I'm growing my plants from seed this year and was wondering at what point would they be ready to be planted outside.
You will need to 'harden them off' which simply means that you need to get your plants use to the temperature difference between where they have been growing in the house and the outside. Hardening off generally starts by putting the small plants outside on warm days in a spot where they will be sheltered from the direct sun. Bring them back inside before the sun sets and temperatures start getting cool. Do this for a few days and see how the plants react. Signs to watch for are unexpected wilting even though the pots are moist and purple colour developing on the undersides of the leaves (just like people, plants will turn colour when they are chilled). If everything seems normal, start leaving them out overnight and let them get some periodic sunlight (shaded part of the day and in sunlight part of the day) After a week or so of being outside day and night they should be fine to plant into the garden. It's always best to transplant into the garden in the early evening or on a cloudy day. Don't transplant in the heat of a sunny day if at all possible. Anne