Hardening off

I think it's exactly that: acclimatising them to outdoor temperatures, so they don't get too big a shock.

For the first few days I would put them outside during the day and bring them back in at night. Then I would move to a regime of putting them out during the day and only bringing them in if the forcast is for cold weather (providing you can believe the forcast). Eventually they get to stay out all the time until ready for planting out.

Hardening off ....Letting young plants get used to outdoor temperatures, generally 10 - 15 days of hardening off will be more than enough for most plants, but remember to always keep an eye on the weather especially for late frosts, if frosts are forecast, move back into the greenhouse... Hope this helps "!!

Paul

I'll echo all of the above. With regard to the mini greenhouse, I use them but one thing I'm now very careful to do is weigh it down well as I've lost countless plants in the past when a big gust of wind has got underneath and inside the zipped up jacket and blown the whole thing over. I've got some Cosmos in mine at the moment, but I actually sowed them in a pot inside the mini greenhouse and they germinated very quickly and are now growing on nicely.Good luck with the plants!

Thank you all of you lovely people. I will start at the weekend weather permitting,

I have used a mini plastic greenhouse and I found that there was not enough air circulation inside to produce healthy plants. The plants were "damping off" and the soil was always very moist. I lost quite a few penstemon as a result. I wonder why the manufacturers have not incorporated a fly screen type of flap on the sides to let air penetrate, similar to those in tents? I now use mine in the shed now to store pots, etc.

My mini plastic greenhouse is full of seed trays, I hope the wind doesn't take it away. I think it's heavy enough as I also have a couple of big pots at the bottom and it's quite sheltered. I kow what you mean about the 'fly-screen' type flaps, mine is full of condensation at the moment. Might try and modify mine to incorporate a flap of some description to see if that helps. Thanks for the tip.
I did use it for storage in the shed and only put it outside with the cover on at the weekend. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan in there and I end up with loads of plants and flowers.

A quick tip on mini greenhouses, I always open the flap in the morning on a sunny dry day to keep the air circulated as condensation does build up and can be a problem, I always close it at night. I have found that if you dedicate the bottom shelf to bricks, you should be ok in high winds. I have seen a few past posts about gardeners losing their seeds and young plants because their mini greenhouse has blown over.
If you need an alternative, try a cold frame, I found an ideal one in IKEA for just over £9. Bargain.

Andrea, that sounds like a very good deal. Do you know if IKEA deliver pls?

Cloches are great for hardening off plants. They dont have to be massive great big poly tunnels. You could have a look at ours at poshcloche.co.uk I would be happy to answer any questions.

The Ikea ones are called FRO, they are only 50cm wide so they aren't huge. Have a look on IKEA website, it will let you know which products are eligible for delivery or not and whether your postcode is in their delivery area. It is not likely for something this small so you may have to get a friend who lives close to a store to pop in and get you one and then get it delivered by Royal mail to your house.