Sometime in the middle of May, I'll just throw everything out on the covered, screened in porch for a while. After they've been out there for a while, they'll get thrown out into the real world. The coleus will get thrown out on the front porch, since it faces north, and is next to the window boxes that will be their final destination.

Easy enough?

I don't have a screened in porch, but I think those laundry baskets Trudi suggests are a good idea. I'll probably do only a few flats at a time starting with what I think are the hardiest in mid-May. They are in the basement now and to lug them all up and down the stairs everyday would be WAY too time consuming - although I could probably use the exercise!!!

Wish me luck. I have to say, that the best bonus of winter sowing is no hardening off!

~Deb

Why exactly are you lugging them around? Seriously, you are making this WAY too much work. You kick them outside when it's pretty warm, and if they have to come back in, they spend the night on the kitchen floor, or in the garage.

The trick is to have some idea of just when certain plants object to the cold. So the sweet peas are already on their own on the front porch, and will probably get planted early next week. They can handle light frost. The other extreme is basil. It freaks at temperatures below 40, so it stays inside until pretty late.

Just don't bung them out into broad daylight. They don't like that. Start with somewhere on the north side of the house with shade. The sun is much, much worse than the cold for most seedlings.

That's true about the sun. Plants can burn (leaves turn bronze) in only 15 minutes. So go really slowly. 15 minutes of morning sun the first day, then increase it by a half hour until they look like they can take more. Plan a spot to do this in, where you can drag them from sun to shade for a week or two during hardening off.

I wait till mid May for this. Perennials can start a week or 2 earlier, but they, too, are still tender from being indoors since birth. Temps this week will be hovering near freezing at night, and that would likely kill tender plants. Why risk it when you've put in so much work?

I always struggle with hardening off my plants too. It NEVER seems to go smoothly. This year I'm going to try setting them out on the north side of the house during the day and in at night for a few days. I know the sun can damage your plants in a hurry but do you think that plants that have been sitting in the window sunlight have a better resistency to the sun or does the glass shield damaging rays?

I have had plants that were in a bright south facing window during the winter to sunburn when leaving them outside too long. Even though they may be getting bright light through the window it isn't quite the same a direct light. If you have screens on the windows this also dilutes the light some.

Penny

Just wanted to let all the kind folks who offered me advice that my hardening off is almost complete .....20+ flats out and many planted out already, and about 4 more yet to leave the lights. I think the only thing I lost was my cumin. I don't really know why I planted that anyway....just something new to try I guess. So, I was very successful and now that stress is over!!!

Now can't wait for the blooms!!

~Deb