The gourd seedling babies are delicate, so there is a few things to keep in mind. Don't put them out any earlier than mid-May/or the last Frost date in your area. When you do put them outside, do so on a non-windy and sunny days. The wind has been known to break the tender shoots, and the sun to scald them. Unfortunately, I found this out with some of mine my first year growing them. If you have axcess to a cold frame/or shade house, this would be ideal. If you have to do it the old fashioned way, like me, follow these steps:
- Bring them in/out of the house every day over a 10 day period
- Put them on a table/or your lawn in a shady area, somewhat wind protected as well, for about 2 hours a day for the first few days
- Work up to them being outside all day, by the end of one week
- For the last 4 days, leave them outside all day/night. If it should get too chilly at night, you might use a floating row cover on them, nothing too heavy - remember those delicate stems.
- Now they should be all set to set out in your gourd plot