Transplanting Seedlings Outdoors

Posted on: Jun 06, 2020Raunie

So, now that you’ve got seedlings that are growing strong indoors, you’ll want to transfer them outside to be able to capture the nutrients from the sunlight to be able to produce a delicious and plentiful bounty in a few months. This is called transplanting. See below for some tips and tricks to help you along throughout this process.

When can I plant?

The rule of thumb is to wait until the night-time temperatures are steady at 10 degrees Celsius and we aren’t getting heavy rain.  Frost will damage the seedling and stunt its growth so the temperature is very important when making the decision to transplant outside.

Hardening of Seedlings

Transplanting seedlings can be stressful on them. So, before being planted outside in your garden, you’ll want to take a few days to get the seedlings used to what will be their new environment. How you’ll do this is about a week before you plant outdoors, place the containers outside in an area that receives partial sun and shade. A few hours a day is all that is needed but it is important to bring them back inside overnight to keep them protected. It is also important to choose a spot that is protected from the wind because they aren’t strong enough at this stage to withstand any substantial movement.

How best to plant?

66Use a hoe, spade or small gardening shovel to make a small hole evenly6666spaced throughout the garden. The spacing will always depend on the types of vegetables that you’re planting. It is always best practice to check the spacing with the seed package for fully grown plants. They may seem small now, but nevertheless they will quickly grow to fill in the space. It’s better to give them room to grow, rather than have overcrowd your garden and limit the amount of yummy fresh vegetables you can get from it.

Care after planting

Light daily watering is always best practice. Remember, these plants are babies and they still need to be handled with care. If the seedlings are having issues standing up after planting, a small stake or popsicle stick gently tied to the stem will really help it grow up straight and be able to grow a thick and healthy stem.

Now what?

In conclusion, by following these steps when you are transplanting seedlings you will have greater success at a productive and plentiful garden full of fresh vegetables to enjoy! Stay tuned for the next article … pruning and best practice as your vegetable plants grow.

Happy Planting!