Seedlings

[Tarragon2017]

Hi there ,

My choy sum seedlings have began to emerge on some of the cells , I was wondering how big they have to be until you replant them in a pot.

Should you stage the pots or put them in the final pot straight away for veg but herbs you stage.

Also my carrots and dwarf green bean are doing well I tend to water them when the surface is dry is this correct

I also have one radish and one dwarf green bean in some soil in an area i thought was 2 peebly and rocky and shady to grow anything.

[Snoop Puss]

I've never grown choy sum, so can't answer that.

If your carrots and beans are doing well, then it sounds like you've got the watering regime right!

[Tarragon2017]

Thanks but with any seedlings grown in cells how do you know when to move them , and how many can you move per pot depending on size.

[Jungle Jane]

Some seeds prefer to be sowed direct so there's no root disturbance,does it say anything on the seed packet? Are there lots of tiny seedlings all in one cell or one seedling per cell?

[vixylix]

The seed packets give really good guidance for spacing - that will help you out initially.

As for potting on, don't do it when they're too small, you want them to have a good root system and a strong stem. Other than that I do it when I get round to it!

[Scarlet]

You will learn by trial and error.

[Tarragon2017]

The thing is the seed packet never talks about those growing in pots , so how big a pot could accomodate a parsnip or swede for example

[veggiechicken]

If a Seed packet says to space the seeds 6" apart then you need 3" all round the seed; 12" apart needs 6" all round. A pot takes up the same ground space as the ground below it.
Don't overthink it.

[Jungle Jane]

If you have a 12" X 12" pot you can use the square foot planting guidelines,you'll want a deep pot for parsnips. If the pots are smaller put less plants in than they say.

[Tarragon2017]

I was thinking 4 parsnips in 5 litre pot does this sound right and maybe one swede ?

[Penellype]

To be honest I doubt a 5 litre pot would be deep enough for parsnips. You need at least a foot depth for them - I grew some in a 30 litre pot which is a foot deep last year and they were trying to come through the holes at the bottom.

With spacings, it depends on how big you want your veg to be. If you plant them closer together you will get smaller veg. The 30 litre buckets have a diameter of about 15 inches, and I planted 8 swedes in one last year. They came out a bit smaller than a tennis ball, which is fine for me, but others may want them bigger.