Thinning

clfraser 4/19/2011, 10:31 pm

When I thin my plants (like green beans, peas, squash, okra) do I thin to one stalk per space where I planted seeds? What is the best way to thin them out? Trim with garden shears? Will the plant grow back since the roots are still there?

boffer 4/19/2011, 10:39 pm

Typically, I thin carrots, beets, radishes, and greens. I do my thinning with scissors. The plants I thin this way don't grow back.

To be honest, I don't thin beans or peas. Rarely do I get too many squashes growing, but if they were close together, I would thin with scissors. I don't grow okra; can't help there.

quiltbea 4/20/2011, 12:09 am

You would thin them out according to how many plants should be growing in the square.
Radishes, thin to 16 per square, carrots the same, parsnips to 6, turnip and spinach to 9 per square.
It all depends on what is allowed in the one foot square.

BackyardBirdGardner 4/20/2011, 9:21 am

Yes, I thin to one plant per space I'm using.....like Quiltbea said. I do so with scissors.....like Boffer said.

Pulling them up like weeds, with our fingers, only serves to disturb the roots of the other plant sharing the same space. The less disruption the better.

elliephant 4/20/2011, 10:21 am

With my squash this year I ended up with 2 coming up for each spot. I ripped out the "extra" plants and felt sorry for them. I plopped them each in a 2.5 gallon pot of MM just to see if they would survive. They are producing now! I hate thinning...always feel sorry for the poor plants!

clfraser 4/20/2011, 4:06 pm

Well I had pulled up some of the squash and the ones I pulled died, but I am hoping the others that I left survive. I think I will see what happens with the beans and peas. My carrots are tiny so I will have to thin with scissors when they get bigger. Thanks for the advice all!

florenceq 4/20/2011, 5:47 pm

elliephant wrote:With my squash this year I ended up with 2 coming up for each spot. I ripped out the "extra" plants and felt sorry for them. I plopped them each in a 2.5 gallon pot of MM just to see if they would survive. They are producing now! I hate thinning...always feel sorry for the poor plants!

I thought I was the only one who felt sorry for the plant. Smile

My family thinks I am nuts when I am out there talking to them like babies, telling them it will be okay, "You're just moving to a new home"

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