Transplant help success

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Loading… BY PATRICE POWERS-BARKER
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

Some vegetables will grow directly from seed in the garden such as? radishes, peas, carrots, beets, and beans.

Some vegetables can be planted as seeds or transplanted as “seedlings” (little plants) such as lettuce, squash, and okra.

Warm weather plants such as tomatoes and peppers have to be transplanted into the garden as seedlings because they need a longer growing time than our spring and summer will allow.

If you are purchasing transplants, here are a few characteristics to look for when browsing the greenhouse or garden shop.

A general guideline is to look for short and stocky dark, green plants. If they are too tall or leggy they will not be as strong in the garden. A stocky plant will hold up better under the outdoor weather conditions. It will not be as damaged in strong winds or hard rains, compared to a leggy, thin plant.

Also, unless the plant is supposed to be another color, a dark green color usually indicates adequate nutrients in the plant. If you purchase warm weather fruiting plants such as tomatoes, peppers, or squash you will not need to see blossoms or fruit yet.? It is better to buy a healthy, short, stocky, green seedling with only leaves and then transplant and establish it in the garden before it produces blossoms and fruit.

On the other hand, sometimes the timing of purchasing the transplants and getting them into the garden isn’t perfect.? The weather can dictate a lot of our garden decisions this time of year.

If the transplant has grown too large for the container with roots that are growing in a tight circle in the small pot, or the plant is producing blossoms or fruit, it still can be planted in the garden but do it as soon as it’s warm enough.

“Hardening off” plants is a way to introduce them to the outdoor weather. You can move the seedlings in their containers outside on warm sunny days but they still will need to be protected from cold and windy days and frosty nights.

When it’s time to transplant, dig a hole about twice as large as the container. Remove the plant from a plastic container by grasping the stem of the seedling and gently squeezing the bottom of the plastic. Place the roots in the hole and gently refill the hole with soil. When planting, make sure the roots are completely covered by soil and water thoroughly.

All of the following theme gardens work well in the ground or in large garden containers. Grow a Pizza Garden or Salsa Garden. Try a Salad Garden during our cool spring weather with different colors of lettuce, some herbs, edible flowers, and radishes. Even if you are not a big fan of eating radishes, they are a recommended plant for vegetable gardeners because they grow so fast and offer more immediate results than the tomatoes, which won’t be ready for a few months.

Patrice Bowers-Barker is a program assistant with OSU Extension Lucas County. If you have questions, call the OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Horticultural Hotline at 419-578-6783. Volunteers are on hand Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Questions also may be e-mailed to mastergardener.ag.osu.edu and possibly answered in a future Plant to Plate column.

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