Transplanting and bed extension, part 1.

Got a lot done today!  I transplanted the seedlings, as well as expanded the garden bed.  I'll break the post up in two.  First, the transplanting!

I'd like to start by saying that reading about handling the seedlings by their leaves, instead of the stems, was a tremendous tip.  I can't imagine how many of them I would've maimed had I not done that.  

Ok, so, I wanted to have everything in place before I got started.  I made a watering device, which is basically a water bottle with some slits made on its top.  This lets out a soft stream, which doesn't disturb the soil too much.  Not much to it... see below.

As I was transplanting, I felt like taking this picture.  It reminded me how important plants are, and how well we should be treating them.  Imagine that the soil being held together here is our planet, and that the seedling is what gives our planet life and allows us to exist.  This, I find to be a miniature replica of ourselves.  Sadly, we don't pay enough attention to our one source that provides us with life... maybe we will, one day.

These are the gold heirloom tomato seedlings in their new homes.  I used a spoon to help me "lift" them out of the seed starting tray, and that helped tons.  I would break up the top dirt a bit, then use the spoon underneath as I lifted the plant by its leaves.  Worked like a charm.

Here we have the 6 organic orange watermelons.  Same as with the tomatoes, only difference is that I planted deeper since they were so leggy.  I researched the case of the seeds still being attached, and the common consensus was that it happens because the seeds weren't planted deep enough, and they should be ok to remove.  I've removed them as of this post.

 And here we have the 4 kolb heirloom tomatoes.  The one on the left of the bottom pic was the smallest of all, but it transplanted very well.  Same as before, I used a spoon to "spoon" them out of the seed starting tray, keeping as much of the soil connected to the roots as I could.

That's it for the transplanting!  I took them outside to get a couple of hours of sunlight, making sure they didn't dry up.  It is suggested to make sure seedlings are well watered after transplanting to minimize the shock, so I'm staying on top of it.  I feel that the peat pots will be great as they will allow me to expose the plants to light better, and when they finally go into the garden, it'll be as simple as planting the entire pot in the soil.

Read on for the bed extension adventure.  I'll end with a few more pictures... :-)