Moving transplants to the garden bed can be challenging at times, but there is one little trick that I learned quite a few years ago from Debbie Flower when I took a horticulture class at ARC. (She was awesome! I was lucky to have her, the year I took the class was her final year as a professor before she retired.)
Anywho – back to transplanting. I use this whether I’m planting out veggies that I grew from seed under my grow lights, or if I’m transplanting seedlings directly that were purchased from a nursery. Transplants can go into shock, I’m sure you’ve seen it. You put a nice healthy looking veggie into your bed and the next day it’s sad and wilted and you don’t know what happened and start doubting yourself as a gardener. This can be from the roots’ exposure to new soil, too much sun, and lots of other factors. This little tip basically helps your plant avoid going into shock, and making the transplant process smoother and your plant happier. Side bonus: Your baby plants are well protected from birds and other flying pests as well while they are adjusting!
Basically, I just take a simple nursery pot (usually 1 gallon or larger) and place it directly over my transplant after I put it into the ground. I leave it covered for about 2 days. What this does is give the plant shelter from the sun so that it can focus on it’s roots. Photosynthesis can be hard on a plant when it’s just been plopped down into a whole new environment, even after they have been hardened off. Giving it a chance to get it’s roots acclimated and settled just helps the plant ease into the transition, instead of immediately starting to photosynthesize and putting stress on it.
There are air holes of course, and some sun peeks thru during the day so it’s not completely left in the dark. But I’ve found this 2 day method really does help me during transplanting time, and I’ve had a much better time over the years when it comes to transplanting. It doesn’t exactly look pretty having a bunch of upside down pots in the garden beds, but it’s so worth it when I uncover the healthy, happy plant underneath.
After 2 days, remove the pots and set them free! I don’t remove them in the middle of a bright sunshine-y day, that can shock them a bit. An overcast/partly cloudy day is amazing if the weather gods want to be nice to me and give me that perfect timing. Otherwise, I take the pots off in the early morning or in the late afternoon before it’s starts to get dark.
If you have trouble at the point when you’re transplanting your seedlings, maybe give the pot covering method a try and see if it helps you! The first year I tried it I was so impressed with the results that I do it every time I transplant now.
