Hardening Off...

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Mark's Sussex Allotment

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Hardening Off...
« on: May 20, 2013, 12:31 »
Is it really really important to harden off everything?

Or is it mainly tender plants?

I have left so much too late on windowsills, and really need to get it in the ground, and dont really have time to harden things off for 2 weeks.....

What tends to happen if they're not hardened off adequately?.....

Will they die, or get set back badly...?
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mumofstig

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2013, 12:35 »
anything that has been raised on a windowsill will be tender - not used to outside conditions.

If they get exposed suddenly to wind and cold many will die. If they really must go straight outside at least cover them with fleece for a few days.

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Mark's Sussex Allotment

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2013, 12:48 »
OK, I was planning on doing something similar, and choosing a couple of benign days.....

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sion01

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2013, 18:01 »
If they don't die they will sulk for a long time

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salmonking

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2013, 18:06 »
obviously if it gets cold the will suffer but,ive always grown my runner beans,courgettes in the greenhouse and planted outside without hardening,never had a problem.brother in law has been doing the same for 30 years,never a problem.

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Yorkie

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2013, 18:12 »
Windowsills are likely to have a much higher overnight temperature than an unheated greenhouse does, so indoor plants will need to be hardened off more slowly and gradually than those raised in the greenhouse.

It really isn't worth the risk.

Hardening off usually involves leaving plants outdoors during the day, and bringing back indoors overnight for a few days, followed by leaving outside in a sheltered position overnight for at least a few days, before then planting out.
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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JayG

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2013, 18:20 »
Totally agree with Yorkie - greenhouses or cold frames can be a useful "half-way house" between indoor house conditions and outdoors, but if considering planting outdoors straight from a greenhouse you need to choose your timing carefully and harden off further if conditions aren't suitable (the forecast is for a colder snap from tomorrow onwards, at least in these parts.)
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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azubah

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2013, 18:55 »
Most of us will be leaving the greenhouse door or window open during the day when it is suitable. That will partially harden things off.

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Ema

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2013, 22:53 »
There's a lot of sulking plants at my site mainly sulking runner beans that have come straight out of the greenhouse/poly tunnel sold at markets and then into the ground.

some one told me a good way to harden things off from the greehouse was to put them in a bucket so they have a bit of a micro climate to live in before going out into the windy cold world.

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sunshineband

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2013, 07:27 »
As my plot is so windy I keep plants outside for a few days in a sheltered spot to toughen up their leaves and then plant them out under debris netting tunnels - sweetcorn, squashes  & French beans for a week or two as well, as this saves them scorching in any hot sunshine.

Runners have to take their chance but do seem a bit tougher tbh,

Tomatoes & peppers get hardened off over a week, and as much shelter as they can have when planted outside at the plot, and the cucumber plants going in the mini tunnel are too.
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simonwatson

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2013, 08:50 »
I know from bitter experience what happens if you don't harden off some plants, such as sweetcorn. They sit there and sulk and eventually get overtaken by plants sown much later. Basically, some plants need it, some will benefit from it and some don't care.

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Kajazy

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2013, 15:48 »
I've planted out some of my beans, sweetcorn and squashes under fleece tunnels - they've only been outside prior to that for a few days - was this a fatal error??!

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Jackypam

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2013, 22:59 »
Oh dear, wish I'd read all that before I put out all my beans, toms and cabbages a week ago, straight from the kitchen window sill. I looked at them yesterday - I think the best I can say is that they are not dead...yet.

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Mark's Sussex Allotment

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2013, 12:44 »
You'll be lucky if they survive the weekend, if you've seen the forecast :(

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Jackypam

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Re: Hardening Off...
« Reply #14 on: May 22, 2013, 21:20 »
Well I'd better not drag them all out again, but I'll cover them all up with whatever I can find and cross my fingers. :(



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