So, if you’re a vegetable gardener, odds are you have started some seeds indoors and have been caring for these little ones for several weeks. Official planting time is still about a week and a half away, but with the warmer temperatures we’ve been having, I am guessing a lot of you all are chomping at the bit to get those little plants in the ground. Odds are, you are probably safe from frost, but we never know, do we? Either way, before you plant, there is one thing you can do to dramatically improve how your plants react to being planted. It’s called “hardening off” your plants and here’s what that means.

Hardening off your plants essentially means getting them ready for outdoors. The reality is, your little plants have been pampered. They’ve been indoors in perfect temperatures, likely with a grow light and your full attention as you provide them with nutrients and water to get them ready to plant. What they are not ready for is the direct sun and the wind. We get them ready by hardening them off… or toughening them up if you will.

You can begin this process indoors with a light breeze from a circulating fan, not one blowing directly on the plants. This slight breeze will encourage them to start toughing up, getting ready for the natural wind they will encounter outdoors.

Hardening them off will take about a week or so but it’s well worth it. Some people prefer a more “survival of the fittest” approach. By this I mean, skipping the whole hardening off process and moving them directly from your indoor conditions right out into the garden. While this may at times be successful, odd are you are going to lose some, if not all of your plants. So, taking the extra time to prepare them properly seems worth the effort.

Begin by taking them outside and placing them in a place that is part shade and part sun…cloudy days count. This first exposure probably shouldn’t be more than about two hours. The next day, increase the time of this outdoor exposure and continue to increase outdoor time incrementally throughout the week. Also, be sure to keep them hydrated since those new little roots are going to be working hard to keep water in the plants with the direct sun bearing down.

Different plants will respond differently to this process, some will get used to the outdoors rather quickly while others need a little more time. You will be able to figure out which is which by looking at them.

There’s no reason to be aggressive in this process, just let the plants adapt at their own pace. And remember, the soil temperature is right on the edge of being acceptable for our summer crops like tomatoes and peppers etc. So, there’s no need to rush because if you plant your plants in cold soil, they will just sit there. It’s better to harden the off properly and set them out a little later, that to get them out there early without going through the hardening off process. 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 Tom Ingram