From: klier@cobra.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: How's a working girl harden off?
Date: 2 Apr 95 11:48:33 -0500

In article <3ljk7n$m82@shore.shore.net>, jmh@shore.net (Joann M. Hnat) writes:
> I need help from you experienced gardeners.  I started a lot of
> plants from seed this year, killed a bunch along the way, and now
> have many vigorous little plants ready to begin hardening off.  My
> problem?  I have to work for a living!

> The first few days aren't so bad.  I set my alarm early, take the
> plants outside, and bring them inside before I have to leave for
> work.  But how about after that?  No sense in setting the alarm for
> 3:00 a.m., when the sun isn't even out yet!

Yup, you are.  Got a spot that is in the shade and out of the wind
all day?  If not, construct one, with aid of an old bedsheet and a 
few wooden stakes.

Now that you've gotten the plants out in the morning, put them back 
out as soon as you get home from work (as long as the temps are
going to be above about 40oF).  Bring them in when you're ready to
leave for work in the morning, and put them back out that evening.
Do this for a couple of days.

Plants still looking good?  Hopefully, it's now the weekend.  Check
on your plants about Saturday noon.  Still looking good?  Still in the
shade?  Give them a drink if they really need it, move them into the
shade if they're out in the sun, and only into the house if they're
looking really ragged.

Saturday night, move the plants to a spot that is sheltered from 
the wind, but will get morning sun.  Check on them about 9 am,
and leave them there if they still look ok.  Move them to shade
about 11 or noon.  Still look okay Sunday afternoon?  Give them
a drink and move them to an area where they'll get Monday morning
sun, but still be in the shade in the afternoon.  Give them a 
few days of that treatment, and they should be ready for full sun.

One thing you should be very aware of when hardening off seedlings:
the little pots (esp. the market packs (4 packs, 6 packs) tend to
have very small soil volumes.  The root balls dry quickly.  To
increase moisture holding capacity, set the pots or market packs
directly on moist soil, on moist sand beds (an old kid's sandbox
is a great hardening-off spot) or on pads of wet newspaper.

It's also important that during the hardening off porcess the plants
wilt a bit at least a couple of times.  Not leaves-flat-on-the-stems
wilted, nor crispy, but a little limp and droopy.  When you water,
the plants should perk up again in 30-90 minutes.  But you should
see definite signs of water stress.

This is a cautious method of hardening off plants.  What mine usually
get is: two half-days outside on the soil on one of the beds in the shade,
then left outside in the shade for another week.  For the first few days
I water a couple of times a day, and then once a day if they look like
they're hanging in there.  From there they get parked out in an area
where they get about half a day of sun until I get a chance to get
them into the ground.

Kay Klier  klier@cobra.uni.edu