Veggie Garden 101: How to Transplant Vegetable Seedlings

Cabbage transplant planted into straw and paper mulch on April 25, 2020.
Photo: Liz Bosak.

It's difficult to remember when I did not know how to transplant. The key to success is to avoid planting too deep or too shallow. The hole should be wider than the transplant's root ball. The surface of the soil near the stem should be even with the soil surface when transplanting. The exception to this rule would be leeks and tomatoes.

Healthy cabbage transplant straight from the plant tray.  Photo: Liz Bosak.

The roots of seedlings grown in plastic containers tend to circle around each other. For vegetable transplants, just loosen the roots slightly to break this pattern before putting into the soil. This is critical for root bound plants where all you can see are white roots and little to no potting soil.

Roots were lightly loosened at the base of the root ball. Photo: Liz Bosak.

After loosening the root ball, I dug a hole about twice as wide and the same depth as the root ball.

Hole in the soil through a layer of straw and paper mulch for transplanting. Photo: Liz Bosak.

Place the transplant in the hole, holding it level with the soil surface, and push the soil around to fill the hole. Be sure to firm the top of the soil to make sure the roots are in contact with the soil. The final step, do not skip this step, is to water in the seedlings. Rain will not take the place of this step unless the forecast is for more than 1 inch of rain.