Buying Transplants: A How To

Who/Why: Transplants are better for long season crops, such as peppers or tomatoes. They take awhile to grow and you have to worry about keeping those plants out of the frost if you grow them at home. Where as you can pop a squash seed in the ground and bam, you have squash, no problem. Transplants can also be helpful in growing things that are challenging to grow from seed, such as some herbs. It is always much cheaper to grow things from seed but sometimes there is 1. not enough time before growing season or 2. your seeds did not come up.

How: When you are at the store, you should look for short, bushier plants. You need a strong, smaller plant to build on. You need at least as much root mass as you do above ground plant to make for a smooth transplant. Those long and leggy ones are more likely to be root bound. Root bound means that the roots have spiraled around their container and there are too many roots for a small pot. Then once you put the roots in the ground to plant, they will continue growing around instead of branching out to get more nutrients. If you do find you have bought a plant that is root bound, you can trim the tips of some roots off before planting. We untangle some roots before we plant as a general rule, so they have an easier time reaching into the soil.

Where: You tend to find better quality at smaller, local centers. Our favorites are Shades of Green and Fanicks.

One last thing to remember: Transplants are grown to look good in pots for resale, not necessarily for being the best tasting or most beautiful variety. Growing from seed not only saves money, but also gives you a huge selection for taste and color. Buy better quality, organic seeds and you will get better results. The seeds they sell at large chain stores are usually the left overs of the bunch that are impossible to grow, and convince new gardeners that they can't grow from seed.

Happy Sunday Gardening!