Repotting seedlings -- plus a genius "duh!" trick to pack soil in flats

When we gardeners start seeds in pots and trays the goal is always to graduate those wee sprouts to the great outdoors. Sometimes the journey requires a bit of middle ground, when seedlings are too big for their first vessel, but the time is not yet right (whether due to temperature, delayed ground preparation, storms or other facts) to transplant to their final home.

Follow these tips to successfully repot seedlings:

• Wait until a seedling has a set of "true leaves." You'll notice that the pair of leaves which first emerges from a seed often has different characteristics in shape from the leaves that follow. For example, the first leaves from a tomato seed are slender ovals without any of the scalloped edges of later leaves. The second pair of leaves will be the true leaves. By the time a seedling produces these it is sturdy enough and has a root structure that can withstand repotting.

• Handle a seedling by the leaves, not the stem. If a leaf breaks off during transplant the seedling can grow another. If the stem breaks ... bye, bye.

• Moisten soil thoroughly in the original container and in second pot before you transplant.

• Turn first pot over in your hand to gently remove the soil plug. With a pencil or other slender tool probe around the seedling to separate it and its roots from the other plants. If there are many seedlings in one cell, as with this chunk of alyssum, start from the outer edges.

• Prepare a hole in second container to accept the seedling. (Pencil works well here, too.)



• Still holding the seedling by a leaf, deposit it into the hole and with pencil carefully bring dirt next to the stem.

• Keep transplants in steady conditions for the next couple of days -- keep soil consistently moist and don't subject them to extreme temperature or light changes.



I purposely sowed the tiny pepper-grain alyssum seeds close together knowing I would separate them into individual cells after sprouting. Other times you get extra sprouts unexpectedly when you thought you planted just one seed. Now, just because you have two (or more) seeds growing in a space doesn't mean you have to keep them all! It may be more appropriate to use another desk tool -- scissors -- and cut one seedling at the ground so the other can thrive.

Here's a look at two tomato sets I treated differently:

1. I could have done my pencil method to easily separate these first tomato seedlings a couple of weeks ago with no concern about roots, but I didn't get around to it. (The story of my life!) Because of decent stem spacing I decided to see if I could slowly, gently pry the root balls apart. This worked. I placed each in a new pot and backfilled soil around the roots.

2. This is the second set. Two tomatoes are ahead in age, with a third smaller sprout right next to them. Seedlings so close in space like these will also have roots inextricably bound. In such cases it's better to use scissors to nip all but the most robust start. Cut your losses instead of risking damage to all. 

Finally, here's my "duh!" moment. Do you know how many years I've filled seed pony packs and then patted down the dirt with a spoon or ice cream scoop (for reals!) or trowel or fingers, always making a huge mess? Well, that's a silly question; even I don't know how many years. But from now I will simply press down on another seed container when filling my trays. "Duh" indeed.

Surprising yucky discovery in stored seeds

Last summer I purposely let some pea pods mature to brown on the vines so I could harvest the seeds to plant this spring. This weekend I pulled the seeds out to put them in the garden. I was surprised that so many of them had holes. What in the world? I smashed one with a knife to see if I could figure out what caused this. I don't know what I expected -- mold, fungus, maybe? -- but I was utterly surprised to find that a bug was inside. Apparently it was playing dead, because I got another surprise a few minutes later when it slowly started moving.  

I learned these are cowpea weevils. Adults lay eggs in developing legume pods or stored seeds. The larvae and pupae grow inside the seed and emerge as grown weevils. These can produce a new generation of adults in three to six weeks.

Don't be complacent if you find a hole in only one seed. One hole signals that an adult has emerged. You likely have an infestation with the insect in other stages inside the other seeds. Best to throw all of them out. And not to the compost heap, I might add, where they still can flourish.

If you recently purchased seeds and discover holes in them, I recommend taking them back to the store and asking for a replacement or refund.

My seeds were in a plastic sandwich bag which wasn't entirely sealed ... my mistake. I further erred by leaving them in a kitchen drawer (I forgot!) instead of in a cooler place. Weevils love the warmth.

I will try to save pea seeds again this year, with this added step: FREEZING. Make sure the peas are completely dry before storage; to test this, pound a few with a hammer on the driveway. They should make a brittle cracking sound and not have any gummy interiors. If frozen before completely dry the extra moisture can expand in the seed and make it crack. Freeze in a moisture/air tight container. If the mature peas were exposed to insects while on the vine, the life cycle will be in the egg stage. Freezing will kill the eggs before larvae make a dent.

As cozy as a pea in a pod? No thanks.

Our favorite online seed-starting calculators and tools

Successful backyard farmers know that plants have different cold temperature hardiness and heat tolerances, and that the "plant the veggie patch in one day" approach of so many home gardeners doesn't yield as large and robust a harvest as staggering sowings throughout the growing season.

The back side of seed packets is full of information, yes, but there's an easier way! Thanks to online interactive tools, mapping out when to start seeds indoors and when to transfer seedlings outside has never been so fun. These calculators use decades of horticultural study and weather data to personalize your planting calendar. Here are some of our favorite online tools.

The first order of business is to establish the last frost date in your area. Undoubtedly the best resource is a sage gardening neighbor who knows all about the microclimates and quirks of your hood. Lacking a neighbor almanac, the website Dave's Garden (click here) will provide frost information when you enter your ZIP code. 

Logo and materials from johnnyseeds.com used with permission.

Armed with your last frost date, you can now access the fantastic calculators at Johnny's Seeds. This is a screen shot that shows the results for my last frost date of May 15. The table lists crop name, a range of when to start indoors, and when I can plant outside. On the full webpage you will see a note attached to the asterisks (*): Usually direct-sown, but may be started indoors. The table continues far beyond the crops in this view, with flower listings as well.

Click web address by image to go to the site and generate your own table:

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/e-pdgseedstart.aspx?source=W_InteractiveTools_122014

Johnny's also as a feature to determine how many seeds or plants you need to fill your space. You enter crop and row length. Click here for seed-spacing calculator.



If you want to hone your garden planning process even further, check out Johnny's tools for succession planting and target harvest date. Both are available here. The latter would be especially helpful, say, if you desire to finish canning tomatoes before a scheduled trip. (Definition of travel: the thing I hear other people get to do!) These calculators open as Excel spread sheets.

What are your favorite seed-planning strategies?

I wish all of you happy planting, indoors and out. Isn't spring glorious? Here's a parting shot of the first bloom from my soil-less indoor tulip project. See, they will grow!

Seed packet Valentines

Plant seeds of joy for your garden-minded friends and family with Valentine cards made from seed packets. It's a playful, practical gift that will keep you on the recipient's mind throughout the growing season. The ones I made today are from easy-to-find seed varieties, which I plucked up 10 for a buck at the dollar store. Sure these valentines are corny, but isn't that what smiles are all about?

LETTUCE BE VALENTINES

Let's be SWEET HEARTS (plant: sweet basil)

You are the best thing in my COSMOS

We are MINT to be! (plant: spearmint)

I CARROT A LOT about you!

You can't be BEET

This next batch is a little more obscure, drawing more from words on the packet than the plant itself:

You are my ANNUAL CHOICE, Valentine! (plant: phlox)

I find you CHARMING, Guaranteed! (plant: viola)

Valentine, you are Hot & Spicy! (plant: jalapeño pepper)

As I've pored over seed catalogs I've noticed many plants that convey sentiment in their very names:

(quotations indicate cultivar names)

“Angel face” floribunda rose

Bleeding heart

“Daydream” tulip

“Everlasting” sweet pea

Forget-me-not

Honesty plant

Love-lies-bleeding

Love-in-a-mist

Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate

Obedient plant (eh, maybe not!)

“Romance” narcissus

“Valentine” sunflower

Here are other seeds that could be great for Valentine cards:

“Black Valentine” beans

“Hearts of Gold” cantaloupe

“Hungarian Heart” tomato

"Marvel" lettuce

"Tendersweet" carrot

Instead of traditional trinkets, you could give a growing, botanical version:

Candytuft

“Diamond” eggplant

“Golden treasure” pepper

“Chocolate beauty” pepper

“Teddy bear” sunflower

“Lady Godiva” squash, anyone? (Nah, Godiva chocolates are probably better.)

Show that you appreciate your Valentine’s special qualities by pointing out:

“Good Mother (Stallard)” beans

“Provider” beans

“Country Gentleman” corn

Use your imagination, and let plants do the talking this Valentine’s Day. Take it from me, though. These may be incredible plants, but for the holiday’s sake steer clear of sending a message with "Envy" zinnia, “Lazy Housewife” beans or “Seneca Red Stalker” corn.

Pole vs. Bush (beans)

No, we're not talking political campaigns here (although, hey, it's election day!). Instead, this is a look at pole beans vs. bush beans in the home garden.

The classifications of green beans deal with growing habits. Pole beans create long vines that often intertwine and can be trained upward on a trellis or pole (a great space-saving measure); bush beans grow into compact plants about 18 inches tall.

This year I grew Slenderette bush beans and Blue Lake pole beans. Slenderette matures in 53 days; Blue Lake in 63 days.

Slenderette is my all-time favorite bean variety. The plants are prolific. I like to harvest when beans are the thickness of a pencil. One year I counted as I harvested, and consistently got about 40 beans this size per plant at the peak of the season -- with more growing for me to harvest in a few days.

Sadly, Slenderette beans did not do so fantastic in my garden this year. The seeds did not sprout well, and those few that did quickly succumbed to rot or pests (my quail challenge), resulting in my replanting three times. It's possible the seed was poor, but I bought it this spring from a reputable source. This was a wet cold spring, and I've had to plant seeds again other years to get viable plants, yet it was interesting to me that the pole beans weren't affected the same way. They sprouted just fine.

Then the pole bean leaves and vines went absolutely bonkers, quickly filling the teepee I built with lush green, and coloring out of the lines to invade nearby tomato cages. But where were the blossoms and beans?

Meanwhile my few Slenderette bush plants were Davids to the Goliath at the teepee, but even though they sprouted more than a week later, they delivered a harvest well before the other made blossoms.

Eventually, the pole beans set blossoms, but the vines were increasingly territorial. This photo shows the bean teepee toward the middle, with scout vines in the left foreground -- about six feet and two tomato cages away from where the seeds sprouted. Crazy! The campaign to take over my garden certainly worked 

Both varieties produced delicious beans when harvested young. However, the pole beans foliage hid forming beans so well that I often did not see them until they had outgrown their tastiness. That was a disappointment. Also, while the pole bean plants seemed to do better than the bush plants in extreme heat, the actual beans dried out on the pole plants first, despite the lushness. 

Here's how I rank these two varieties on gardening issues of the day:

Taste: Tie

Best germination: Blue Lake 

First to produce: Slenderette (this, despite a later germination)

Ease of harvest: Slenderette 

Plays nice (doesn't take over neighboring plants): Slenderette

Harvest to space ratio: Slenderette (took less space and produced more)

Overall winner: Slenderette

I probably will plant pole beans again because I think they're fun, but next year they are for sure going against a fence where they can't block anything else. 

What seed varieties get your vote?

Repeat performance

Plant a pea seed in early spring and it will give you vines aplenty, with pods full of tender, green morsels. Let a few of those pods mature past the stage of good eating (when those peas are too big for their britches), and they will produce the seeds you can easily harvest to sow another crop. If you live in an area with a mild winter you can plant peas in late summer for a fall crop. My area has long, hot summers and long winters of yo-yo freezes and thaws, separated by the tiniest of consistently pleasant autumns -- not the best conditions for a fall pea crop. The seeds I harvest will be for next spring.

I purposely let a few pods go all the way to seed stage, especially to justify those that got overlooked for picking and nibbling. Their drying pods can hang out alongside newer pods and blossoms while the plant still produces green gems. Eventually peas succumb to the heat. When this happens I yank out the vines to give room in the garden for something else. I take a few moments to separate the browning pods before I cast the vines into the compost bin. I put the pods in a sack on my patio to dry out thoroughly. Voila, nature's seed packets.

Heirloom seeds are the best to save, as the seed will match the parent. (Learn more about heirlooms here.)

Read here for helpful, concise information on seed-saving basics.

Do any of you have great luck with second crops of peas or other plants in the fall? I would love to learn more about your conditions and what plants fare best for repeat performances months after the first.

P.S. Carie, Daisy, David and Becky -- You made Samuel's day with your comments addressed to him!  I loved hearing from you and look forward to reading more of your adventures.

How to grow peas without a trellis

By Jennifer

Pea plants want to climb and produce best when their tendrils have something to grasp. This often involves the man-made creation of a frame, such as the simple method of stakes at the end of a garden row with lines of string running horizontally between them.

Sure, that works, but guess what? You won’t need any structure at all if you plant your peas close together in blocks instead of rows. 

Think of the phrase “standing room only,” which describes an event so packed with people that there is no room to sit. If you invite enough peas to your party they will latch onto each other as they grow upward. Even the plants at the edges will be connected to the group and not fall to the ground where blossoms and pods are more susceptible to rot and pests.

I space my peas two inches apart and planted an entire 4x8-feet garden box this way this season. (That’s a lot of peas!) Far from crowding each other out, the peas grow strong. There’s no room for weeds.  You don’t need to devote an area the scale of mine –- try planting peas in a grid of 4 seeds by 4 seeds (16 seeds in a square foot). I learned of this spacing from Mel Bartholomew’s square-foot garden approach. Although I don’t have the same soil makeup he recommends, I have had great success growing peas this way.

Also, it’s not too late in the season to plant peas –- if you choose the right kind. I recommend the seed variety Lincoln, which can withstand high temperatures. These plants keep forming blossoms well into the 100-degree days of July. Then you can plant another crop at the end of summer for a fall harvest.