indoor/outdoor transition

[slugworth]

I bought some tomato plants from agway that were in a quasi-greenhouse mostly shaded from sunlight.
Putting them directly in sun resulted in sun scald.
So you have to be careful even with bought plants putting them directly outdoors in the sun.
I don't know how long they were indoors,so apparently they lost their uv protection being indoors too long.
The plants were facing east,only getting the morning sun.

[slugworth]

Other stores have the plants outdoors,but in a sheltered area from rain/sunlight.
The safest bet are stores that have the plants outdoors in the sun and not on shelves that are shaded.

[PlainJane]

It’s odd; my local nursery has covered greenhouses, open on the sides, so folks can shop during rainy days. One section has shade cloth and the other doesn’t. Going back years now I always find the salvias under the shaded part.

[Gardadore]

I grow my own tomatoes but always shade them with shade cloth, veil material or mosquito netting when I first plant out. It makes a huge difference! Sometimes I just throw an old tee shirt or a plastic garbage bag over the the tip of the cage until they acclimate to the sun, whatever I have.

[slugworth]

Sometimes I just throw an old tee shirt or a plastic garbage bag over the the tip of the cage until they acclimate to the sun, whatever I have.

The neighbors must love that.
They give me the finger now over how the yard looks.

[slugworth]

With the led grow-lights I can put the plants directly outdoors.
With the fluorescent I have to wean them away from indoors slowly.

[Gardadore]

No problem with the neighbors since we live on a large property and my gardens are surrounded by a wall or set back so no one sees them from the road! Also the “covers” are very temporary, sometimes just a few hours till I find something more attractive! Today my jacket had to cover a new planting till I got some shade fabric out of the shed! I am always amazed at how quickly the newly planted seedlings wilt when first exposed to sun. Meanwhile they have endured a lot of cold and great shifts in temperature in this crazy May weather and held up beautifully!

[slugworth]

You are lucky
All my neighbors have OCD about their nest.

[Shule]

With the method I used this year, the plants didn't need any hardening off at all. I made sure to put them outside (in full sun) during the day (from germination onward), most days, and take them in at night (unless it was 42 degrees F. or higher). It seems to work better even than my small unheated greenhouse did, in that regard (and the greenhouse worked pretty well). Only problem is now I need to get a soil that won't give my seedlings damping off disease if I take them indoors (apparently, worm castings with peat moss can carry it). I lost a good number of plants to damping off; I should have tried putting cinnamon on the soil sooner.

Anyway, taking them in and out is a little work, but I like it. It's free light, too. I understand animals (e.g. birds) can sometimes be an obstruction to starting the seeds outside, however.

I would suggest start taking them outside just a bit before they germinate, though, instead of when they germinate.