On April 10th at 10am the Community Teaching Garden will have a free class on planting a vegetable garden.
It is time to plant some of the seedlings that our class started in February. These hardy plants started in our greenhouse and are ready to be hardened off to acclimate with the outside beds. About five days before planting, we bring the plants outside to a safe location away from rabbits and squirrels for about three hours the first day, then bring them back inside. We repeat this process, adding an hour each day of exposure over those five days.
Before transplanting into a raised bed, it should be deeply watered for a few days. The idea is that the plant enters an evenly moistened bed to prevent root shock caused by dry spots of dirt around the roots.
On the day of planting, water all the plants in the container they are growing in prior to planting. Dig a hole twice the width of the plant container size and as deep as the container’s soil level. Water the hole before planting.
Take the plant out of the container, then (tickle the root) by loosening the soil at the bottom of the plant at the roots, set the plant in the hole, and water it again before adding the soil that you took out to make the hole. Add the soil, now water again.
Keep the bed moist for the next several days (not wet! moist). The idea is to let the plant’s roots get established without the roots drying out.
Hydro zones are important. Make sure all the plants in the same bed need the same amount of water. This will prevent under-watering and overwatering, both cause death and illness to plant. A plant watering guide is available in the lobby at the PPHCSD office or at our class.
