If anyone read my '2 crops a year' post, I have discovered a happy fact.
The dill seeds you harvest from the 1st crop, and presumably sow perhaps the following week turn out to have a STAGGERING germination rate (which fact, of course), I discovered completely by accident by sowing the new seeds like grass seed. Please sow more thinly than I indicated by AT LEAST half.
Well, I figured I could either let the plants kill each other by competition and wind up w/a lot of stunted dill, not good, or have a go at transplanting them elsewhere.
I know the common wisdom, "You can't transplant dill, the roots are too long and delicate." Horse puckey -- I didn't even have to kill a bunch of seedlings to learn what's what.
Clear, then loosen up a patch of soil with a hoe or a hand trowel. Since the dill (in this essay) is too dense in its bed, wet down (do not soak) a portion of the bed that you want to transplant. With a trowel, dig up a DEEP plug, lots of soil on the bottom. Take the plug over to where you're transplanting.
Let the plug de-moisten. When the earth in the plug is just a bit damp, start popping off little chunks of the plug. Sometimes, your little new pluglet will have just one seedling; great -- just dig a hole 1 to 1 1/2 in. deep, drop in the pluglet, cover up to the starter leaves, press the earth down and water.
If the pluglet has 2 or more seedlings, either plant them right together as above, or, VERY gently untangle the roots and proceed as above for each seedling. THIS IS NOT HARD TO DO, a little patience untangling works wonders. (Plus, if a fumblethumbs like SAJ can do this, ANYONE can!)
So far, I've moved 116 seedlings in this fashion. Killed 2. An acceptable record, I'd say.
Oh, yes, when you've finished transplanting to their new home, water the seedlings generously, immediately, but do not soak. You may have to press down the earth again afterwards.
Happy herbing!
Thanks for the informative post.
That’s a lot of dill.