"Hardening Off" your heirloom

"Harding Off" is the process of acclimatizing your heirloom tomato to outdoor weather.  This process should be done gradually over a week or two, so not to stress the plant and have it die.  Good News!  This has been done for all heirlooms you purchase at TheTomatoPatch.ca  The plants you have purchased have been exposed to outdoor temperatures everyday (except for the very cold, windy days).  So prior to planting, you can leave your plant outside as long as the temp is not below 10 degrees C at night with wind.  Better yet, bring them inside and put them back out during the day.

"I've left my heirlooms in the window for a week or two... are they still hardened off?"
 If you have kept your heirlooms inside for a week or so... you will have to re-acclimatize them to the outdoors.  Start off with putting them out for a couple of hours out of peak sun or preferably on a cloudy day.  Over the following week leave the heirlooms out longer and longer.  They may droop a little, especially Siberian Pink Honey (thanks for the feedback on that!)  Bring them inside as it is a sign that they are being stressed a little too hard.  If you have used a frost protector and already planted your heirloom, you may experience similar problems.  Acclimatize the plant by opening up the top of the protector when there is no chance of night frost.  You can remove the protector during periods of warmth but be very carful when putting it back on... this should probably be a two person job.
Sun Scald:  Sun Scald may occur on sunny days.  This is your heirloom getting a sun burn.  Like us, some heirlooms are prone to burn more than other.  Any potato leaf variety of plant (Prudence Purple) are comparable (in people terms) to having fair skin... they burn very easily.  I've also found Mortgage Lifters and Yellow Sub heirlooms to get get sun scald very easily as well.  Early on in the re-hardening process, keep them out of peak hour, direct sunlight.  

Tomato Sun Scald

Sunburn