Wisdom Preserved
- May 12, 2023
- 2 min read

Use A Row Marker To Transplant Seedlings Into The Garden (Mittleider Method)

Updated: Nov 1, 2023

Spring has finally come, after what seemed like a very long winter. My plants have been growing well but are anxious to have the space available in my garden. Fortunately, it is finally warm enough for me to transplant seedlings. Mittleider’s method of transplanting is really pretty simple.

My garden has already been prepared with my custom soil, pre-plant fertilizer, and weekly feed.

Transplant Seedlings

Now, it is just a matter of separating my plants from each other in the flat, being careful to keep the root ball as intact as possible, and placing them in my garden.

use row marker

Each plant has a specified amount of space it needs for optimal growth. I used to just estimate distances until I made my row marker and now I know exactly where my plants should be spaced.

My beds allow for 2 rows on each side. The first is 1 inch from the edge of the bed and the second is 12 inches from the edge of the bed.

Transplant seedlings spacing them evenly using the row marker as a guide.

plant evenly

Plant deep enough for the roots to be well covered but for the stem to be above the soil. When covering the roots, do so gently, and do not pack the soil around the plants.

add nitrogen

When doing a transplant, you usually want to remove a couple of the oldest leaves so that the roots don’t have as much to maintain during this transition period. In addition to removing a few leaves, adding 1/4 ounce of nitrogen per linear foot helps with the transplant shock. (Don’t forget to give them a few days of hardening off before putting them in the garden.)