BDN interviews Garland about hardening off seedlings before transplanting

The Bangor Daily News interviewed Kate Garland, a horticulture specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, about hardening off, the process of gradually bringing seedlings outside to adapt them to outdoor conditions before transplanting them into the garden. Seedlings that aren’t hardened off before planting will suffer from transplant shock, displaying wilting or discolored leaves and generally failing to thrive, or will die altogether, according to the article. Garland recommends hardening off seedlings one to two weeks before transplanting. “Leave them out for half a day [and then] bring them back inside for the remainder of the day,” she said. “Do it again the next day, maybe in a little bit of a sunnier spot. You wait until three or four days before you’re planting to expose them to full sun all day long.”