Plant Deep: Transplanting Your Seedlings
By Kira Hamman
If you live in the northern half of the country, the tomato seedlings you started indoors probably have a bit of cabin fever right about now.
They’ve undoubtedly outgrown the pots you started them in and are reaching for the sky (that is, ceiling) with determination.
Maybe you’ve started to harden them off, and their first brush with outside light and air has left them a bit woozy. They’re not quite ready for independence, but soon, so soon, they will be. You’ll take them out to the garden and – gasp! – leave them there.
We’ve already covered hardening off, and that is indeed a critical step. But once it’s done, there are still some things you can do to ease the transition and improve your plants’ chances of success.
- Plant deep. Plant your seedlings so that only about the top half is showing. Weird, maybe, but it forces the stem to grow roots, which gives the growing plant the extra support it needs to withstand the elements.
- Feed and water the hole. Before you put the plant in, shovel a big dose of compost and pour a gallon of water into the hole. The plant will have food and water readily available and can spend its first days outside concentrating on growing rather than searching for sustenance.
- Don’t be a stranger. Visit your newly transplanted seedlings often, like several times per day. That way, if they’re suffering, you’ll catch it early and have a much better chance of saving them.
Anybody else have favorite tips?
May 29th, 2008 at 10:29 am
This is very timely - I plan on transplanting my seedlings today!
May 29th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Great advise. I also foliar feed once a week until they set fruit. Works for me.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I put my seedlings in about two weeks ago. They have survived, but they don’t seem to be growing much. I planted them shallow, but had them leaning practically on their sides to encourage root growth. I gave them food. I visit them often and even talk to them! : ) Do I just need a little patience now?
May 30th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Melissa - your seedlings are probably growing a lot, just not above ground where you can see it. They spend their first weeks developing a strong root system, which is exactly what you want them to do. You should start to see more visible growth soon. And let us know how the sideways thing works out - I’ve never tried that!
June 11th, 2008 at 12:05 am
I live in WI, Zone 5. I just planted my seedlings in the ground today. I feel like I am very far behind since I saw at the store today big plants with ripe cherry tomatoes!
Any advice?