How to Transplant Seedlings
Learn how to transplant seedlings into your raised beds quickly and effectively with this easy method that’ll jumpstart your plant growth!
The time of year is upon us once again, when we can finally get our gardens planted. By now, your seedlings should be about a month to six weeks old and they’re probably outgrowing their seed-starting pots. It’s time to let those roots stretch out by either transplanting them into a larger pot, or planting them into their permanent home, in my case, a DIY stock tank raised bed.
The aim of today’s article is to take the guesswork out of transplanting seedlings and show you an easy and effective method for how to transplant seedlings that will get your garden off to a great start.
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Supplies to Transplant Seedlings
Seedlings (obviously)
Prepped garden bed or raised bed
Balanced powdered fertilizer (I’m using Happy Frog organic fertilizer)
Water source
Mulch (grass clipping, de-seeded straw, wood shavings, black plastic, etc.)
Step 1- Plan Your Garden Layout
The term “measure twice, cut once”, in addition to woodworking or carpentry, can also be applied to transplanting seedlings. It’s important to take a little bit of time and plan for proper spacing of your seedlings to ensure they’ll have enough room to grow and flourish.
Every plant has a different space requirement (for example, radishes require as little as two inches of spacing whereas watermelons require three to five feet), so it’s important to determine the spacing for the particular plant you’ll be transplanting. In this case, I’ll be transplanting both head lettuce and various leaf lettuces. Head lettuce requires about 8-12” to be able to adequately grow and form those beautiful round heads. Leaf lettuce doesn’t require quite as much space, about 6” to grow to its full potential. See below for a quick spacing guide for the various vegetables that I’ll be planting this year.
Peas- 2″-3″
Cucumbers- 12″-18″
Peppers- 10″-18″
Onions- 4″
Tomatoes- 18″-24″
Zucchini- 12″-15″
Yellow squash- 12″-15″
Strawberries- 12″-18″
Watermelon- 36″
Basil- 12″-16″
Head lettuce- 8″-12″
Leaf lettuce- 4″-8″
Green beans- 3″
Corn- 4″-6″
Eggplant- 18″-24″
Radishes- 1″-2″
Step 2- Prep Holes for Transplanting
Now that you’ve determined the correct spacing for your seedlings, it’s time to dig and prep some holes. Use the size of your seedling’s pot to determine the size of the hole you’ll need. The hole only needs to be slightly larger than the pot.
To dig the hole, you can simply use your fingers to dig, and try not to pack the soil down in the bottom of the hole, as this could potentially inhibit root growth.
Now just add a spoonful of fertilizer to the bottom of the hole and work it into the soil. At this point, your hole is all prepped and ready for planting!
Step 3- Transplant Seedlings
When transplanting seedlings, it’s important to disturb the root system as little as possible. So when you remove the seedling from the starting pot, make sure to be gentle so as not to damage the roots. The best way to do this is to take a finger and push directly up from the bottom of the pot so the root ball slides out unharmed.
For an even better way to keep the roots intact, try starting your seeds in paper pots and then just transplant the entire pot right into your garden without having to manipulate the root ball!
You may be tempted to tease the roots out a little bit to give them some space, but I would avoid this. The risk of damaging the roots is much greater than the reward, and the plant will do just fine stretching itself out as long as the garden soil is not tightly packed.
Now go ahead and drop your seedling into the hole and cover it with soil right up to the base of the stem. Don’t go too high with the soil as this could lead to damping off at the base of your seedling from excessive moisture on the stem. (This excludes tomato plants. Bury those suckers deep because the stems will readily sprout new roots due to their high totipotency!)
Once your seedling is in the hole, cover the root ball completely and then gently tamp the soil down just enough to give the seedling some support. Don’t pack it down too hard.
Step 4- Water Seedling In
Once your seedlings are planted, it’s very important to water them in. Giving them a good soak right after transplanting will help prevent the roots from drying out, which can be disastrous for a newly transplanted seedling. Watering will also stimulate nutrient uptake, decreasing the severity of transplant shock, and increasing the chances of a successful transplant.
Step 5- Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!
The final step in the transplanting process (and an often overlooked one) is to add a thick layer of mulch on top of your garden soil. Mulching is essential in maintaining a moist soil environment for your plant’s root system. Mulch acts as a barrier, locking in the moisture and protecting the soil from direct exposure to sunlight, which will quickly dry it out. In addition, a thick layer of mulch will also help suppress weed pressure, especially in ground beds.
There are several mediums that work well as mulch, with personal preference playing a big role. You can use grass clippings, incomplete compost, wood chips or shavings, de-seeded straw, pebbles, or even black plastic. Each one has its own set of benefits and drawbacks which is beyond the scope of this article, but the choice is yours.
I prefer mulches made of organic material that will break down into the soil over time, but my parents have always used black plastic with extraordinary results year-after-year.
I have a couple bags of pine shavings on hand left over from when I filled my raised beds, so I’m using those as my mulch, at least for the time being.
Mulching is not very complicated. Just spread a nice thick layer of whatever you’re using all over the bed, especially at the base of your seedlings. Here, I’ve created a nice layer of mulch about an inch thick, which will lock the moisture in nicely, and prevent my seedlings from drying out.
Conclusion
That’s all there is to the transplanting process. You now know exactly how to transplant seedlings into your garden easily and effectively. Take special care of your seedlings’ roots, give them a little fertilizer boost, water them in, and then lock in the moisture with some mulch.
Hopefully this cleared up some of the transplanting questions you had, and if you have any other questions or comments, hit us up on Instagram, or shoot us an email!
Happy Gardening,
Cody
Thistle Downs Farm
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