I've got some tomato and pepper seedlings that are ready to be moved from their pots. They've been under grow lights in my unheated garage for a couple of weeks now, and they're thriving! Aiming to harden them off, I was just curious about how necessary this whole process really is since they've already endured somewhat harsh conditions. Any thoughts?
3 Answers
In my experience, I've rushed things before, and while my plants did get occasional sunburn, it didn't affect their growth much. It really depends on the UV levels when you plant them out. I’ve kind of become tough on my plants, and I haven't noticed a decrease in my harvest from doing just a brief hardening off. Just expect them to look a bit rough for a week or so until they settle in.
It sounds like your plants are pretty tough already, which is great! While they might handle temperature changes well, skipping the hardening off could lead to sunburn on the leaves. If you plant them out when it's cloudy for a few days, they should adapt just fine. If it's going to be super sunny, a shade cloth might be a good idea at first while they adjust.
I actually put some Momotaro and Ashe County pimento plants outside without hardening them off about three weeks ago, and they're thriving! The Momotaro is actually outperforming those that got the full treatment, lol.