Hi minimarine09, here are my latest seedlings ready to transplant.
Gently scoop under the roots with the fork and lift out of soil.
Set them down on table, paper, anywhere (I could have used the other, sown flower seed failed side of that tray but the contrast wouldn't have shown you much).
Gently grasp the true leaves between thumb and index finger (the lowest, funny shaped leaves are cotyledons-they store food for the plant til it can feed itself from the soil).
Gently tease apart the roots of the separate little plants. Be careful not to damage the stems-hard since yours are kind of thin and leggy, but not impossible. If you are using that window box to grow, go to the other end of it, if it is free and poke a hole in the soil to accept your seedling.
(no laughing, IF I owned a dibble, I'd never be able to find it when needed
)
Lower the roots into the hole. NOW, if this were a tomato, you could bury it up to its leaves, BUT IT IS NOT AND THAT WON'T WORK IN THIS INSTANCE. You might have some toothpicks or sandwich picks handy to prop up your plants until they get some girth on the stems. (cross two and gently set the leaves in the crook).
Lightly pinch and press the soil around the roots-they want to be cozy
minimarine, good luck, and if those stems are too hard to work with, without damaging them, don't quit-it's never too late to throw down some more seed. Oh, and my thyme is in a pot as well. Since it is an herb, I want it close to the house, but I have cats, so nothing I eat can go in the ground around the house. My thyme winters in the pot just fine (most years) in zone 5.
Also, my basil spends its summer in the shade of my gazebo on a south-facing deck. I like my basil leaves large, dark green, and tender. Love to eat them with sliced toms, fresh mozz, and olive oil, or, in salads. I've never had any luck placing them in full sun as they produce small, pointy, light green, tough leaves.
Oh, do let us know how you get on
