harden off

verb

(adverb) to accustom (a cultivated plant) or (of such a plant) to become accustomed to outdoor conditions by repeated exposure

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012