Transplanting Seedlings

I've been watching the tomato seedlings, and they have grown to the point where they are too big to remain in their "starter cells."  It is time to transplant.  

Gather all materials in one place:  organic potting soil, recycled pots, plant tags and pen, recycled solid trays, trowel, spoon, and gloves. Do this in a location that is easy to sweep-clean.  A little music and a nice glass of tea for the potter.

Preparing for transplanting

Personal note: After trying many things over the years, I have settled on the investment of plastic plant labels (bought in bulk online) and a Sharpie* Industrial marker (red lettering) for my labeling.  These hold up not only for the entire season, but I am reusing them again this year.  Be sure to use the industrial marker as it is heat resistant and thus fade-proof (I learned this trick from a local nursery employee).

Choose the strongest seedlings to transplant, so not everything "makes the cut."  Keep many more than you can use at this point simply because not all of them make it to the end.  This allows you to gift some to family and friends when it gets close to planting time.

Gently pull the plant from the tray and loosen the soil from the bottom but not completely exposing the roots,  Place this plant completely to the bottom of the pot, then pinch off any/all leaves that would be buried. Completely fill in the pot. If one is a leggy transplant, very gently bend the stem in the pot in order to get it buried well.  Roots will develop all along the base of the stem.

Loosen soil from roots, plant completely to the bottom of the pot.

Continue this until you have all the transplants that you want.  Don't worry if they look a little crooked or droopy, some water and a few hours will perk them right up.

A little droopy upon transplant, the ones in foreground didn't "make the cut"
one too leggy, another too small, and I had enough of this variety to keep and share.

Some water and a few hours later, they are looking good

Keep them inside and under another florescent light (I borrowed one, with permission, from hubby's workshop) and put them on the same timer as the rest of the seedlings.  On nice, overcast days, you may begin putting them outside a little at a time to start the hardening off process.

These may or may not need to be transplanted again prior to putting them in the garden. If these outgrow their pots, transplant them once more into a larger pot.  In this case, follow the same routine as above: loosen soil around roots, place plant completely to the bottom of the pot and pinch off any leaves that would be buried.  Once again, the plant will develop a larger root zone along the buried stem.

This same process is also followed for the peppers when it is time. 

I hope this helps.

Tip for First Spring Lawn Mowing

I was looking out over my lawn today and noticing that it is in need its first trim.  

This means it is also time to "rally the troops" and do a good yard clean up.  The winter and wind always does its job of cluttering the lawn with branches, pine cones, wind-blown trash, and the like.  It also reminds me that every year, irregardless of how dutiful we are about the cleaning and clearing, the first time I mow (even on a high setting) I manage to run over and chop up a countless number of little sticks and occasionally hit a dirt "clump" from a mole tunnel.  Nevertheless, I cringe at the thought of what it is doing to my blades...

Thus, my tip for the first spring mowing is this:  Wait to get your blades sharpened until after the first one or two mowings.  This way, all those sticks and other assorted debris you missed on clean up but your mower finds will nick your "old" blades.  

By the time the blades are sharpened, the grass is really greening up, filling in nicely, and looks wonderful with an even cut from freshly sharpened and balanced blades.  

Seed Starting - Tomatoes and Peppers

I start all of my tomatoes and peppers from seed.  Why?  Because I grow a lot of them, and I also like to grow specific varieties.  I have done this for years.  For me, it also has a therapeutic effect.  Since I start them in late February or early March, it gives me a chance to focus on growing plants in those last weeks of cold, dreary winter.  Since I put my tomatoes in the garden about a week before I put my peppers in, I also start my tomatoes a week earlier. 

The Process:
Decide when the plants go into the garden and count backward. Personally, I allow myself approximately 8 weeks.    

You can start seeds in many different ways.  My personal choice is to use the 72 cells with a solid plant tray underneath.  I re-use my cells, trays, and domes each year until they break beyond use.  I purchase these items from my local farm supply store in separate pieces.  They are inexpensive this way vs. buying a kit.

Use actual "Seed Starter" soil; it is sanitized and formulated for this purpose. Moisten the soil in a bucket prior to filling the cells.  It should hold together if you squeeze but not drip water. When I plant my seeds, I begin with the cells only about 1/2 full of seed starting mix. An old tablespoon works well for this; a dull pencil is great to poke the seed hole.   Doing this helps delay the first transplanting (explained later). Cover them with either plastic wrap or a plastic dome.  As they come up they will look really short in the trays.  

These are placed on a 4' table in an east-facing window.  This is also the entrance to the house so I do have to keep things a little orderly and neat.    

This tray is shown after germination and about 1 1/2 weeks old. When the seedlings emerge, it is time to remove the plastic or plastic dome.  

At this point I place them under florescent "shop" lights.  Since I have yet to build a light stand, I simply prop my lights on top of some building blocks I have.  Keep lights within inches of your plants, this will keep them from becoming "leggy."  Regular florescent tubes work fine, you don't have to pay for "grow" lights.

Keep an eye on them and don't let them dry out.  Watering from the bottom is best.  This is why I invest in the solid plant trays.  Water, wait 30 minutes, and pour off any remaining water in the tray - otherwise it is too much water and your plants may dampen off (rot).

Here you see the seedlings getting larger (top).  Now, this is where I begin to fill in the cells as they are growing.  Just a bit at a time.  This will allow each seedling to develop a stronger/larger root system.  You can see here that I have not yet thinned.  I delay that for another week, to allow a little competition between the seedlings.

Here they are after another week.  I am now thinning out each cell to the healthiest plant.  I look at the size of the seeding, the leaves, and how strong the stem looks.  CUT your seedling out with pointy scissors.  Pulling disturbs the roots of the seedling left and sometimes pulls up your "keeper."  I also take this opportunity to add a little more soil to each cell.

This is 1 week later...they really start growing now.  Here, I did any final thinning of the smaller seedlings, again topped off any cells that still needed it.  You can see especially with the tomato seedlings how thick their stem are getting.  This day I also raised my lights (added another block).  

You may read about having a fan blowing on your seedlings.  This is to mimic the wind they will experience in the garden.  Basically, the movement encourages the plants to strengthen their root and stem systems.  A very gentle "jostle" of the leaves once or twice a day will have the same effect.  It is kind of like "petting" your plants.  If one or more of my boys are around when I do this - for their audience only... I add in a little "hello my little plants... you are getting so big...yes you are...."  Yeah, totally unnecessary, but it has become part of our springtime routine.  

In approximately another week, the tomatoes will need to be transplanted into larger containers.  The peppers will continue to grow.