Planting Out
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Course 1 · Chapter 5 · Planting Out: Hardening Off, Spacing, Transplanting and Watering In
Chapter 4 ended with seedlings in their own pots. Moving them into the garden is a shock: wind, cold nights, direct sun and rougher soil. This chapter covers hardening off, spacing, the transplanting itself, and watering in.
Hardening Off
Seedlings raised indoors are soft. Hardening off is a gradual introduction to outdoor conditions over about 7 to 14 days (check) so that leaves do not scorch and growth does not stall.
| Days | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | A few hours outdoors in a sheltered, shaded spot; bring in at night |
| 4-6 | Longer outside, with some morning sun; still in at night |
| 7-9 | Full days in the open, more wind and sun |
| 10-14 | Out day and night if no frost is forecast; then plant |
Tender crops such as courgettes, beans and tomatoes must not go out until the last frost has passed. In a cool climate that is often mid to late spring, later in cold districts (check your local last-frost date). Hardy crops such as peas and brassicas (cabbage family) can go out earlier.
Spacing
Crowded plants compete for light, water and food, and damp air between them encourages disease. Use the spacing on the packet or plant label; it is the distance between mature plants, so a small seedling looks lost at first. That is normal, and the gaps can be used for a quick catch crop such as radishes or lettuce between slower plants.
Too close
Small, spindly plants, more disease, more slugs hiding in the shade, and a poor harvest.
Right spacing
Air moves between plants, light reaches the leaves, and each plant has room for its roots.
Transplanting
- Choose the moment: a cool, overcast day or the evening, so plants are not hit by hot sun straight away.
- Water first: soak the pots an hour or so before, so the root ball holds together.
- Dig the hole: a little wider than the root ball and as deep as the pot.
- Handle gently: hold by a leaf or the root ball, never the stem.
- Depth: plant at the same depth as in the pot. Tomatoes are an exception and can be set deeper, since the buried stem grows extra roots (check).
- Firm in: press soil around the roots to remove air pockets, but do not stamp it down hard.
Watering In
Watering in means giving a generous drink straight after planting. It settles soil around the roots and removes air pockets. For the next one or two weeks, check the soil every day or two: new transplants have small roots and dry out fast, even if the surface of a bed looks damp. Water slowly at the base, not over the leaves, ideally in the morning.
Not Yet Verified, and Sources
- Source. Written from general knowledge of gardening; no specific source was read. Nothing is quoted from a text.
- Marked (check). The length of the hardening-off period, local last-frost dates, deeper planting of tomatoes, and delaying feeding after transplanting. Verify against plant labels and local advice.
Exercises
Write a 10-day hardening-off plan for a tray of seedlings of one tender crop, saying which day each stage happens, and what you would do if a frost was forecast on day 8.
A bed is 1.2 m wide and 2.4 m long. Using spacings from a packet or label, work out how many plants of one crop it holds, and sketch where they would go.
Two days after planting out, half your seedlings are wilting. List at least four possible causes, how you would tell them apart, and what you would do for each.
Quick Reference
- Hardening off: 7-14 days, a little more outdoors each day
- Timing: after the last frost for tender crops
- Spacing: follow the packet; fill gaps with catch crops
- Planting: cool or cloudy time, water first, gentle handling
- Watering in: soak after planting, then check daily
- Protection: cloche or fleece against wind, cold, slugs