Leslie wrote:
This is the first year I've started seeds indoor and mostly they're doing
well. I would like to start hardening them off soon since the weather is so
nice and looks like it will stay that way. Even though I'm in zone 5, it's
been getting down to only about 40 at night and in the day it's been
averaging a high of 68-75. This week is expected to get to 80. In another
thread someone said definitely don't start hardening off in zone 5 yet, but
with these temperatures is there any reason not to? Maybe I'm just too
excited to get these little guys outside! :-)

TIA,
Leslie, zone 5 in the deserts of Eastern WA


I'm in zone 6 and I have started hardening off my plants. I put them
out in a semi wind sheltered area around 9:00 AM, when the temperature
gets above 50 degrees, and then bring them back into the garage around
6:00 PM. The night time temperatures are still dropping into the 30's
and 40's so I will not leave the plants out at night. When the temps
are consistently above 50 degrees I'll leave them out all night or
plant them into their permanent spots. I'm primarily talking about
tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, the potatoes, cabbage and onions are
already in place and doing great.
Bill