"K" wrote in message
...
Tim W writes
Iread in many places about the need to gently introduce seedlings to the
outside. What's the point of this? It sounds like a lot of fuss and
bother.

You're taking them from a warm place to where the night time temperature
will drop to a few degrees centigrade. They can adjust, but slowly. If you
don't want the bother you can.
a) put them outside straight away, choosing a time when the weather
forecast for the next few nights is for warm nights - in effect getting
the weather to do the hardening off for you. You will lose quite a few
plants this way when the temperatures dip lower than expected. Rather than
lose a few plants of each batch, you'll basically lose all of the type of
plant that doesn't like that temperature, whereas other less cold
susceptible plants will survive.
b) keep them inside until outside temperatures have caught up - some time
in late May or early June. This works if you have a greenhouse, but if you
try to do it on a windowsill, they won't get enough light and will grow
weak and leggy as they try to accelerate to more light.

Oh. So that is why they are growing until they fall over. More light it is
then.

But the hardening off. If the temperature is so low at night that plants
will be killed dead then surely I am not going to be planning to plant them
outside at all?

Tim w