How to prepare Tomato and Vegetable Starts for Transplanting

  

When it comes to moving your new seedlings to the great outdoors, it’s important to take your time. This applies whether you grew your own tomato, vegetables or flowers from seed or bought them from our greenhouse. Moving your plants from the house or greenhouse directly into the garden without giving them time to adjust will set them back significantly and in some cases, they’ll fail to survive.   

 

 

 

 

This slow transition from indoors to the outside is called “hardening off”. Hardening off plants gradually exposes them to outdoor light, wind, and temperatures. The process is easy, but it takes time. In fact, you should plan for a week or so to get your immature plants ready to transplant into the garden.

On the first day, pick a sheltered, shady spot under a tree or on the patio and leave them there for 5 or 6 hours.  

  

  

  

  

Bring them in that night. The second day, place your plants where they will receive morning sun and afternoon shade. This will help your seedlings adjust to direct sunlight. Leave them in this spot for 6 to 7 hours. On the third day, increase the exposure time to direct sun and leave your transplants out after dark.  

 

 

  

 

 

On the fourth day, if the nighttime temperatures stay above 50° F, leave your starter plants out all night. Follow the same routine for days five and six but be prepared to bring your plants back in if the nighttime temperatures fall. After this amount of time, your tomato, pepper, and vegetable seedlings should be ready to plant in the garden.  

If nighttime temperatures continue to drop into the 30’s and 40’s, consider using season extenders like N-Sulate or Insulated Plant Protectors. Insulated Plant Protectors help protect tomatoes and peppers and other crops when temperatures drop.

N-Sulate is another way to protect warm weather crops against cold temperatures. This cloth product helps raise the temperature around your plants by 6° to 8° F.    

  

  

  

When you do decide to plant, pick a cloudy day. This will help your seedlings make the transition from container to the garden even easier.  Even then, you will want to keep an eye on the forecast. Our average last day of frost is May 13, but this can vary greatly. Have a frost blanket or floating row cover ready to protect your plants. Do not use plastic to cover your plants. If plants are small enough, throw a box over them to keep the frost off.   

  

  

  

  

  

Make sure you keep your plants watered during this hardening off process. Being outside means they will dry out faster, so keep an eye on the watering.  Moist soil will cope with temperature swings better than dry soil. 

  

 

 

Now’s the Time to Plant Flowering Perennials

 

Whether you’re planting to fill in a spot in the landscape or replace a plant, now’s a great time to plant perennials. Planting perennials in the spring offers the advantage of a long growing season, encouraging the plant to set roots and establish well.  

 

 

Two important factors to consider are matching the plant to the right light conditions and taking time to improve the soil. While many perennials come with an information tag, don’t hesitate to ask one of our staff members about planting location and plant care. We’ll be glad to help you.  

Once the site is selected, it's time to prepare the soil.  We stock locally produced bagged soil amendments such as Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat, and Compost. Bagged amendments are convenient and easy to transport. Rich in trace minerals, organic material and beneficial microbes, Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost improves the soil’s physical and biological health, essential for initial planting as well as sustained growth.  

 

Adding this organic amendment will allow our typical clay soil to drain better and the plant will be able to take up water and nutrients more effectively.  

Dig a hole twice as large as the container your plant came in and half again as deep. Now mix the Sheep, Peat and Compost at a ratio of one-third to 50:50 with the existing soil. Once the hole is dug and amended, fill it with water and let the water drain. 

Repeat this step, this time adding three and a half tablespoons of ferti•lome Root Stimulator to a gallon of water. Slip your new plant out of its container and loosen the root ball.  Place the plant in the center of the hole and backfill with the amended soil, using enough to create a shallow basin to facilitate watering.

 
It's important to keep new plantings evenly moist. This is best done by checking each plant daily and hand watering as necessary. Fill the basin you built around each plant and let the water slowly seep in. Don’t rely on automatic irrigation.  

 

Applying mulch to new plantings is an effective way to conserve water and reduce heat stress on your plants.   

 
 

Even though our perennials are hardened off, plan to plant on a cloudy day or plant in the evening. This will give the new plant some 8 to 10 hours to begin acclimating to its new location without the stress of direct sun and high temperatures.   

 

There are many varieties of blooming perennials available now, many of these perennials will attract and support pollinators. With good soil preparation and the right amount of water, your new plantings will establish quickly and provide color and interest through the season.