When to put seedlings in the ground

[pinksand]

I'm sorry if this is a redundant question, I just seemed to find a lot more information on the starting process... but then what?

This winter was my very first attempt at starting plants from seed. I had great success with my teddy bear sunflowers and those are already in the ground and continuing to grow and look healthy. My other plants were less successful but I did end up with 1 baby agastache, 2 butterfly weeds, and 2 blanket flowers. These all have a few sets of true leaves, but are still quite small. They've been hardened off over the past couple of weeks and are just waiting in their small containers on my patio.

How big should they be before I can transplant them in the ground? I directly sowed some of the same seeds a couple of weeks ago and after a very rainy week a lot of them have sprouted nicely. I'm hoping they will survive! I would think that now would be a safe time to plant them since their directly sown brothers and sisters are doing alright, but I didn't know if they'd stand a better chance if I let them mature a bit more since they're a little more protected on the patio? I've also read that butterfly weed has a large taproot and doesn't transplant well so I wasn't sure if sooner would be better than later with these guys in particular?

[hendi_alex]

Your frost free date should be early May at the latest. I grow several of the perennials that you mentioned and all are quite hardy staying green even when we are still getting frost. But by any standard you should be able to put the plants in the ground by this time of the spring. Your local agricultural extension office is likely to be one of your best sources for site specific information.

Here is a link to your local service. It will have resources on planting dates for various kinds of plants, average date of last frost in the spring and first frost in the fall. They will have all kinds of info on local pests and diseases, including treatments. It may be worth a trip to the local extension office to get some of their free printed material. I keep some of our local office's brochures in my study for quick reference.

https://extension.umd.edu/topics/gardening

[pinksand]

Thanks, I feel silly now! Based on the avg last frost date for my zone they should be safe from frost, I just didn't know if they were too little...? Seems like a stupid question I guess since obviously the seedlings that were directly sown are even smaller. I just didn't know if they'd be safer from being eaten/wilting/blown too hard by the wind? Lol, like I said, I'm new to seeds!

[hendi_alex]

There is nothing silly about any such question. Gardening is a series of experiments where you learn mostly by doing. What works for one person won't work for the other, some things that make the greatest sense won't work for you, and some of the dumbest things may end up working best.

[Susan W]

Good question! I may be an over protective Mom and like to wait until the babies have some sort of root system before transplanting.

Now my question for you! On the butterfly weed. I have a couple of clumps in the garden I got several yrs ago, and they are fine, spare the one with too much shade. I tried seed starting last summer. Some sprouted, and I put them in larger gal containers. Some grew a bit, a couple went south. I brought maybe 5 in this winter, and new growth sprouted. They are in a protected area, not doing much, and a couple went south. One got nibbled by the mystery nibbler. I just put new seeds in a peat pellet (10) tray today. I have it and some other new ones in a good place inside, then move out to a sheltered place once have true leaves.

[rainbowgardener]

It is not a silly question. The smaller they are, the less root system so the more frequently they need watering. So basically it depends on where it is easier to keep giving them the care they need. And little plants are more vulnerable to pests and such. I like to have pretty good sized transplants, that's part of why I start things so early.

[pinksand]

Thanks for the advice! I think I'll let them grow a bit bigger. Plus, I'm going out of town and they might be easier for my husband to care for on the patio when he waters the pots while I'm away. He's not a plant person so the easier I can make it for him the better I'm glad you mentioned that, Thanks!