Planting Seeds and Sets in the Garden

Original Air Date: May 19, 2018

Last week we went into more details about Planning the Garden. This week let’s talk about what to do with those seeds and sets you grew or bought and soil preparation. But let me remind folks that the podcast is available anytime online, but also the write up of my monologue is posted with the podcast.  I often don’t get through my monologue so it might be worth reading separate from the podcast.

I don’t know about you, but with all the plant sales I’m chomping at the bit to get planting.  And as tempting as it is to plant today, it is best to wait the extra week before you plant the frost sensitive plants unless you have bullet proof way to protect you plants from a hard frost, I discourage you because the soil is still cool from the late spring.  But don’t hesitate to plant to frost hardy plants like all of your cole plants, broccoli, kale, Brussel sprouts, collards, as well as lettuces, spinach, beets, chard and all the cool weather plants.

Soil Preparation

If you have raised bed, bed prep is pretty simple.  You can just rake the surface and make sure all the weeds are pulled, fertilize the bed and then plant.  Some folks use a broad fork to do a deep till without turning the soil.  If you plan to roto-till the garden then you’ll need to let the soil dry out a little to avoid making a hard pan where the tine spank the sub soil and pack it down.  After you rake, level and fertilize the bed you’re ready to plant. 

Planting Seeds

If you planting seed have only the seed pack you are planting out in the garden and open, the rest of your seeds should be indoors or at least in a shaded spot in a box or plastic container so the package does not touch bare ground.  The paper packaging will absorb moisture from the ground a reduce the viability of the seeds left over for the next planting.  Check the packet for the key information for planting, how much space between plants after thinning.  Use the grid method for you planting in raised beds.  For row planting seed into a shallow depression then cover with fine soil and water.

Planting Sets

Prepare the sets by hardening off to make sure the plants are acclimated to the cooler outdoor temperature and conditions. Most of the plants that you buy are hardened off already, but if you grow your own indoors you will definitely need to give the plants a gradual transition to the harsher conditions outside in the garden. I plant my sets into a slight bowl like depression, so it is easier to water because the water pools and soaks into the root zone.  Firm the soil around the plant then water.

Getting the Plants Ready

To get the plant out of the 6-pack tray don’t pull them out by the stem!  But rather squeeze the individual cell with the tray tipped on one side.  The root ball and plant will fall out of the tray cell.

If your tomato plants are 8” tall prune the lower leaves, and plant 6” in the ground and leave 2” above ground.  If the plants are taller than 8” then dig a trench and lay them down leaving 2-3” above ground.  Bending the plant up can be tricky, I’ve actually broken off the top of a plant or two, to my horror, but I found a cool way to let nature do the bending for me.  I discovered by accident that when you lay your tomato sets down (mine fell over and I didn’t notice) they will bend up towards the sun all on their own making it perfect to transplant.

The reasoning behind the trench vs a deep hole is that the root ball developes only in that top 6 inches.  I always envisioned the stem growing a mass of roots all along the stem so I used to plant them in a deep hole until I happened to dig a plant up at the end of the year.  I noticed there was the original root ball at the bottom and only other root mass was the top 6” of s...