You see the transplants starting to pop up at the garden centers. Or transplants that you have nurtured and grown from seed yourself, both eager to be planted. This can be a tricky prospect as either way you have time or money invested and it is hard to see that wasted in the form of transplants dying. Farmer Nathan has a few tips to help you succeed in your aspiration to plant your transplants!
Why transplant?
To begin, there is a great question to ask ourselves: Why transplant versus planting a seed? For myself, I love to get out into the garden sooner. Eager for any action that required working in the dirt. More practically, transplants offer several advantages in the garden. They help greatly decrease the amount of time between planting outdoors and the harvest. And by doing so, you can often outmaneuver some pests by getting your production early before the bugs are out in full force.
Transplants also offer consistency. When there is spotty germination or poor weather conditions, you may end up with gaps in the rows. Transplants eliminate those wasted spaces or the need to re-plant in the busy summer gardening season.
If you are growing your own transplants, there is also the joy of growing unique varieties of vegetables to tantalize your taste buds. The big box stores only have a limited selection of plant starts, but the sky’s the limit when you are browsing a seed catalog. Don’t forget to snag our free seed inventory printable to keep your seed stash organized!
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How to prepare the garden
Since you have spent the time either purchasing or growing your transplants, the last thing we want is for them to die after planting. There are some things that can be done to help with planting transplants in the garden. If you are planting after winter, you may find some weeds have begun to grow in the garden. I like to start by removing all visible weeds so as to eliminate potential competition. This is also a perfect time to clear the bed of any winter debris such as leaves, sticks, the bags or cups that mysteriously pop up seemingly out of nowhere, and any other foreign material.
Soil Amendments
Next, I like to add a layer of compost and any amendments that may be needed to balance the chemistry and physics of the soil. Getting a soil test can help greatly in determining how much of each item to add and often inexpensive to acquire. Simply reach out to your local extension service to find your local place to get soil tests processed. If the compost is weed-free, I like to place it directly on top of the garden beds so as to slow down other weeds from growing. When there may be weed seeds, however, I like to mix it in to incorporate the nutrients into the soil.
Once all of the compost and amendments are on the gardens, I like to water everything well. Transplants perform best when the ground is moist to reduce the chance of transplant shock. This becomes all the more important as we approach summer or the afternoon temperatures start reaching 80 degrees and beyond.
How to prepare the transplants
Now that the garden is ready it is time to prepare the transplants for their final step in their journey to your garden. I like to start by watering them really well. Transplants that are dry have a tendency to not perform as well as the roots do not evenly develop. There is also a higher chance of the transplant dying, especially if it is windy or hot outside. My favorite way to give transplants their final watering is via bottom watering. 10”X20” trays without holes work perfectly. But you can also use totes, buckets, or any other leak-free container for this purpose.
This is also a perfect time to give the plants a good nutritional boost to give them the best chance possible. Fish emulsion and seaweed are perfect for this particular job. Simply add 1 tablespoon of fish emulsion and 1 teaspoon of kelp per gallon of water and place in the bottom of the container to water the plants. I have noticed this particular blend greatly boosts the initial growth after transplanting to help propel the plants in their journey to productivity.
Hardening off transplants
Lastly, if the transplants were grown inside under grow lights, it may be helpful to harden your tender plants off by bringing them outside for short intervals of time. This process helps to acclimate the plants to the increased light intensity of the sun as well as the temperatures. The following is the schedule I like to follow:
- Days 1-2
- 4 hours outside from 10am-2pm in partial shade.
- Days 3-4
- 6 hours outside from 9am to 3pm in mostly sun (shade during the afternoon if possible)
- Days 5-6
- 8 hours outside from 8am to 4pm in mostly sun.
- Ready to plant on day 7.
While not every transplant needs this progression for planting, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and lettuce especially like a hardening off period. I like to keep an eye out on the forecast for overcast days and/or a string of mild weather days. For if it gets too cold at night, the transplants may need to be covered. Check out our post on 4 ways to protect crops from the cold.
Putting transplants in the ground
The time has now come to plant transplants! After carrying them to the garden of choice, I like to plan out the garden for proper spacing. Certain aspects to take into consideration include:
- What direction does the garden is facing?
- Is there a slope to the garden?
- Plant taller plants towards the north side of the garden unless shading is desired
- Space plants to allow ample airflow to decrease chances of disease
- Determine companion planning for the best chance of pest deterrence
- Create a good garden map for good crop rotation
I find that digging a hole slightly larger than the transplant makes the process easier. If planting tomatoes, they root especially well from the stem and I often plant them so that only 4 inches of the top is above the soil. If you would like to try this out, simply strip off the bottom leaves, and the plant is ready to go! Once the hole is dug, simply take the transplant out of the pot and place in the hole greens upwards and tamp the soil lightly around the transplants. This helps to increase the surface area between the transplant and native soil, which can help prevent dry spots.
If your transplants are root-bound, I like to gently pull the bottom of the root ball apart to encourage the roots to grow out rather than staying in a ball. This can be done with your fingers, or some people also use a fork to gently loosen the bottom of the transplant.
Post-Transplanting TLC
Congrats! You have successfully planted your transplants and you are well on your way to hopefully reaping a bountiful yield from your garden. Before I go, I have a few tips to help with post transplanting care for your transplants.
- Transplants do not like to dry out. Be sure to keep them well watered for best results.
- I like to fertilize 1 week after transplanting to give the transplants a nice boost
- If there is a chance of frost, be sure to cover the tender seedlings to protect them
- Try to disturb the transplants as little as possible for the next 2 weeks.
I hope these tips help you learn how to plant transplants for bountiful harvests this summer!