subject: How to Train and Transplant Seedlings The Will Thrive in the Outdoor Herb Garden [print this page] How to Train and Transplant Seedlings The Will Thrive in the Outdoor Herb Garden
Growing herbs from seeds is similar to the process for most plants. And training and transplanting seedlings of any type that will thrive in the outdoor garden is similar to potty training children. The process may not always work perfectly, but it's a necessary step for growth.
Indoor plants are more vulnerable when you put them outside than those started outdoors because of the protection they've received in a warm and predictable environment. If they're set outside before mild weather has arrived, anything can happen as they do not adjust to sudden changes.
Starting seedlings in cold frames help the "hardening off" process. Simply open the cold frame to the air a crack for a short time every day, gradually increasing the time you keep it open. After 10 to 12 days the seedlings are ready to have the cold frame left permanently open.
If you have started your herb seeds in flats or pots, take them out for an airing everyday but bring them in at night. Continue with this process until the plants are well established and the nights are predictably warm. However, be aware of the possibility of sudden high winds. If your plants are exposed to this condition they will look as if a hurricane passed through and may not survive.
When the seedlings have two pairs of leaves they are telling you they're ready to be transplanted. Water them thoroughly before you move them from their containers to a permanent location in your garden patch, and pick a calm day to make the transplant. We suggest you make the move as late in the afternoon/evening as possible so that the evening dew will grace the seedlings.
Lift the seedlings out of their containers with something similar to a popsicle stick or tongue depressor, and gently lower them (with dirt still hugging the roots) into the hole you have dug. Be sure to set the plant deep enough so that the first pair of leaves is flush with the ground. Pack earth around the plant and water it until it cannot absorb anymore. Make sure you leave plenty of space between the plants as they will need all the sun and air they can get as they mature.
Once the plants have been introduced to their permanent place in your garden, protect them from the hot sun for a few days with "hot caps" such as newspaper tents or plastic canopies. Be careful to weight down newspaper tents with rocks or clods of dirt so that they won't blow away, or crush your young seedlings.
Water herb plants thoroughly once a week by soaking the soil to a depth of 8 inches so that the root system is receiving adequate moisture. Where container-grown herbs have been planted outdoors with the container still attached, water more frequently if the days are hot and sunny, and soak the soil as above.
In most cases, garden beds can benefit from using a 5-10-5 commercial fertilizer. Apply at the rate of 3 ounces every 10 feet of row once during the growing season. If the site is particularly poor, or if the plants do not look healthy and are droopy, give them a shot of liquid fertilizer at half the label recommendation every 3 to 4 weeks.
So, treat your herb seedlings with care; don 't expose them to harsh conditions and expect them to survive. Protect them and they'll repay you with something you can both enjoy looking at as well as use in culinary and medicinal ways.
Our names are John Schepper and Maggie Guscott and we've been herb garden enthusiasts for many years. For more information on herb garden plants and more, please visit http://www.herbgarden4beginners.com and be sure to sign up for our free 10-lesson mini eCourse, Herb Garden 4 Beginners.
