For Elaine, the constant gardener.

via The Farmers' Almanac.

Transplanting
May is the biggest transplanting month. A seedling’s move to the outdoors can be traumatic. Here are some tips to minimize transplant shock:

• Be sure the plants “harden off.” During plants’ last week indoors, lower temperatures a bit, withhold fertilizer, and water less often.

• For the last 7 to 10 days, bring seedlings outdoors for increasing periods each day, first placing them in dappled shade, protected from winds, and then gradually moving them into full sun and wind.

Do not leave seedlings outside if there is danger of frost. See frost-free dates for your area.

• When buying plants at a nursery, choose stocky plants with deep-green foliage, roughly as wide as they are tall.

• Ideally, the seedlings that you grow or buy are in individual containers so that you do not disturb the roots of neighboring seedlings when you remove each plant.

Read more tips on transplanting your seedlings.

For planting by the Moon dates, see our 2009 Outdoor Planting Table.