Transplanting seedlings is one of my favourite tasks in the garden. There are a few simple things to consider to give your young plants the best chance to flourish you want them to thrive, rather than just survive.

Timing

Think about the time of year. Just because certain seedlings are available at your nursery, dont assume its the right time to plant them out. If youre not sure, read the label most tell you the best time of year to plant. You could look in gardening books, research online or ask family or friends who are gardeners (they might even give you some seedlings if theyve bought too many).

You can plant tender plants before the risk of late frosts has passed, provided you listen closely to weather forecasts and are prepared to cover your babies with protection or enclose them in a cloche.

Hardening Off

If youve grown your seedlings from seed you probably know to harden them off before planting. But if youre buying them from a nursery take a look at where theyve been living. Have they been in a glass-house, under shade or exposed to the weather? If you seedlings have been grown outside exposed to the weather, they wont need hardening off. But if theyve been pampered, theyll need a bit of toughening up to prepare them for the real world.

To harden off your seedlings you need to leave them outdoors for a longer time each day. Protect them under a porch or behind shade-cloth, bringing them indoors at night for the first few days. After a couple of days, you can expose them to the morning sun. At the end of a week, they’ll be tough enough to transplant to their permanent plot.

Planting Out

The garden bed they are being planted in should already have been prepared with layers of organic matter, compost and mulch. Water seedlings 10-15 minutes before planting out.

Before removing seedlings from their containers, arrange them where they will be planted. When youre happy with the arrangement, use a trowel to dig a hole about twice the size of the rootball. Doing this prep work reduces the length of time that the roots will be exposed (drying out). Fill each hole with water. This supplies moisture to the plants root zone rather than the surface where it may quickly evaporate. Gently ease the first plant from its container, working from the bottom and sides to loosen it. Dont try and pull it from the container by its stem you may damage it. Only handle these young plants by their individual leaves or by the root ball. Keeping the rootball intact will help prevent transplant stress, but gently tease the roots to loosen them.

Place the plant into the ground at about the same level that it was growing in its container. Backfill the hole until it is almost level with the soil. I like to add some organic fertilizer at this stage, to give my babies a head start. Just use a small amount you can add more later. Finish backfilling, pressing the soil lightly around the roots to ensure good soil-to-root contact.

Water them in well, avoiding overhead watering, immediately after transplanting. Water daily for about a week until seedlings are well established. Bring mulch around the plant, leaving about a 10cm (4inch) diameter clear around each plant.

Other things to consider

Avoid transplanting vegetable seedlings when the weather is expected to be excessively hot. If you can, choose a day that is cloudy or transplant late in the afternoon or evening so that your plants can recover through the cool of the night, without sunlight beating down on them. If you cant do this its a good idea to provide some temporary shade, particularly in hot weather.

An initial watering with an organic seaweed fertilizer will provide a wide range of nutrients and help reduce stress on your young seedlings.

Get all your equipment ready before you start hand trowel, gardening gloves, kneeling pad, your water bottle and hat.

Tomatoes are an exception to the rule as far as planting depth goes. You can plant them right down to the first set of true leaves. They will grow new roots right up to the soil level, making them more sturdy.

Seedlings from the Cucumber family (cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, melons) do better planted in hills. This allows for better drainage and warms their soil to give them a better start.

One of the most fun and rewarding aspects of gardening is starting plants from seeds. And it’s not that expensive either.

To start, you will need basic materials like containers, soil or a soil-less mixture, light, water, a fan and a plastic cover that you will use for the containers.

Fill the container with soil, sow the seeds into the container, add water, then wrap the plastic over the container securely. Once done, transfer the container to a spot where it is exposed to the sun. There are exceptions here that you must note. There are seeds that need darkness to grow and these include nasturtium, schizanthus, phlox and verbena.

Now, wait for the seeds to germinate. Bear in mind that germination is not the same for all seeds. The marigolds, for example, germinate in three days. Other seeds may take as long as 40 days. Once you’ve seen the seeds germinate, expose the seedlings by removing the plastic top and turn on the fan. The wind’s force tends to strengthen seedlings that are tender.

You will notice that your seedlings will develop a true set of leaves soon enough. These are actually the plant’s second set of leaves. That’s the signal for you to transplant the remaining seedlings outdoors or possibly into a larger container.

Once transplanted, remember to water the seedlings regularly and expose them to sunlight and warmth.

If you want to transfer the seedlings outdoors, leave the containers outside for a few days until the seedlings have acclimatized themselves to their new surroundings. You will know the seedlings are ready when they acquire a more hardened look. This usually takes a week or less. Once the time arrives, you’re ready to transplant your seeds.

There are seeds that seem to tolerate extremes in the weather, either hot or cold, better than others. For best results, though, transplant those seeds during the warmer months even though they may be seeds that actually flourish in the cool air such as spinach, godetia, phlox or poppies.

Now the hard part is over and the easy part, maintenance, begins.

Have you ever tried starting plants from seeds? Its actually one of the most fun and rewarding things I like about gardening. Plus, it doesnt cost you much either.

The basic materials you will need for this are containers, soil or a soil-less mixture, light, water, a fan and a plastic cover. In case youre wondering, the plastic cover will be used for the containers.

The first thing is to put soil into your container, then sow the seeds in it, water and, once done, cover the container securely with the plastic. Now place the container in the brightest and sunniest are of your house for maximum exposure to sunlight. However, there are exceptions to note. For example, the seeds of plants like nasturtium, schizanthus, phlox and verbena grow best in the darkness so dont put them in the light.

The next move is waiting for the seeds to germinate. This period will vary depending on the kind of seed you used. For instance, if you used marigolds, the germination process will take three days. Thats a short germination phase. In others, germination takes as long as 40 days. After the seeds have germinated, remove the plastic cover to expose the seedlings and turn on the fan. The force of air from the fan when applied to the seedling will make them stronger.

After a while, note that the seedlings develop a second set of leaves for the plant. Thats the signal to start transplanting the remaining seedlings outdoors or possibly into a larger container. Once these have been transplanted, the next step is to nurture the plants with regular watering and prolonged exposure to sunlight. They need warmth to grow.

Here is a procedure for transplanting seedlings outdoors. First, leave the containers out in the open for a few days to allow the seedlings to acclimatize themselves to their new surroundings. Second, wait for the seedlings to acquire a more hardened look. This takes about a week or sometimes less. Again, the length of time varies depending on the kind of seeds used. Third, once hardened, transplant the seedling. Fourth, nurture the seeds with regular warmth and watering.