Thinning out seedlings?

[PunkRotten]

Hi,


I am looking for a little help on what and how to thin out some seedlings. I have a list of some stuff I planted. And it seems almost all seeds sprouted.


Radish
Romaine lettuce
Mesclun salad mix
Beets
Carrots
Yarrow
Nasturtiums
Marigolds
Cilantro
Parsley
Kale
Garlic
Green onions/scallions (parade)




Basically, What of these do I thin to one plant and what ones do I leave as a clump or multiple plants growing out of one hole?


Thank you

[mcubb]

I know for sure that radish and carrots need to be thinned to one plant per "hole" or "space". I'd assume that beets are the same.

[PunkRotten]

You sure about the radish? I was under the impression they are one that should be grown in bunches. But that may be dependent on variety.

[mcubb]

Radishes are one of the very first vegetables I started with when I started gardening. Fast growing and easy to see workin its thing. I've always had one plant then a few inches away another. Anything two or more were physically touching theyd get stunted/ugly/die. Thats my experience however. And you might be right, it may be based on variety.

[rainbowgardener]

Look for jal_ut's posts on radishes. He is very experienced with them and insists that they have to have 2" space in every direction around them or they will not bulb up well.

Personally, I don't think much of anything grows well real crowded. The green onions would be closest.

Are these in the ground or in pots/flats/ containers/ potting soil? If the latter you can let them get a little bigger and then separate them and transplant. That's a lot harder with in-ground plants, since the ground isn't as soft and loose as the potting soil.

Root crops like radish, carrots, beets do not transplant well. You are learning as you go along, as we all do. Next time be more conservative with your seeds and space them out in planting.

[PunkRotten]

Everything is in the ground except some green onions. Everything is still really small too. I used to right spacing but add 3-4 seeds per hole to increase chance of germination. But then almost everything sprouts. What Ica do is take some scissors and just cut the excess plants.


I am growing 3 variety of radish and on one of them they said to grow in bunches of 3-4. But the others did not state, but I don;t think they should be grown in bunches.

[Franco]

Definitely do not grow in bunches. You are correct in using the scissors, but I wouldn't bother putting three in a hole next time. Radishes germinate fast and grow very well. They also ward off a lot of bad invaders, so they're good to plant around the garden.