Oh Sow Simple | Success! You Have Sprouts

Success! You Have Sprouts Sow What's Next?

Your seedlings have germinated so what comes next? Allow your seedlings to grow, and thin to the strongest plant when they are large enough to handle either by gently pulling out the smaller, weaker seedlings or snipping them off at soil level. Doing so will allow the strongest seedlings to thrive, guaranteeing healthy crops. This should be done with pots and seedling trays leaving one seedling per pot to grow out. When thinning direct sown crops like carrot and radish these can be thinned out to the spacing specified on the back of your seed packet.

Your young seedlings will enjoy regular feeding with an all purpose liquid feed or fish emulsion every week or two. Check the directions on your fertiliser as they can vary. This will ensure they have the right nutrients and minerals to grow healthy leaves and strong roots before you pop them into the garden.

If you have your pots and trays outdoors during this time be sure to protect your seedlings from pests. Slugs and snails absolutely love to munch on those fresh new sprouts, and can quickly decimate your plants. You can make a DIY beer trap to catch those pesky critters, use snail pellets, or keep seedlings covered in a mini greenhouse.

Transplanting

Once your seedlings are robust, with 2-3 sets of true leaves and have strong root systems you can start to think about transplanting them into the garden. Spring and Summer varieties enjoy warm frost-free weather so ensure outdoor conditions are suitable before planting outdoors.

Before you get too excited remember to ‘’harden off’’ your seedlings before placing them into the garden. This involves acclimatising your seedlings to outdoor conditions gradually. If you place your seedlings that have grown in a protected area straight into a sunny plot exposed to the wind and sun they can quickly suffer and wilt. Start off by popping your pots and trays in direct sun outside for an hour or two and increasing this time each day during a one to two week period. This strengthens their stems and they will be able to hold up to the sun and wind better. If using a mini greenhouse be sure to gradually remove the cover as the seedlings will need to get used to the drier air. During this time be sure to keep the pots well watered as they will begin to dry out a little faster.

Once your seedlings are hardened off select a spot in your garden bed or large planter pot. Choose a position that receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sun, particularly for those warm loving spring and summer vegetables. Prepare garden beds well by thoroughly digging and turning the soil. Remove any weeds or rocks in the process and add organic matter (compost or rotted manure) as needed to provide nutrients and improve the soil structure.

Consult your seed packet and space your pots or pellets at the required spacing, either in traditional rows or free form in the garden depending on your gardening style. Use a small trowel to create planting holes. When using coco fibre pots and pellets, you plant the pot and all into the soil. The Coco fibre breaks down improving the soil and allowing your plants roots to grow quickly, undisturbed.

Be sure that your planting holes are the correct depth for your pot or pellet, the soil level should meet up with the level of soil in your pot. Burying the stems deeply in the soil can cause them to rot - unless you are planting tomatoes which can actually have their stems buried up to a third or more as they will grow more roots from the buried stems!

Care Tips

For climbing and trailing varieties including cucumber, beans and tomatoes they will require a trellis or stake for support. Wire mesh, wooden lattice or a bamboo stake teepee are all great options. This provides adequate airflow and allows for easy harvesting too. For tomatoes be sure to secure the stems gradually as they climb with twine, plant ties or torn shirts or stockings.

Climbing plants also can do with ‘’pinching out’’ which involves gently removing the very tip of the plant when it is about 20-30cm in height, this encourages the plant to branch out and send more stems. For tomatoes once you have a couple of main ‘’branches’’, pinch out any additional side shoots, otherwise you can end up with a giant plant that becomes a bit trickier to harvest and may also reduce airflow leading to issues such as mildew.

Keep garden beds weed free to allow your crops to develop to their full potential. Apply a layer of organic mulch such as sugarcane, this will suppress weeds and add organic matter to your soil.

Watering Your Crops

A consistent approach to watering is a must: too much can cause disease, and too little can result in stunted growth or even spell out death for your plants. Give your plants a good soak every few days (or more frequently if it's particularly hot or if you're growing in pots, which are prone to drying out). Focus the water on the roots where it is needed not on the foliage. In hot weather, water in the evening to prevent disease and reduce water loss. Keep in mind you will need to water often in the first week or two after transplanting to allow the seedlings to establish.

Fertilising Tips

Apply a balanced fertiliser regularly as directed on the label to promote healthy crops. Nitrogen rich feeds will promote leafy growth, ideal for greens such as lettuce, rocket and spinach. Fruiting crops such as pumpkin, tomato, cucumber and eggplant are hungry crops and enjoy fertilisers with ample potassium to promote flowering and fruiting. Be sure to not apply nitrogen rich feeds to root crops such as radish and carrots, as doing so can promote lush leafy growth in favour of roots. Fertilisers come in liquid, pellet and granule form - there can be loads to choose from so consult your local garden centre for advice. You can also add nutrients to your soil with good homemade compost, rotted manure and worm castings.

Troubleshooting

You may wonder how to deal with different pests and diseases with your developing crops. This can depend on the history of your soil and climate but don't stress! Mr Fothergill's is always here to help with expert advice should you have any queries. Simply send us a photo and we are more than happy to help you out.

Be sure to follow along with us for more tips and tricks along the way when sowing your Oh Sow Simple seeds. We can’t wait to see what you grow!

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