Frost to Frost · stage 2 of 9

Pot up

first transplant · roughly Apr 2 – Apr 23 at zone 5b. Adjust for your zone →

Move seedlings out of solo cups into 1-gallon nursery pots once roots show through the drainage holes. Still indoors, still under lights. This is not the final container.

Common mistakes at this stage

Jumping straight to a 20-gallon final pot. Oversized containers hold water the small root system can't use, which is a fast way to rot.
Handling the stem instead of the root ball when transplanting.

This year

Potted up Mar 31. One plant showed transplant shock for about four days — yellow lower leaves, recovered on its own.

Guides for this stage

Pot upPotting up without stressing the roots4 min read

Filmed at this stage

Transplant Day for Our Baby Plants 🌱 Paper Towel to Soil #gardening #plants #growth #garden #grow

Feb 26 · 0:25

Seedlings 48 Hours After Transplant | Paper Towel Germination to Soil🌱 #garden #plants#growagarden

Mar 2 · 0:24

1 Week After Transplanting Seedlings 🌱 Garden Update #plants #gardening #grow #growagarden #2026

Mar 4 · 0:12

On to bigger & better! 🌱 #plants #garden #growagarden #growyourown #growth

Apr 1 · 0:22