Hello! Gardening . . . .
Some people already have all of their gardens in. Some people have had to replace some of those transplants that didn’t survive a few bouts of frost. Many people are biding their time waiting for the roller-coaster weather to finally settle. After all, we have had summer, fall, winter, and spring, all in the course of the past 2 weeks! Many people will finish setting in their heat-loving plants after the soil has thoroughly warmed up in a day or so – in a week or so – in a month or so.

And so, here are some transplanting tips to consider.

Transplants – healthy, strong, protected, hardened off – ready to go. And now you come along and pluck them out of their safe environment, disturb their tender young roots, and thrust them out into a whole new strange world. And this wild place is filled with harsh elements – like hot scorching sun, powerful strong winds, frigid cold nights, fierce driving thunderstorms, and all sorts of killer diseases and plant-eating bugs.

And just how will those plants respond to this move? They will simply go into transplant shock. Their leaves will droop and wither. They may even die on you! Now that’s gratitude for you!

Let’s face it – some transplants are hardier than others. Some will easily survive any attack from Mother Nature. These rugged souls include your cole crops, chard, lettuce, and maybe tomato. Others require a bit more care when being transplanted. These include: celery, eggplant, onion, and pepper. And some delicate damsels require the utmost care because they hate having their roots disturbed. These dainty ladies include cucumber, melon, winter and summer squash. Who would ever think of zucchini as being delicate and dainty???

Let’s go through some transplanting suggestions that might minimize all those shocking changes that you are subjecting those poor babies to.

A good time to transplant seedlings into your garden is on a cloudy day. Better – a cloudy, calm day. Best – a cloudy, calm, misty day. Strong sunlight and winds can seriously harm or even kill young plants. If clouds aren’t in the forecast, then do your transplanting in late afternoon or in the early evening so the sun won’t fry them.

Now before you start to transplant, soak those plants in water for about an hour or so. This soaking helps keep the soil around the roots and gives them more protection. And be sure to get everything ready for the transplanting process before handling the plants.
Prepare those planting beds
Dig those planting holes or trenches
Have the fertilizer or compost in place
Get all of the tools and water ready

And don’t over-do it if you do use fertilizer to those planting holes. Too much fertilizer can burn the roots and shock those plants into non-existence!
Gently lift those transplants out of their cells or pots. Use a spoon or a fork or a Popsicle stick if you have to. Handle them by their leaves; you might crush their stems. Cup the roots in your hand to shield them from the elements. Try to keep as much soil around the roots as you can.

And if you are transplanting cucumbers, melons, squash, or pumpkins, remember to be extremely careful not to disturb their root even a tiny bit. Those delicate-rooted plants hate, hate, hate having their roots disturbed. And if you do happen to tamper with their tender roots, those transplants will reward you by going into catatonic shock and/or die! So what am I saying here? DO NOT DISTURB THOSE ROOTS!!!

Try to work quickly to set in each plant and water it. Cover the roots with soil, and gently firm around the plant and water again. Try to form a sort of bowl or saucer around each plant. This way whenever you water your garden, that water will stay around the plants and not run off.

Remember those transplants need plenty of water in the beginning. This helps them get over that transplanting shock. Lots of water now encourages new root growth. And ample watering is very important because it replaces moisture lost to heat and drying winds.

Try to keep track of that weekly rainfall. Most garden plants need at least 1” of water each week. And when those plants are pumping out the fruit, they need at least 1½” of water. Keep in mind, garden plants really prefer rainwater to quench their thirst, but they will condescend to accept tap water.

More transplanting tips next week.

Hey – Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!
D