Have you reached your frost date? Have you performed the hardening off process? Do the plants look healthy and stable with several leaves? Then you are ready to transplant your plants to your garden. Begin with plants that have not been recently soaked from watering. You’ll want to work with soil that is somewhat loose - not compact from dryness or muddy with moisture. You will also need a small trowel, compost or bone meal or other type of fertilizer, and a bucket of water.
Choose a spot in your garden that makes sense for the type of plant you are working with. Make sure the area gets the appropriate level of light and is the correct distance from other plants (according to seed package directions). Consider, too, the size of the mature plant. Some plants grow up tall, some plants spread out wide, some plants will need support from a stake or trellis.
Plan your garden in order to leave ample space between each plant. Design it your way. You can choose rows, squares, or abstract patterns – whatever you think makes sense to you. Remember that you will need to reach the plants in the back of your garden, so provide yourself with narrow paths or stepping-stones. Placing a plank of (untreated) scrap wood on the soil helps define your path and keep weeds down.
When you have found the appropriate space for your transplant, dig in. Literally. With your trowel, dig a hole slightly larger and slightly deeper than the container where your plant has been living. Sprinkle a bit of fertilizer in the bottom of the hole. I use my own compost, but other recommended materials are bone meal, fish meal, humus, or manure.
After you have prepared the planting area, gently squeeze the sides of the plant’s container to loosen the soil within. With one hand over the soil and the other holding the container, tip the container over onto your palm and let gravity do the work. You may need to carefully loosen the soil with a tool or plastic knife around the edges of the pot and continue squeezing, wiggling, and gently shaking the container. If you are unable to loosen the plant this way, you will need to cut your container. You should not need to handle the plant stem at all during this process. Handle the plant by the roots and dirt.
With your fingers, loosen the soil from the bottom of the roots. Hold the plant over its new home and allow it’s roots to fall naturally. Look at the base of the plant… is it level with the ground? Perfect. Gently fill in the hole around the roots and snug the dirt down with your hands. Sprinkle some water on the soil around the plant. A layer of mulch (leaf mulch shown here) will help control weeds and retain moisture.
Water the new transplant daily for the first week. While it may seem convenient to watch weather patterns and plan your transplants for a rainy week, consider that a hard rain will damage the young transplants. You must do the work to get them off to a good start. After the first week, simply check them once a week for water needs and keep them free of weeds.
Common vegetables that can tolerate mild frost:
- Cabbage family: broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbages
- Radishes (sow directly into garden)
- Onions (sow directly into garden)
- Peas (sow directly into garden)
- Lettuce & spinach (sow directly into garden)
- Carrots (sow directly into garden)
Common vegetables that cannot tolerate frost:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Squashes (courgettes & winter squash)
- cucumbers
- melons
- beans
In the coming weeks and months we will watch our plants mature. We may have some issues to contend with in the way of pests or disease, but in the long run we are learning new things throughout the process and enjoying getting our hands dirty too. We’ll rejoice in the harvest as each plant produces nutritious food for us. We’ll want to shout “look what I grew!” to anyone who will listen. And when we taste that first bite… well… it truly is something to take pride in. It’s the reason I post photos of first fruits and pretty salads. It’s the reason that year after year, home gardeners till, toil, weed, and water beyond the comprehension of those who have never planted a seed or pulled a weed.
There is something very therapeutic that happens in the garden. It quiets the mind, connects us to the earth, and brings our attention to little details we would not notice otherwise. Enjoy watching your careful work come to fruition.
