Before your plants can live outside full time they must be acclimated. Acclimating or “hardening off” your plants means that your plants need to adjust to your outside environment. It seems kind of tedious, but it’s the difference between having dead plants and thriving plants. Once the daytime temperatures are in the 60’s, it’s time to be begin acclimating your plants.
Acclimation takes about 1 week. In a shady, protected spot put your plants outside, in the afternoon before the sun goes down. Start by keeping them outside for about 3 hours. Then bring them back inside. The next day put them outside for another 1-2 hours. After about 2 or 3 days, start by putting them out in the morning sun, in a less protected area. Possibly in the area that you plan on planting them in.
Eager Gardener 