Transplanting Your Seedlings: Tips to be Successful
At this time in the year, many of us have seedlings growing indoors. And it is time to get these little plant babies outside! But how do you know if they are ready? Is there anything you need to do before you plop them in the ground? Read below for 5 tips on how to complete this process, and be sure to watch the YouTube video!
1. Know Your Last Frost Date
It is very important that you a) understand what growing zone you are in and b) know your last frost date. Your last frost date is the last date that your area might encounter a light freeze. Of course, the last frost date is going to be a rough estimate based on prior years, so I always wait an extra 2 weeks after that date just to be on the safe side. You can look up your frost date here and your growing zone here.
2. Know When Your Seedlings are Ready
So the first thing you should know is how old your seedlings are: when you started them, and how long they have been growing inside. Many plants will be ready to transfer at about 4-6 weeks. You can also look at the plants themselves. How tall are they? How many leaves or sets of leaves do they have? Are they starting to look stressed? Do they look like they are fixing to flower?
Many plants will be ready when they are several inches tall, have at least 1-2 sets of leaves, and you definitely want to get them outside before they start flowering.
3. Harden off Your Seedlings
When we say we are “hardening off” our seedlings, we are referring to getting them used to the environment in which they will reside. Is there going to be full sun? A lot of wind? Occasional rain or moisture? You need to know where your seedlings are going to be planted, and then gradually get them used to these elements over the course of about a week.
Here is the schedule I typically use:
Day 1 – Outside in the shade for 1-2 hours
Day 2 – Outside in the shade for 2-3 hours
Day 3 – Outside in the morning sun for 1 hour then shade for 2-3 hours
Day 4 – Outside in the morning sun for 2-3 hours then shade for 2-3 hours
Day 5 – Outside in the morning and afternoon sun for 4-5 hours then shade for 2-3 hours
Day 6 – Outside in full sun for 5-6 hours then shade for 2-3 hours
Day 7 – Outside all day
During this process, if it looks like there will be some wind or rain, I try to expose my seedlings to those elements a little at a time. I keep a close eye on them so that if they are starting to look stressed, I can move them or bring them back inside.
4. Look at Your Weather Forecast
When you know your seedlings are ready for transfer, you then want to check out the weather forecast for the next 1-2 weeks. Look for moderate temperatures, with no cold or heat spells on the horizon. Also try to take note of the wind and rain predictions; a little but is ok, but a lot is going to really hurt your plants. At this point you have hardened off you seedlings, so if you have to push back your transplanting, you can continue to bring them outside until you are ready.
5. Get Them Transplanted!
Finally the day has come! These plant babies are ready to go in the ground. You have your planting area prepared and are ready to make the move.
Try to transplant your seedlings in the morning, when it is cooler outside. Space them out the way you want them; for my vegetables I prefer to plant according to the square foot gardening method, but you may be using rows or even pots. Whatever way you want to do it is fine! Gently remove your seedling from its house; if the roots are pretty packed, loosen them up a tad. Get the seedling into the hole you’ve made and pack it back up with dirt. Be sure to water thoroughly upon planting and pretty often over the next 1-2 weeks, depending on your plant.
The first 1-2 weeks is when you will notice any transplant stress, so try to keep a close eye on everything during this time. Many problems can be avoided if taking the appropriate steps quickly!
Ok, y’all, I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions about particular plants below!