Trying a variety of vegetables and flowers often requires that you begin the process by planting seeds.  Amazingly, some packages of seeds will cost $2 or $3 so making the most of each tiny opportunity counts.

One step that is often overlooked in the seed to blooming process is the tricky step of transplanting.  Wow!  You wouldn’t believe how much time and process goes into successful transplanting.  (At our farm … this project seems to happen most often on a Sunday!)

First, the seedlings need to be at least an inch to two inches tall and be careful as you loosen the soil around them because the roots will be at least that long too.  It is at this step that many seedlings are lost.  You do have to handle them gently especially cabbage and broccoli.  If these seedlings are significantly bruised or broken, don’t try to plant them.  They won’t survive.  Tomatoes, however, are much hardier and, in our experience, will revive.

Second, the amount of sunshine seedlings receive while transplanting and for the following day really matters.  Take them out of direct sunlight and let them rest with sufficient water.  Seedlings that are transplanted, watered and left in direct sunlight will struggle to recover.

Another vital piece of the transplanting equation is air movement or if you are working within a greenhouse -  a fan or open window.  Air movement is imperative if you want your plants to adjust when moved to the garden.  If this element is removed, your plants will simply collapse when planted, and all that precious time and energy will be lost.  So don’t forget to create a breeze for them.

Thanks for checking in on His Glories Farm!  We look forward to seeing you soon!

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 15th, 2009 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.