Transplanting Seedlings into the Garden

Relocate Young Vegetable Plants to Raised Beds or Garden after Frost

Apr 13, 2009

Move vegetable seedlings outside after they have grown strong and all danger of frost has passed. They are now ready to compete with weeds and start producing.

It's smart to plan out the garden before transplanting. Measuring the dimensions of the plot and getting a good ideas of the available hours of sunlight will save unforseen problems in the future. If raised beds are to be used, it's necessary to designate an appropriate place for them based on what vegetables will be grown and their corresponding needs.

If, for example, a crop of corn, squash, cucmbers, carrots, tomatoes and lettuce is to be grown, it's imperative to position the corn north of the curcubits and tomatoes, so not to shade them out. Lettuce does very well when transplanted and grows well in cooler weather, perhaps in the corn's shadow.

Carrots fork when transplanted and should be direct seeded next to tomatoes, since the two benefit from each other's presence. Keep in mind that tomatoes can grow rather large, so make sure that the carrots are not too close or else they might not get enough light. Plant them south of the tomatoes.

Knowing When The Plant Is Ready To Move Outside

Most transplants are strong enough to go outside after about eight weeks of indoor growth. The important characteristics to look for are healthy leaves and a strong stalk. If plants are leggy, they will have a hard time standing up against the wind. Give them more light and place a small fan next to them to strengthen their stems.

Healthy leaves indicate the plant is receiving enough nutrients and water. These are present in the potting mix and plants should not be fertilized until they are in the garden. Though it varies, most seedlings are about four to eight inches tall when they are ready to be transplanted.

Hardening Off

In zones where the weather warms slowly, it's a good idea to harden plants off before transplanting. Hardening means acclimating the plant from its indoor environment to a harsher one outside. Move the plants outside for a few minutes each day to help them adjust. Start off in small increments of time and increase the exposure as they become stronger.

Planting

The ideal conditions for transplanting are a cool overcast day in the morning. Windy conditions are not ideal. If applying soil amendments or compost, this should have already been done. Water the tray or container of seedlings thoroughly; this will help to remove them from the container. Spacing is very important and plants should not be crowded in any case.

Check spacing recommendations on seed packets. If planting into raised beds, it's a good idea to place the smaller veggies these and place the larger crops in rows or mounds. Broccoli should be spaced six to eight inches apart and a relatively large number of these could be placed in a planter box. Squash, however, needs at least three feet between individuals. Planting zucchini in a box would be mostly a waste of space.

Dig a small hole with a trowel or your fingers. Grasp the plant in the container at the base and gently pull it out. Since it's wet it should slide out easily along with the potting mix and a mass of roots. Replace it inside the hole and tamp the earth around until it is firm. Air pockets hinder root contact with the soil and should be avoided.

After all of the seedlings are in the ground, the plants should be mulched. Mulching retains soil heat, moisture, keeps down weeds and defends against the wind. There are many commercial mulches available. Straw is an ideal candidate since it is cheap and easily biodegradable.

The copyright of the article Transplanting Seedlings into the Garden in Vegetable Gardens is owned by Sebastian Albu. Permission to republish Transplanting Seedlings into the Garden in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.