A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening Transplanting seedlings--how deep?

This is my first year starting plants inside from seed (actually I tried one other time but killed them by over-watering!!). I was just reading some other post where they mentioned re-potting and that you are supposed to repot the plants deeper in the soil? I had no clue about that. How deep are they supposed to be re-potted? My plants (especially the pumpkin and pickling cucumbers) are getting quite leggy, maybe it will help to re-pot them deeper in a bigger container? I am sure I started them too early but live and learn I guess!

It depends on the type of plant. Tomatoes can be planted right up to the first set of leaves and they will produce roots from the stem but for pumpkins and most other vegies, just keep the soil level the same as it is in the seedlings mix. Otherwise you risk collar rot and the death of the plant. If the pumpkins are a bit leggy, give them a bit of support when you plant them out. I use a small pot with the base cut out over the seedlings. It also can be tilted to give a bit of shade protection until the plants harden off.

Thank you so much! What about peppers? I have habeneros, serrano, and jalapenos.

Same as for pumpkins. In fact, most vegies, only plant to the original depth and protect for a few days after transplanting and you'll be OK. (By the way, if you get some seaweed or kelp extract and give the seedlings a drink of this after transplanting, it will reduce transplant shock enormously.)

Good to know. I have put a lot of work into the little seedlings thus far so any help I can give them the better! There sure is a wealth of information on this site :)! There are a bunch of garden gurus that us newbies can really learn from! Thanks!