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Hardening off lettuce seedlings

butlerjonnybutlerjonny Posts: 23
in Fruit & veg
Another beginner question!

I planted some lettuce in modules about 4 weeks ago on a sunny windowsill (in an unheated room) in the house, and the seedlings now look about ready to plant out.

I’m going to grow them under a mini-polytunnel that I’ve built to cover a small (6’ x 4’) raised bed, so I’m planning to bring the module trays out to the raised bed during the day for a week or so (with the mini-tunnel hinged wide open unless it’s very windy) to harden off the seedlings before I transplant them from the modules into the soil. 

I’m wondering whether it would be ok to leave the seedlings  out there at night, with the tunnel closed to cover the bed, or is it better to bring them back into the house at night while they acclimatise to the outdoor environment? Any advice gratefully received.

Many thanks,

Jonny

Posts

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    It's been such a bad start with the cold @butlerjonny , that what we would usually do has gone out the window.🙄 I sowed my little gem lettuce in the conservatory as usual, but have been unable to get them out, which as they are my pick as you need lettuce I have been picking leaves for three weeks! By the time it's warm enough I will need to re-seed. Which inside I don't have room for.
    The experienced grower always said,  if you put your hand on the soil, and it feels cold, it's still too cold to plant soft things like lettuce. I have tried to keep to that.
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