Hardening off seedlings can be a bit of a pain, but I never skip this step. Moving seedlings from safe and sheltered conditions indoors straight to the harsh outdoors is asking for stressed and shocked plants. Indoor seedlings have never experienced wind bending their stems, rain pelting their leaves, the burn of UV light, and the stress of hot days and cold nights. Hardening them off gives them a chance to experience these things in safe doses and to adjust. Their physiology will change to deal