I have got to get my seedlings hardened off. They will start out on our screened-in porch and eventually out into the Great Outdoors. But how am I supposed to get them acclimated to sunshine when it's going to be cloudy and rainy for weeks to come. And it's going to be a challenge to get them sprayed with Daconil too. Going to be another challenging year, I'm afraid.

Cloudy days are perfect for hardening off, they'll still get the uv rays without the bright sun. Start off a few hours a day and increase it everyday till they can stay out all day.

As long as it isn't raining I put my seedlings out when it's overcast or cloudy. I've potted up most of mine and they're in the greenhouse while they get a little more size before going in the garden.

First day 10 minutes on a sunny day, second day 20 minutes, third day one hour, fourth day the whole day. Never had a problem. I must say my seedlings get a strong artificial light as soon as they germinate.

Yeah, overcast is perfect for hardening off. If the bright sun eventually becomes an issue, just do your best to limit the sun until they are accustomed to it. I had a similar problem this year. My young plants got used to cloudy cool weather for a while, and then we had blazing sun, and warm temps. I put up a beach umbrella to block the sun, and moved it around for a few days until the plants got used to full sun.

I made my own cold frame from a design in The Victory Garden. I had never heard of such a thing until I moved to the frozen north but in Wisconsin you need to protect your seedlings from the cold if you hope to get a head start on the season. It's great for everything I grow from lettuce to green peppers.
It is a great design (I made it half the recommended size) and once the season is under way, it is easily stored. This is a great feature for small backyard gardeners.
Cheers.