I put mine in coke carriers with a laundry basket over top and sit them under my porch with overhang. The carriers stack on top of each other. I stick them out there once weather has broke and lows are ablove 40 degrees
If it drops below 40, I cover them with a heavy dog blanket. This is my first year trying this, But seems to work so far. Oh, if its the first day out there I cover them half way with the dog blanket so they dont get sun burn.

I carry mine in & out every day & night as soon as I plant the seeds, as long as the temps are above 60 degrees and it's not raining. Once they begin to sprout, I make sure of the temps, rain & winds, before I set them out. I always set them on the east side of the house to protect them from the dominate west winds, and they get sunlight until about 5:00 PM.

By the time it's warm enough to plant them, they're already hardened off. I find that allowing them to "fight the low volume elements" I subject them to while very young, they do VERY well when the elements get 'em big time, in the gardens.

I take my plants out the first few days in total or mostly-partial shade and just for a few hours.

As horrible as the sun can be on non-acclimated leaves, the wind can be just as bad. I acclimate them to wind first. It enables them to build up a bit more of a protective layer on the leaf epidermis and not run through water so quickly because of transpiration.

After a few days of this I introduce them to morning (6am-10am) or evening (post 5pm) sun for a few hours a day. I rarely give them full sun all day unless I just need to keep them outside for a while out of necessity. Once they're used to wind and partial sun exposure they can handle it if they have adequate water to get them through the day.

I transplant out either on a cloudy day or in the early evening when they're ready to go.

I take mine outside in full sun from the moment they sprout. If it is windy from the north, I set them up on top of a hedge on the south side of the house. If the south is windy, I set them on a picnic table on the north side. Of course, I bring them inside when it is below about 50° or rainy.

They are ready to plant outside from day 1 if desired..

I grow seedlings under lights. I put the flats outside in dappled shade for about a week to harden them off prior to setting the seedlings out in the garden. I bring them inside if there is a threat of rain because hard rain can mess up the flats.

I set plants out late in the day, 3 pm or later. The few hours without strong sun seems to be all they need to survive the shock. I pay close attention to watering for the first few days.

Jim

Thanks one and all! From the looks of things I am in good company :-))

DL

I grow mine inside in solo cups, when I see the soil temperature is close to planting time I put them in a cold frame that is covered with black screen, for about a week then out in the garden on a cloudy day, if I can help it. It never occurred to me to plant in the evening! DUH...

I plant mine on the porch (south end) and leave them there, I'm too lazy to grow them in the house, and transplanting. I grow them in plastic (12 oz cups and let them sprout on the porch and then straight into the garden.

after they sprout in there pellets i transplant them to solo cups and put them in a tray then after lunch every day take them out to an unused spot in the garden and set them there till about five when it starts to cool off and bring them all back inside after there second set of true leaves come in they get planted in the unused spot i figure by the time they get planted thell be used to there home

I watch the weather channel for an extended cloudy and rainy period once the night time lows are consistently above 50 degrees. I put the flats outside under my deck benches where they get exposure in the morning for the first day or two and then move them into the open after that. If the clouds last more than three days, the plants are fully hardened off by the time the sun comes back out. I leave them out from then on, covering them with plastic boxes on nights that drop below 40 degrees. I've done it this way for years. It works. Only occasionally (maybe once every year or two) do I have to bring them inside for a freeze. I only keep them in for as long as absolutely necessary so I don't have to start over.

Don't forget the option of using a fan indoors to make sturdier transplants. Like many of you, I also carry them in and out whenever there is a mild day without excessive winds. The eggplants get a bit more coddling, while the tomatoes get the least.

Hepatica