Potting Up

So many have been delighted to have their seeds grow into little plants and now they are bursting at the seams of the starter pots so it is time to 'pot them up' to give more room for them to grow.

Blimey! It's getting a little tight in here!

Take your larger pots (if they are new just use them, if they are being reused it is a good idea to clean in a bleach and then rinse them off).

Fill pots with either left over seed starter mix or potting soil, whichever you have to hand. Make a hole in the center of the soil mix.

Carefully lift your plant out of it's little original home. DO NOT LIFT BY THE STEM, RELEASE THE ROOTS AND STARTER MIX FIRST (NOTE SOIL ON FINGERS FROM DIGGING OUT WHOLE ROOT SYSTEM AND SOIL.

ONCE PLANT IS OUT OF THE CONTAINER THEN YOU CAN HOLD BY STEM BUT TREAT WITH GREAT CARE

Tomato Plant, note roots dangling at bottom

Carefully place plant in hole so roots go down

Plant tomato soil covering stem ALL THE WAY TO FIRST TWO LEAVES

NOTE: You will get a much sturdier tomato plant is you do this as the whole buried stem will create roots.

Gently pat in soil around plant so plant is firmly in place.
COMPARE THIS PICTURE WITH THE TOMATO PLANT FIRST TAKEN OUT OF THE ORIGINAL POT. SEE HOW MUCH OF THE STEM WAS PLANTED IN THE SOIL HERE.

Pot up all your squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants when they are ready, you can also pot up leafy greens or, when it comes time for the swap you can wrap them in newspaper cups. 

You won't need to remove the newspaper when you plant them out as it will decompose. If you make a firm base add some drainage holes. 

Here are a couple of pics of pots made:

and here is link with step by step how to make them: How to Make newspaper pots