Hardening off is best - but because our southern temps are a bit different than most folks, I'd say, depends on the inside and outside temperatures you are experiencing. Normally, when I start seeds inside, the outside temps are falling into the low "50's" - but recently I started some for our fall/wintering/spring types - and outside temps were still in the 70's. Thus, when the little seedlings were barely 1 to 2 inches tall, I decided to plant them out in a shady area, and then transplant to a sunnier location when they had grown a bit. Worked out well. Hardening off in our climate is a bit different than in other parts of the country. You can usually determine what is right for the seedlings by noting at what temperatures they like to germinate and grow at in their early stages. Most seed packets will give this information on the back of the envelope. Just my 2 c's. Bejay

With an eye on the weather, you could begin to harden off plants around the beginning of May. This process could take a week or two of slowly exposing the plants to the elements. Remember that you are exposing them to *all* the elements....wind,rain,temperatures as well as the sun. You need to place them in a shaded, protected spot for a few hours each day, slowly increasing the time and then move them into more exposed locations also where they will get some breezes, higher temps, more sun etc. Wind can really destroy a tender new plant just as quickly as the sun can. I harden off my young vegetable plants but still protect them when I plant out with 3 qt nursery pots I cut the bottoms out of. I place the resulting "tube" around each tomato, pepper, broccoli, melon plant etc which allows some sun, wind and rain in but protects it from the worst of the wind. I remove them after a couple of weeks. They actually help the plant grow faster because they create a warm microclimate but they don't get too hot because they are totally open at the top. Make sure they are well watered when you begin the hardening off process-a well hydrated plant can withstand more stress than one already hurting for lack of water. Leaving them outside for a whole day, right off the bat while you're at work would probably be too much at the beginning. Unless you had an open porch that would provide shade and protection from the wind and knew that the temperatures wouldn't drop suddenly while you were away. Better to start out with say, a few hours in the morning and work your way up to 8-10 hours and then with milder weather leave out all night too. Someone on the Starting from Seed forum mentioned leaving them in the garage with the door open. That would be a good idea if they were back far enough from the sun and wind at first....and if you live in a neighbourhood where you could leave the door open while you're gone all day. :)

I am no expert, but I am about a week into hardening off around 30 pepper plants. They were raised from seed in a very pampered environment, with flourescent lighting right over their heads, a fan blowing them around just a bit, and heating mats to keep the temp just right day and night. These strengths all turned into weaknesses on their first day outside. They were not ready for sun and wind. I got them out of there after 2 hours; some leaves were burned, most plants were droopy and unwell. They all recovered, but the weeklong process has been difficult for them. They are really toughening up now, though. Though I am a first-year pepper grower with minimal knowledge, I have to say this experience taught me how very important it is to set aside a good-sized block of time for hardening off, and to do it right - a little bit more each day as the plants adjust, while keeping an eye on weaker plants to make sure they are dealing with it. I also recommend you put your spindlier or otherwise more at risk plants more in the shade or part shade, and leave the full sun only for plants that are robust and strong. Please keep in mind that it does not take a lot of sun to overwhelm a plant that has been coddled indoors. One hour of strong direct sun can discolor leaves and leave the plant a mess, and it even killed a few of my tomatoes - just one blazing hour of sun. Gotta be careful when hardening off.

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.