How to Plant a Flower Garden for Free with Volunteer Seedlings

Create a colorful flower garden for free by transplanting self-seeded plants from last year's flowers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Volunteer plant seedlings
• Garden trowel
• Pot or container with moist loose soil
• Garden area, soil turned and ready to plant
• Watering can filled with water

1. Volunteer self-seeded flowers often grow on or near the location of last year's plants, such as marigold seedlings in the photo. Prepare the soil in an open area where you would like to plant a flower garden. Decide on the exact place to transplant the seedlings. Fill a flower pot or container with loose, moist soil to hold seedlings between digging and replanting.

2. 
    
   Keep pot close to seedlings for easy transfer

   With garden trowel, carefully dig down at a 45-degree angle by volunteer seedling. Push down on handle to bring up plant with roots intact, soil still clinging if at all possible. Transfer to flower pot. Continue with other seedlings until the number desired are dug.

3. Move immediately to the prepared garden area for transplanting. Seedlings may start wilting, so work quickly to keep plant stress to a minimum. Create appropriate-sized hole for each plant, insert plant, water, and cover with soil. Be sure all roots are covered and plants are secure in the soil. Water area well.

4. Plants may droop for a period of time ranging from a few hours to a couple of days. Check on plants frequently and water at least twice a day or more as needed for a few days. Keep soil moist for at least a week.

Tips & Warnings

• A cloudy or overcast day or within hours before a rain are good times to transplant volunteer seedlings. This avoids the extra stress of the day's heat on the fragile plants.
• If the previous year's flowers were a hybrid variety, this year's volunteer seedlings may revert back to the variety of one of the hybrid's parents. Even so, the seedlings probably will be colorful and lovely in your new flower bed.
• Offer unneeded seedlings to friends who may want them.

Resources

• eHow Home and Garden Topic Guide

[rachelsuecmpbl]

on 6/3/2009 I love this garden article, because I don't have a lot of money to spend on supplies and seeds! 5*s

[shenandoah]

on 6/1/2009 Great tips, especially the 'when to plant' and the water needs of seedlings. 5*