hardening off

[aquilegia]

How long should I leave plants (like beans, tomatoes, courgettes) in the cold frame before they'll be alright out in the big wide world?

And what can I do with my tomato plants that are too big for the cold frame? They are currently going in the shed overnight and on the patio during the day.

I'm getting very confused with this hot/cold spring! I just don't know when it'll be safe for me to put things out!

[aquilegia]

[flitwickone]

since feb all seed sown in trays live on  kitchen window sill as soon as they have 3 leaves they are in in in cold frame

since march i seed then straight in cold frame

[Buster54]

I don't bother with hardening things off especially after May I just wait for a warm spell then just plant them out,my courgettes were crying to go out so I planted them and got hit with the last frost which turned the leaves black over night but hey ho they are coming back to life I only lost 1

[tim]

Yes - get 'em out, but be ready with the fleece!

[mpdjulie]

I don't bother with hardening things off especially after May I just wait for a warm spell then just plant them out,my courgettes were crying to go out so I planted them and got hit with the last frost which turned the leaves black over night but hey ho they are coming back to life I only lost 1

I'm with Buster here.  I don't have anything to harden my plants off in.  I just wait for some warm and calm weather and then go for it.  Last weekend I planted out 28 tomato, 6 courgette and 2 squash plants.  All are flourishing.

[aquilegia]

I always used to just plant things out when it was warm, but I've had a 4-year hiatus from proper gardening as mumming took over! But this year I thought I'd do it properly! But if putting them out on a warm day is good enough for you, I'll do that.

But not this week. Metcheck are forecasting several nights below 5C, so I'll wait! I just potted everything up, so they should be ok for a bit longer!