Transplanting

When the plants in the containers are about 2 in. high and have a few leaves, it’s probably time to get them in the ground. Choose a good place and dig a hole about twice the size of the container and a little deeper. I usually use my trowel and put the soil from the hole into a bucket and put aside. I have another bucket with a mixture of 1/3 soil builder. 1/3 good compost, and 1/3 soil that comes from the holes I’m digging for the transplants. This mixture gives the transplants a boost, even if you had added compost and soil builder to the garden soil either in the spring or the previous fall. Put enough of the mixture into the bottom of the hole that was just dug so that the plant will be a little higher than the surrounding soil, and set the transplant free of the container in the middle.

Now carefully use the trowel to fill around the new plant without damaging it or any plants around it. You will probably want that to be a couple of inches higher all around the plant and then carefully press the mixture down, put in the marker next to the plant, and lightly water. In a few weeks, you should be able to start harvesting some leaves for the table. If you repeat the process every 2-3 weeks you will have a continuous supply of greens until frost.