Re: Hardening Off

**R* M* M* <r*@comcast.net>**

Hello Ann, 
 Actually I do harden off, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Brassicas concern me less because of their planting times. It isn't only the variation in temperature but getting your plants accustomed to UV light and less humidity than in a greenhouse. Here at our nursery we move flats outdoors into a shaded area, then increase sun for four to six days before putting them on the sales bench. It's actually not that difficult for a home gardener to just fill flats before transplanting and it does make a difference in performance here in Western Oregon.
Rose Marie Nichols McGee
Nichols Garden Nursery
www.NicholsGardenNursery.com
On Aug 16, 2011, at 1:02 PM, Ann McCormick wrote:

> I'm working on my next book and have come to the topic of hardening off. For
> years I've read about the "rain dance" that gardeners are urged to undergo
> to get their plants hardened off. Most of the advice starts with "Bring your
> plants outdoors each day for a couple of hours" and gradually increases the
> amount of time outdoors until the plant graduates to the outside world.
> 
> Yes, I understand you can't just plunk plants outside without regard to the
> climate differences. But does anyone really do this process of slowly
> acclimatizing over 7-10 days? I have a hard time imagining professional
> growers going through this labor intensive process. And frankly, I haven't
> got the time or patience for this.
> 
> So what do you-all do when bringing plants outside?

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