Tough Love
Time to Harden Off Your Seedlings

It's getting to be time to start moving your pampered seedlings outdoors. These seedlings are used to all the luxuries of life under lights or in a greenhouse: warmth, controlled lights, regular water and feeding. As we've all had to learn, life on the outside isn't that pampered. To avoid sending your seedlings into transplant shock, you need to acclimate them slowly to the harsh realities of garden life by hardening them off. It only takes a few weeks, but it will keep your plants growing happy, rather than stunting them with a sudden chill.

One of the best ways to harden off plants is with a cold frame. You can build a quick and dirty cold frame with hay bales or cinder blocks and a cover. But purchased models really aren't that expensive and will last you for years. If this is the year you take the plunge, here are some noteworthy cold frames to consider.