Tips for transplanting and thinning seedlings

While many plants do best when planted from seed directly into the ground, small seeds should be started in trays. When theyare ready to be transplanted, it's important to do the necessary prep work. The tips below should help your seedlings thrive, wherever they are planted.

Before seedlings are transplanted they need to acclimatize, or harden off, for a few days. This applies equally to any commercially-raised seedlings, which may have come directly from a greenhouse and could suffer shock if planted out directly, especially if the weather is very hot or cold.

To acclimatize seedlings:

1. Set them outside during the day for two days and bring them inside at night.
2. On the third day, leave them out overnight.

After that, the seedlings should be resilient enough to be transplanted into the open ground.

The bed where seedlings are to be planted should always be well prepared.

• Well-rotted organic matter should have already been added to improve the soil structure.
• All weeds should have been removed.
• If there has been no rain a day before transplanting, water the bed so that it is moist.
• The seedling trays should also be moist

• Do not transplant in direct sunlight — wait for a cloudy day, or early evening when the sun has gone.
• Handle the seedlings with care, pressing down each one firmly, and water in well to help them take to their new environment.
• When mulching, make sure the mulch is not too close; it can create humid conditions that result in "damping of", a fungal disease that destroys young stems.
• Young seedlings are vulnerable to insects such as snails, slugs and caterpillars. Provide some protection against predators and keep a close watch on your plants until they are well established.

Plants such as carrots, which are grown from very tiny seeds, will spring up very close together. To help space the seeds evenly, try using an old salt shaker filled with a mixture of coarse sand and the seeds — shake the mixture along the row and cover with a fine layer of soil.

• When the seedlings are approximately 10 centimetres (four inches) high, thin them out carefully.
• Remove the smallest, weakest plants to provide space for the remaining vigorous plants to grow comfortably.
• Use a kitchen knife for thinning out, and throw the discarded seedlings onto the compost heap.

Keep these tips in mind and help your seedlings blossom into a beautiful garden you can be proud of!