STEP BY STEP How to harden off tender plants

FIND a spot outside that is sheltered from wind and the strongest midday sun. A coldframe is ideal, but you could put them along the base of a wall or beside a building.

MOVE your plants outside in the morning and take them back in at night. If using a coldframe, they can stay there all the time – just open the lid in the day and close it overnight.

LEAVE the plants outside all night after a week or so, but have some fleece ready to tuck over them if a substantial drop in night-time temperature is forecast.

CHECK regularly underneath pots and trays, as well as empty ones stored nearby, for slugs and snails. Given the chance, they will move in to feed on the fresh shoots of your young plants.