Vegetable Transplants. When and How to Transplant

Vegetable Transplants. When and How to Transplant

Tom Ingram: Ask a Master Gardener

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Q: I am itching to get my little vegetable seedlings in the ground. Is it safe for me to do that now? DS

A: Every year, the question “when can I plant” comes up and, for us, the answer is always “after April 15th.”

There is no magic in that date other than it is Tax Day (except this year) and a special birthday around our house, which is always magical. But the reason we say April 15 is because this is historically the last of the days we tend to get a freeze.

Many of us want to jump the gun because it gets warm. I mean we even had a few days in the 80s recently. These warm days convinced a lot of us to go ahead and plant. But mother nature does what Mother Nature wants and now we have had freezing or near-freezing temperatures right before April 15. So, if you jumped the gun, you were likely out covering your plants to do your best to keep them safe from the freeze.

Looking at the weather right now, we should be good to plant our transplants this weekend…with a special emphasis on “should” and the caveat: have you hardened off your plants?

Hardening off is the process of preparing your veggie plants for their new life outdoors. You can begin this process while they are still indoors by using a rotating fan at low speed. The gentle breeze from the fan will help strengthen your baby plants and better prepare them to be outside.

Another thing they definitely need to ease into is getting used to the outdoor sun. One of the worst things you can do to your baby transplants is to take them from your house and plant them directly in the open garden. Their entire life (thus far) has been indoors in a controlled environment, so they need to get used to the sun gradually, not all at once. If you place them in the soil or a container outdoors without hardening them first, they will likely burn up and not recover.

To harden your baby plants, they need to be placed outside in a protected place, maybe an area that gets dappled or partial sun to start. But, don’t just put them out and forget them. Maybe start with a couple of hours on the first day and increase for an hour each day until they get used to the sun. Be sure to bring them in at night if it is cold. But after a couple of weeks of hardening, they should be ready to go out in your garden. If you follow these simple steps, your chances of having delicious veggies all season long are greatly increased. Good luck and happy gardening!

Garden tips

·        Lace bugs, aphids, spider mites, bagworms, etc. can start popping up in the landscape and garden later this month. Keep a close eye on all plants and use mechanical, cultural, and biological control options first.

·        Remove any winter-damaged branches or plants that have not begun to grow. Prune spring flowering plants as soon as they are finished blooming.

·        Proper watering of newly planted trees and shrubs often means the difference between success and replacement