Seedling question

[freemay20]

Hello everyone. Hoping to get a little help from the experienced gardeners. I have two tubes in which I have started Hale and spring greens from seed. Both tubs have now gotten to the point where the second set of leaves have begun to grow on the seedlings. The plants however seem to be flimsy. Their color is good, strong green leaves and green in the stalk. When is the right time to start to transplant these seedlings. I believe we are past the worry of frost but am just not sure it is time yet in the plants growth cycle to transplant them. The Kale is about 3" tall and the greens vary, but most are about 4 1/2". Is there a growth sign on the plant I should be looking for? I thank all of you in advance for any information you could give me. Take care and have a wonderful day.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. I will answer your question by asking other questions!

So you have kale and greens (lettuce? mustard? etc) in "tubs" - how big/how deep? Are they out in the sun or indoors - under lights or in front of a window? Are they going into the next size up container, or the final resting place into garden soil? And where are you gardening (zone)?

Kale and greens are pretty frost hardy as long as they've been hardened a bit in the sun and outdoor conditions. They can actually be thinned and transplanted at any time, planted deeper than the level that they are separated at, which will help with the flimsiness. I actually transplanted my greens and kale etc from crowded cells into individual cells at less than 2 inches tall. The key is allowing them to settle down for a few days to adjust after transplanting - I use the floor of my garage to keep them out of the sun - and you also need to be sure they are well watered as they are forming new roots. Poor drainage and heavy soil will make it tough for them - I transplant into soilless mix (and even use soilless mix in all of my garden containers) because it is sterile, absorbent and has really good drainage.

good luck!

[freemay20]

2. Thanks...

The tubs are 4'x2', 6 inches deep. They have been in a greenhouse and on cold nights we have brought them inside.

I have a square foot raised planting area set up for the various vegetables.

Would it be okay to plant them in this square foot area which will be the final resting place?

The other is mesclun. Would it also be okay to plant those as they are at the same stage as the kale?

Thank you very much for your input.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. If they've been able to stand weather to mid 30s, they are fine for outdoors - I would ease them

into being outdoors for full days and nights, over a few days. Kale is frost hardy. some elements of mesclun are a bit more frost susceptible, perhaps, although I've had two large pots of lettuce outdoors in my driveway all winter long and it has withstood frost just fine.