Transplanting the First Seedlings

Transplanting the First Seedlings

Transplanting the First Seedlings
Two weeks after planting the seeds in seed flats, the first batch of seedlings were ready for transplant. Not all of them were, as some seeds germinate slower that others and some grow slowly. The lettuce, mescaline, brassica (cabbage, kohlrabi, etc.), spinach and snow peas were. Many of the perennials were ready, as well. The strawberries, peppers and chamomile had germinated, but were still too small.

Transplanting
Transplanting plugs from seed flats is easier than transplanting from a seed pot where you plant the seeds in a pot, cover them and then transplant. You can just grasp the cotyledon (seed leaf) of a seedling and pull it out. The roots stay together in a nice little ball. I fill the flats with potting soil and sprinkle them well with water, after which I take a dibble and poke holes in each cell in the flat. Then I lift the seedlings out of the plug and set them in each of the holes. Then I take the filled flats to the hot bed, place them in and water well. Seeds planted in a pot must be gently torn from the soil with a plastic knife (my favorite transplanting tool) separated from the other seedlings and then placed in the hole. Since I use larger labels in the bedding packs than I use in the seed flat, I make new labels. I reuse old labels, so not all labels have to be written each time.

Change of Plans
My plan originally had been to plant the snow pea and mesclun seedlings directly in a garden bed/greenhouse I am building, however the greenhouse was not yet ready, so I transplanted the peas to three-inch pots and set them in the hotbed.

The Hot Bed
I began building the hot bed last fall and completed it over the winter. I had just finished it the previous weekend. I used some cast off patio doors and windows from our house to build it. I used treated 4″ X 4″‘s for the foundation and most of the framing. I laid some old ceramic tile on the floor of the hot bed and laid an electric heating cable on them, securing in place with landscape staples. Then I laid another layer of ceramic tile on top of that. It seems to be working just fine as I write this on March 6, 2023.