Menu

How to Transfer Starter Plants to Your Outdoor Garden

Raising plants from seeds can be an economical and rewarding way to add variety to your garden. Many varieties of flowers and vegetables are not available at your local nursery or home improvement store. Last month, we discussed how to grow plants from seed indoors in preparation for spring planting. Now let’s discuss the proper way to move those starter plants to the outdoor garden.

Steps to Transfer Starter Plants

It’s risky to move seedlings directly from the protected environment of your home or shed to the garden. After being shielded from the elements for weeks, seedlings need a gradual transition to the great outdoors. This process is called “hardening off.”

  • Plan for hardening off. Consult your seed packaging to determine when your variety can survive outdoors. Hardy plants can be hardened off when the outside temperature is consistently above 40°F. Tender plants, including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, cannot tolerate frost and should be hardened off at 60°F.

  • Watch the weather. To protect your investment, it’s best to plant later rather than earlier. Most plants should be kept indoors until the last frost date for your area has passed and the soil has warmed.

  • Acclimate plants to the outdoors. About 10 days before you plan to transplant, place seedlings in a protected spot outdoors, shielded from direct sun and wind. Start with two to three hours of exposure per day, and gradually increase exposure a few hours at a time. Bring the plants inside at night. Gradually reduce watering and avoid fertilizing plants during this time.

  • Pay attention to forecast lows. If temperatures below your seedlings’ minimum temperature are forecast, keep the plants indoors.

  • Transplant plants. While the seedlings are hardening off, prepare the garden soil by mixing in compost and the recommended amount of fertilizer. After transplanting, be sure to water plants well and use a weak fertilizer solution to help avoid transplant shock.

  • Cover plants. To be safe, temporarily shield transplants from sun and wind by covering them for at least two days after transplanting. Increase this time if weather is inclement.

Get Your Own Garden Shed

Garden sheds are the perfect place to store lawn and garden tools, supplies and more, and can add wonderful character to your garden! Get an outdoor building tailored to your needs and constructed of beautiful, durable LP® Shed products. Find out where to buy sheds featuring LP products by calling (844) 5LP-SHED or contact a shed dealer near you.

Continue Reading

Business Solutions

5 min

What's the Value of a Warranty?

Warranties are everywhere, from small consumer products to commercial machinery and everything in between. Sometimes it feels like you need a law degree to understand the terms of a warranty.

Continue Reading

Business Solutions

4 min
Q&A: How Home Orientation Impacts Continuous Insulation

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to building an energy-efficient home for your clients and the many nuances that change with each build—including its orientation to the sun. We sat down with Neil Freidberg, Building Science Manager at LP, to unpack the impact of home orientation on continuous insulation needs. 

Resiliency Solutions

5 min
HOW A RADIANT BARRIER CAN IMPROVE BURIED DUCT PERFORMANCE

One of the questions LP® Building Solutions gets from builders often is about burying ducts in attic insulation and whether combining radiant barrier sheathing with blown insulation over ductwork can benefit homeowners. As with most technical situations, the outcome depends on a nuanced approach. Let’s dig in and explore this question. 

Maintenance7 min
What Should Homeowners Prioritize in a Build?

Whether it's a new phone, clothes, or a family car, today we’re often resigned to the fact that the new things we own won’t last forever. However, there is one thing that we still expect to endure for the long haul, and that’s our homes.