The Madman And His Transplants

It was different this year. The madman has really lived up to his New Year’s Resolutions and has not tried to rush the season – sort of. But, it is now past his magic last frost date of May 15 and the long term forecast shows no frost in sight; in fact it seems warm. The madman is itching to move his transplants from greenhouse to garden. And, I bet you are, too. Unfortunately this has been a cold spring so we are moving in slow motion.  Actually, he would like to move faster, and considering the 10-day forecast I guess it is time.

The Madman and His Transplants Are Waiting

As we waited for all danger of frost to pass, we have been preparing the garden beds for planting. We got our soil tested by UConn and made all the recommended amendments. We cut back the dead stalks from the perennials – a job that used to be done in the fall until we discovered it was better for native wildlife to wait for spring. In the process of clean-up in the perennial beds we found rotted boards that have now been replaced.

The madman fluffed up the vegetable beds when he put in his early crops, most notably the peas – they are doing great. Setting in the onion plants and the seeds of radishes, carrots and beets got the madman into the garden. But, he is truly itching to get his transplants into the soil.

The Madman and His Transplants Like It Warm

So let’s talk about the madman’s transplants. As you all know, in our climate there are certain plants that grow best when grown from the transplant stage, notably tomatoes, peppers and eggplants and most of the annual flowers. They all like it warm. Don’t even think of putting them in the ground until the soil temperature reaches 70˚and night temperatures are above 55˚.

Before plants make this jump from greenhouse to garden, they need to be hardened off. A long time ago, the madman began growing his own transplants because he couldn’t get the off-beat varieties he wanted from local growers. He learned about hardening off the hard way when these off-beat varieties all withered away. That year we planted what the local growers offered. Good thing he saw that as a learning experience.

Hardening Off The Madman’s Transplants

 Hardening off is a process that introduces plants to the realities of the great outdoors. Harsh sun, strong wind, dry conditions. During the first six weeks of a transplant’s life, the grower plays Mother Nature providing the perfect amount of light, water and temperature. Most growers even add small amounts of diluted fertilizer.

Up to this point, a transplant’s life has been fairly easy – it is growing soft and needs to toughen up if it is to survive on its own. The madman hardens off his plants over a period of 7-10 days. We have a fairly well-protected area off the étalier where he sets up his transplant tables as he calls them. For you, any spot that has filtered sunlight and provides shelter from winds will work.

The Process

The first day young transplants can take 2-3 hours on the transplant tables – then back inside. Over the next 7-10 days, the madman increases outdoor time slowly until at the end they can spend the entire day outdoors. He also begins to water less, but never lets the plants dry out completely.

During this time, the transplants have been preparing to live on their own. The roots have become stronger and are better able to absorb nutrients for growth. The plants cells have strengthened and have begun to store carbohydrates. The freeze-prone water in the plant cells begins to reduce. And, most importantly, the plant leaves develop a waxy coating that will protect from sunburn and reduce water loss. By the time this process is done, daytime temperatures should be consistently above 60˚, and nighttime temperatures above 55˚. Time to get going.

Planting The Madman’s Transplants

Now is the time to introduce the transplants to their summer home. Here’s how we go about it. Each transplant is treated as an individual. It receives a good watering before the madman carefully removes it from its growing container. Petra at Fruition Seeds recommends a light fish emulsion instead of plain water. We do both, depending upon the madman’s mood at the time.

With transplant in hand, the madman gently breaks up the root ball. This will encourage the roots to fan out in search of nutrients. Over the years, we have worked the soil and added so much compost and other organic material that it is just a matter of using our fingers to dig in it. So the madman scoops out a handful of soil and adds a small amount of organic 10-10-10 fertilizer which he covers with a layer of soil. Then he puts the transplant into the hole and adds about 1 cup of water. The soil is replaced and he gently pats down the soil around the plant to help remove any air pockets.

Don’t Plant Too Deep

Except for the tomatoes, the madman is careful not to bury the plant any deeper than its original depth in the pot to reduce the risk of stem rot. Don’t worry about this for tomatoes because buried stems will produce new roots. We’re not done just yet. Each plant gets its own little collar. We cut off the bottom of 5 oz. paper cups and slide them over the plant and into the ground to prevent cutworm damage. If you have ever walked out to your garden the day after planting to find all your plants lying on the ground, you know why we do this step.

Cutworms

Like everyone else in Connecticut, we have cutworms in our soil. Contrary to their name, they are not actual worms, but the larvae of moths from the family Noctuidae. The cutworms hide during the day and come out at night to do their damage. They are darker colored and may be over 1” in length. When disturbed they curl into a distinct “C” shape. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) has a good article on these buggers if you care to delve deeper. The article does offer some control methods other than collars, but the madman feels that since the moths don’t do any damage we’re good with just the collars because we practice good hygiene in the garden.

As a side note, when you get your soil ready for transplants, you may come across small white larvae. The madman used to think these were cutworms because they curled up when he touched them. He now knows that these are not cutworms, but in fact are the larval form of Japanese Beetles and their ilk. Good news – they won’t cut off your plants. Bad news – they will cause lots of problems if you have too many, and that’s just the larvae, the adults are worse. So, if you find them just squish them.

Back To The Transplant

Now, back to our little transplant. It is safely in the ground with a little fertilizer and its protective collar. Before moving on to the next transplant the madman gives it a good drink of water – a very important step. Throughout the next 7-10 days, the madman keeps the soil around each transplant evenly moist, adding water as needed. The watering will ensure that each transplant gets off to a good start.

Although we grow most of our own plants from seed, we like to visit local growers to see what else is available. As plant geeks, neither of us can resist the urge to buy a nice looking plant. So, what do we consider a nice looking plant? First, we never look for the biggest plant, we look for the healthiest. A healthy plant has a strong, thick stem with closely spaced leaves. We pop the plant out of its container to make sure the roots are healthy looking and not wrapped around the edge. Finally, if it is a vegetable plant we don’t want one with a lot of blossoms and small fruits, these might indicate a stressed plant and the madman wants his plants relaxed.

Relax

Relaxation is the key. If you take your time and don’t rush through the transplanting stage, your plants will reward you with a healthy and productive summer. Happy transplanting.

Now it’s time for hot cocoa, we haven’t made the switch to lemonade yet.