Planting Fall Transplants in Hot Temperatures

Planting Fall Transplants

In the 30 by 35 garden plot, Travis has 11 rows that are ready for fall transplants. To prepare the garden for fall planting, he had to first clean the area from any previous crops. The next step is to add in some chicken manure and till it in to help improve the structure or tilth of the soil. Instead of adding in a new drip tape manifold, Travis saved the previous setup to use again for fall transplants. Then, he added in furrows by using the Double Wheel Hoe with the plow set attachment in the furrowing position in order to push soil outward and create a nice little furrow for the drip tape to be laid in. Once the vegetable garden is set up perfectly for fall planting it's now time to plant the transplants from the greenhouse. The first two crops that he is going to plant several rows of are the Tiger Collards and Lacinato Kale which are very productive producers in the vegetable garden. Then, in the remainder of the plot, he is going to plant some Green Magic Broccoli which is a nice heat-tolerant variety as well as, some Snow Bowl Cauliflower  which is another excellent crop to plant in the fall. The best way to plant the transplants in the garden is by walking along the rows and drop a plant by every water spot from the drip tape. Then, once the majority of the rows have plants Travis will get on his knees and scoot along the rows to plant the transplants in the garden soil.

Transplanting vs. Direct Seeding

When it comes to transplanting or direct-seeding it is simply up to the gardener which method they prefer in their vegetable garden. However, there are benefits to both methods, and some crops do better transplanted while others do better direct-seeded. Transplants offer bountiful benefits when it comes to growing vegetables in the garden. Not only do you get to control when you plant seedlings but you also get better germination rates which will produce healthier growing plants. Another example, for transplanting instead of direct seeding is if you have warmer weather vegetables that you would like to get a headstart on growing this allows you to prepare those vegetables before the growing season starts. Therefore, when the growing season begins and weather conditions are ideal you already have germinated plants that are ready to go in the soil in the fall garden. Transplanting also reduces weed pressures due to them having limited time in the garden area. Since the transplants are already germinated they provide a stronger immune to weeds that will have a little amount of time to germinate in the garden. Another benefit is improved and faster crop turnaround. By starting the vegetables in transplants it can speed up the amount of time it takes them to germinate meaning less time in the garden area. With less time in the garden, more production is harvested and it allows for another crop to be planted in the same spot. Overall, transplanting allows for healthier and more productive vegetables while saving us time, money, and energy in the garden.