hardening off tomatoes

It's my 1st year working with seeds/seedlings etc. so I was hoping for some advice on how to harden off my tomatoes. I know that I need to put them outside so they can get used to the difference out there from inside the house but my questions are how long should I set them out to start (i.e. 2 hrs. on day 1 or whatever, then increase and at what rate) and how long (# of days) should I do it in order for them to be ready to go into the garden. Thanks in advance.

Cdouglass,
Ideally you should harden off your tomatoes for about a week, but under time constraints I've gotten away with less than a week and the plants were fine.

Begin with a few hours in dappled shade in a protected spot, and slowly expose them to direct sun and wind over the next couple of days. Increase the dose a bit every day. When I first set them out in direct sun, I aim for 2 hours, and then I move them back to dappled shade.

Enjoy your first crop!

howdy neighbor!

I agree with what was already said..and this weekend should have a lot of clouds, which I have found helps a bit with the transition.


Mine started out on the tree-shaded porch for a few hours at a time, then in the sun for a few hours a day after they were able to stay out all day on the porch. I took a little longer, but I started hardening mine off several weeks ago. What I had the most trouble with was the wind dessicating the tips of the leaves more than sunscald.

Mine start out on the covered porch, then they get moved where they get North light/dappled shade, (we have a huge oak tree next to the porch) then late afternoon sun, then full sun. I don't count the number of days, but it usually takes about two weeks for them to end up in full sun.

I agree with everything suggested here, the only thing I would add for future note would be to get those seedlings out as soon as possible. Even if they have only their first two leaves, getting them outside a little everyday if the weather permits will be of tremendous benefit.

Best of luck! :)

I have these little plastic zip-up greenhouses, into which I set my seedlings a few weeks ago (grown under lights and usually 3-4 inches tall by this time)--I keep the flaps zipped up for some days, then open them for a few hours, then by this time in late May, I am about to keep the flaps open all night and day before I plant the seedlings next week. Takes courage to open up the flaps 24/7 because we have a long cool Spring here on the Cape, plus wind. Last year I did this too early and mine got badly wind-burned. So I keep watch for the nighttime temps to go below 50 degrees, which they are predicted to do in the next few days. I'll probably zip up again.
Am I obsessive? Probably. Such a newbie.

That doesn't sound obsessive to me--it sounds smart!

Depending on how bright and sunny it is:

Day 1: 10 minutes of morning sun, then full shade
Day 2: 20 minutes of morning sun, then full shade
Day 3: 30 minutes of morning sun, 15 minutes of afternoon sun, then full or dappled shade
Day 4: 1 hour of morning sun, 30 minutes of afternoon sun, then full or dappled shade
Day 5: 2 hours of morning sun, 1 hour of afternoon sun, then dappled shade
Day 6: 3 hours of morning sun, 2 hours of afternoon sun, then dappled shade
Day 7: Protect plants from 11am-1pm

If you cannot stick with this schedule, you can put plants outside where they will get dappled shade (be careful that there isn't a part of the day where they get full sun) for 3 days. Then you can look at placing your plants under a table or under some wooden boards supported by bricks/concrete blocks. The important part is no mid-day sun until they are ready. They can much more easily handle morning and afternoon sun.

Plants can also spend any amount of time out on a fully cloudy day. You can also use 50% shade cloth or if you have Surround [TM] you can spray it on the plants too as it is essentially a 50% sunblock.

If you do see some tan or white spots where the leaves got dessicated from the sun or wind, then give them a break for a day before continuing with the hardening off process.

This message was edited May 24, 2009 9:07 AM