A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Term Question

I bought a pack of celery seeds and the back of the packet said to start them inside.. So I did and they are very nice looking seedlings , so I went back to the the packet and it said to "Harden off before transplanting." Can someone please tell me what this means? Thanks!

Hi, Eva. This is a very good question. It means to gradually get them used to the changes from indoors to out doors before plunking them into the ground. A few hours a day for a couple of days and then bringing the babies back indoors or giving them shelter outdoors at night. It is more important for some plants than for others. Getting them used to their new climate.