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We have safely passed the average last frost date for the New Orleans area (in general at or around February 21), meaning a lot of gardeners are itching to get spring planting done. If you started transplants indoors under lights or in a greenhouse or high tunnel structure, you’ll need to harden off your seedlings to prepare them for planting. Hardening off means gradually exposing young, tender transplants to outdoor conditions. This process will get them accustomed to environmental conditions that can rapidly change, including temperature, sun intensity, and wind. Transplants set out without hardening off may wither in the more intense sunlight, snap in a breeze, or dampen off if we hit a cool spell. Luckily, by gradually exposing your young plants to “the real world”, they grow more resilient and adapt to outdoor life just fine.