State of the Garden: April 2024
Time to transplant! Plus, tips on transplanting brassicas and getting rid of bermuda grass in your garden beds
Written by Hannah Willoughby
It’s gardening season here in South Carolina, I’m eating strawberries constantly, and my seedlings are finally ready to be transplanted! I let most of my seedling die from neglect, but the broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes are still going strong. I had just overdone myself planting seeds, and had done too much for me to handle, but this spring is a fresh start! I wish I could have gotten the broccoli and cauliflower in the ground a little earlier, but I can always add a shade cloth over them if it starts getting too hot.
I also planted some peppers, basil, and eggplant earlier this week. I went to a local nursery (Poe’s Farmers Exchange in Rock Hill, SC), and they happened to have all the types of peppers that I had started and let die, so I grabbed one of each of shishito, red bell, jalapeño, and sweet banana pepper plants.
I also planted some eggplant.
Next week, I’ll transplant my tomatoes, and start everything else from seed outdoors.
As for the rest of the beds, my asparagus is done producing, and my strawberry plants are getting bigger! However, the bermuda grass is starting to take over my beds. I looked up how to get rid of bermuda grass and found this article: Ask OGS: Eradicating Bermuda Grass from Your Garden. Based on this article, it seems like it’s going to be pretty hard to get rid of it in my strawberry beds. I think the best thing to do would be to just hand weed everything ASAP and just really stay on top of it. Then, I’ll cover the bed with plastic (except over the strawberries, getting as close to the base as possible) to prevent the grass from being able to photosynthesize.
Transplanting Brassicas
Below are some tips and steps on how to transplant brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, etc).
- First, decide where you want to transplant your plant. Broccoli and cauliflower need about 18 inches between each plant.
- Then, dig a hole a little deeper than the the depth of the plant’s container with a hand trowel or a potting spade (or your hands if you’re feeling frisky).
- Finally, put soil up to the first set of true leaves. This will help the plant keep a strong base and stand up straight as it grows.
- And don’t forget to water!
The key here is to bury the plant up to its first set of true leaves, or even the second set depending on how leggy the plant is. If you don’t do this, your plants will probably end up falling over once they grow bigger. These seedlings didn’t get the best care and are leggy and not upright, but this can be mended somewhat by this technique.
And there you have it! My broccoli and cauliflower plants are now transplanted!
Any questions or comments? Post in the comments below!
