harden off
Britishverb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Remember to harden off, or acclimate, homegrown starts by giving them a few midday hours of sunbathing for about five days before planting them outside.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2022
If possible, move the potted seedlings into a cold frame to harden off for a few days before planting.
From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2016
You can leave the tubers in the ground for a couple of weeks to harden off a bit, and then lift them carefully with a garden fork.
From Washington Post
When the seedlings are about an inch high remove to a lower temperature, and begin to harden off by giving air on suitable occasions.
From The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition by Sutton and Sons
Another way to damage a tree is to keep it growing late in the fall by cultivation and fertilizers so that it does not harden off properly.
From Northern Nut Growers Association Incorporated 39th Annual Report at Norris, Tenn. September 13-15 1948 by Northern Nut Growers Association
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
