Transplanting Tomatoes/Bird Photos

A few days ago, I transplanted some tomato plants from the original seed starting tray (with peat pellets), into peat pots, using a good potting mix.

So what is transplanting and why is this process important and necessary?

The transplant stage is a very important step in developing strong and healthy tomato plants.  It allows each plant to have adequate space and nutrients to develop strong root systems.  During this stage I will also place them outside in my greenhouse as much as possible to help "harden them", which means to acclimate them to more realistic weather conditions compared to indoors.  If tomato plants are kept indoors, most likely they will become too tall and "spindly" compared to those allowed to be outside as much as possible.

I normally use a three inch peat pot.  Be sure to label the pot with the tomato variety.  For this I use a permanent marker, which will hold up to moisture, since the peat pots will become damp as they act like a sponge when watered.

The first step is to fill the peat pots about three-quarters full with a good potting soil or seed starting mix, and wet thoroughly.

Next, I make a small indentation in the soil, and place the tomato seedling into the peat pot.

Add a little more soil around the seedlings to support the stems, and water again.  I normally use Miracle Grow for Tomatoes when transplanting to give the seedlings a good start.  Also, most potting soils/seed starting mixes have plant food added which will help in the development process.

It is very important to keep the plants indoors for a few days (out of the sun), to allow them time to adjust to transplanting, since it is always somewhat of a shock to the plants.  After a few days, I put them outside in the greenhouse (in the sun), of course still being mindful of night time temperatures, since often they will dip below freezing this time of the year.

Finally, a few bird photos from this week:

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

Song Sparrow

I had fun watching this lone Northern Flicker.  He was working hard to dig out whatever bugs and/or worms he could find in the ground.  Also, this song sparrow has arrived back to enjoy the warmer weather.

Until next time.