My Vegetable Transplants Always Fail

Q. It seems that whenever I try transplanting, I keep losing the plant. Mainly tomatoes, and squash type plants. I've tried putting the plant in the area that it's going to get transplanted into for a few days then make the move. I've tried boosting the area with fertilizers. Today, I tried to put up shade around the area so the direct light doesn't beat it up too bad. Do you have any advice?

A. If this was soil that was never planted in before and you don’t see any weeds growing in the soil then maybe there is a problem with the soil. Very seldom is it the case that our desert soils will grow nothing once they have been amended and irrigated.

This is what your tomato transplant should
look like out of the container if grown right:
sturdy, stocky, dark green, white roots
about 4 to 6 inches tall and free of insect and disease
(photo courtesy University of Missouri and can be found at
 http://extension.missouri.edu/news/DisplayStory.aspx?N=1087)

It is more likely not enough soil preparation or the location is not the best for transplants. Vegetables need to be placed into desert soils that have had extensive modification prior to planting. The modifications have to be ample amounts of compost and tillage to get the compost deep and provide for some drainage of water. I like to see at least 12 inches down and even 18 inches for deeply rooted vegetables like some carrots and other root crops.

I do prefer constructing raised beds for vegetables and herbs. The raised beds do not have to have constructed side walls from construction materials. The natural slope of the soils at the edges of a constructed bed will keep the bed from collapsing provided you keep human traffic on it at a minimum.

But the soil must be ripped as deep as you can with a trencher or tractor combined with water and good compost added to it and finally thorough mixing by tilling or rototilling.

The raised beds can be constructed by shoveling the soil with compost added to it on to a bed about three to four feet wide. Every time you plant for the first three years you should be adding about two inches of compost to the bed and tilling or mixing it in with a tiller.

After about the first three years of adding extensive amounts of compost and growing in it you will see your vegetable production reach a peak in yield and quality. After that then one inch is usually adequate.

Seldom have I seen transplants that were not acclimatized (putting them gradually into outside from a greenhouse or nursery) just flat out die. They usually become stunted for awhile and then start to grow again.

Make sure transplants are planted the same depth in your garden as they were in the containers if they are older plants. One exception is tomatoes which can be planted deeper and the soil piled around the stems for a deeper root system (provided the soil has been prepared well).

Young smaller plants transplant better than older, bigger plants and recover faster (usually). Squash, melons, cucumbers and many other vegetables actually perform better if they are started in the garden from seed, not transplants.

Relative Difficulty of Vegetables to Transplant

Easy to Transplant

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Lettuce

Tomato

Medium Difficulty

Cauliflower

Celery

Eggplant

Onion

Pepper

Hard to Transplant

Cucumber

Musk Melon

Squash

Watermelon