of a wake-up call for your plants. So, here’s how to introduce your plants to the outdoors in a gradual manner.

You can actually begin the process indoors by pointing a small rotating fan toward your baby plants. This breeze will help them strengthen a bit before going outdoors. But acclimating to the sun is most important.

To get them used to the outdoor sun, start by putting them in a location that receives filtered light for a couple of hours at a time. Direct sun is a lot more intense than your grow light and if you just move them from your indoor growing zone, and plant them in the direct sun, you are likely going to lose a few plants.

Each day, gradually increase the amount of sun they receive by increasing sun time by about an hour a day. Hardening off takes about a week. To see what a difference it makes, take before and after photos. The transformation they go through during the hardening off process is amazing.,

Some people don’t harden off their plants and instead approach the process of moving them outdoors in kind of a “survival of the fittest” manner. However, you spent several weeks taking care of your little babies, with just a little patience, you’ll have greater success in the garden. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701 or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: OSU Ag. Comm