How and When to Thin Plants in The Garden

Thinning is something that every gardener fears doing at some point, but it also is something that will make a big difference in the overall health of the crop. In this episode I will cover what plants need to be thinned, how to thin, when to thin, and some plants you don’t have to thin at all.

[@Mark723]

You're getting there, and it's all because of your brilliance, enthusism, how wonderfully you present your information, and because of your million-dollar smile...

[@VaultDwellerGal]

Your high intensity lettuce method is the best!!! Because of your videos, we tried it with our indoor lettuce, and it works out so well for continuous harvesting. It sure beats spending money on overpriced bags of spring mix that go bad right away. Thanks!!

[@15SecondsWithMona]

Would love to know more!

[@GR-bo5zt]

How do you do the indoor lettuce mix?

[@kairo7806]

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[@cherlisastarksrichardson]

You just helped me. I was looking for a video because I was thinking I must thin my leafy greens (mustard, turnip and kale). The reason I originally planted so many seeds together was to yield more produce. Now that they’re growing I was concerned that the leaves wouldn’t grow big enough.

[@azpeach5680]

Thank you for being so thoughtful to share gardening information for us people in warmer parts of the world:) just love you!!!!

[@mudpiemudpie785]

I transplant my baby carrots when I thin them. It's worked great for me.

[@davidmiles533]

I just wanted to stop in and wish you a good Winter and happy holiday season. I have 8 inches of snow. Nothing I can do in my garden.

[@gmpgmp5488]

Nicely delivered! Thanks from Indiana

[@charliehoos9773]

I don’t ‘thin’ carrots, I pull for baby carrots with meals. Same with lettuce and spinach - baby greens are yummy.

[@gazellecarlson6543]

always informative thx

[@donnayoung5942]

Yes! South Texas here! And yes, I’m planting many things right now and this was good to know. Thanks

[@24carrotgold8]

I have started seeds too close together not expecting 100% germination. So I was able to soak the dirt free from the roots and successfully plant them individually. Great tip! 👍

[@sazando4083]

Thank you so much, your video was fab. It was clear concise, informative and kept it simple. Couldn’t ask for more thank you

[@rebeccasanderson8661]

Fantastic thanks Luke! Very helpful as we head into summer down in Aus😊

[@yolauskriff8792]

Hello friend! I always enjoy your videos. You have so much content, you are truly a hero of small gardeners of this generation.

[@scruffygardenerau2098]

Great advice. Big thanks from a fellow gardener from Australia

[@hyacinthABC]

I've manually thinned beet seedlings successfully even though "they" say you can't. As each seed often produces 3 or 4 sprouts it's a no-brainer as long as you catch them early enough.

[@renemary4109]

Thank you, from Florida zone 9b. I get my best crops in the fall and winter here (if you can call it winter).

[@marykun4315]

Very nice job

[@DeadeyeJoe37]

Mahalo from Hawaii! Just planted a bunch of kale and was thinking about this

[@heavymetalbassist5]

I've definitely dropped seed packs. my greenhouse floor always has stuff popping up

[@nancyfitch9162]

Just received your book 📕 I am so excited!

[@heavymetalbassist5]

for me I start in trays for most stuff but I still do guerilla beds where I toss a ton of seeds in then thin by eating. like pak choy with understory carrots

[@heavymetalbassist5]

radishes are great too, I just thin a tiny bit anywhere 4 touch I snip a baby and toss it in a salad. then only take the biggest radish of the group once a week during harvest and the others catch up

[@mangle40]

Exciting.

[@nomathembazwedala7704]

I do thin my plants, but I don't throw away my weakest plants. I find space to transplant and cover in order protect them from harsh weather. I hate to sacrifice them shame, it hurts. To me they rather die on their own and atleast 70% of them will survive. Thanks for the information, it's always nice to hear from other people as to how they do things.

[@Karmiccatalyst]

What do you think about sewing seeds heavily and thinning them while they are still in their embryonic stage? I found when I toss my lettuce seed in, they sprout ontop of each other. Would it be best to let them mature to their true leaves, as thinning them while they are immature could cause damage to the vulnerable seedlings; or would it be better to catch them early and not let them grow ontop of each other?? Also you are my favorite youtube gardener!! All your enthusiasm makes me excited to get out there and grow!!!

[@SanDiegoCaliforniaUSA]

Do you have any native fruits and vegetables growing at all in your garden? Also do you harvest your dandelions or any other edible wild plants growing about your garden?

[@jacquelinewarner4733]

Do you have any growing guides on Turmeric Root and Ginger Root growing inside and outside ? Or can you do one on them. Great video

[@GR-bo5zt]

Yes, I’d love to learn this as well

[@soulseeker42388]

Hey Luke could you do a video on corps that don't mind 24 hours light. Say someone has a dusk to dawn light near their graden.

[@StSdijle]

Like a street light? No issue, way too little light. If the question is if you can leave your grow lights on all night. Most crops won’t care but won’t grow much faster, so it’s a waste of power hence waste of money.

[@dawgg0077]

Luke rocks!

[@gpashh]

Does anyone know what time Migardener will start selling seeds Monday? Been waiting and waiting for this, but now I need to go help an elderly with cancer clean her house. So scared I'm going to miss it.

[@jo2sj490]

Your onions look good and I may need your help with that, I try few times or years really to grow onions from seeds with no luck; do you have any advice for me. I really appreciate your kindness. Thank you and God bless you

[@selinanguyentv5125]

chia sẻ hay

[@irlydontknow4940]

I got a aloe plant and it has 1 leave left and it fell over(I stood it up) but its not from over watering it(once 2 weeks) do you think I will make it?

[@pmvanwyhe]

I’ve replanted kohlrabi that I thinned and the replanted plants did better than the ones I left.

[@veliaantila1099]

Does it pay to thin the carrot crop? They are pretty crowded. Thanks for the response.

[@dorothyrhodes4657]

I have a question about planting onion seeds in the fall in zone 5b? Should I or shouldn't I.,? One site said its helpful to plant seeds in the fall. But I wonder about that in such a cold climate?

[@babyroot3479]

I'm in your same zone. In January I experimented by sowing onion seeds in empty water gallon jugs (for details, videos on KZbin) it worked! They stayed outside and sprouted at the right light and temperature for them. Once they got bigger, I transplanted them to the raised bed. It worked like a charm. I think I'll try it in December this time.

[@allenlebo]

@@babyroot3479 it’s called winter sowing and I did it with poppy seeds last winter. It was amazing. I gave away lots of seedlings and had tons for myself. I saved a bunch of seed heads to do the same this winter. I started them in February and am in zone 5b

[@paulsr.dicrispino642]

Luke, when thinning out tomatoes and peppers in a 4 inch pot, how many true leaves would you wait to develop before you separated them?

[@kittiew260]

I wait for 2 true leaves. I started all my tomatoes in 4 inch pots at least 20+ seeds then once first set of true leaves appear on majority I separate & plant up. Both tomatoes and peppers at the young age are very forgiving.

[@paulsr.dicrispino642]

Thank you. It makes sense.

[@MIgardener]

I typically wait until the first set of true leaves before thinning.

[@cathydavis9259]

HELP!!! I started seeds indoors and nothing happened. Last March in Northern Illinois I used quality mail order seeds, not too deep in organic soil from Walmart, kept soil very moist not wet, grow lights above on wire shelving in a 73* pole barn. Nothing. The soil was never disturbed so no mice. What did I do wrong? Do you have videos to help me?

[@antoinettegainous4883]

Luke, you never go on 'ad nauseum'.

[@bethie_t93]

Can you PLEASE do a video explaining what to do with containers full of soil after you pull your plants out for the winter?? I'm in Massachusetts, zone 5, we've already had a freeze and I'm pulling out all my dead plants, but what to do with all this soil??? Can it be used next year? Should I dump it out and store it somewhere, or just leave it till spring?? I have a huge container garden. HELP!!! 😊

[@AdeleHawkins-yh7tj]

As far as reusing for container gardens, I pretty much only reuse potting soil, but add a little compost and/or used tea leaves and coffee grounds for a little nutrition. I've successfully reused potting soil for seed starting, just need to run the soil through a mesh so that it's very fine and doesn't have large clumps, no added compost necessary.

[@phylliskrafft]

I need to thin my fall planted kale I'll be eating what I pull.

[@5gr868]

Thaaaaaaanks! Is there such a thing as "fatting"?

[@halobenson2267]

I would really like to order seeds from you but every time I visit your website everything is sold out. When/how are we supposed to order?

[@buckeyethor]

If my carrots looked like a pair of Barbie legs, do they need to be thinned and spaced better or is the soil not loose enough?

[@mdevery8894]

Hi Luke - is something changing with your website. I went to it to see if you have seeds yet and I couldn’t get past the main page. It looks completely different also.

[@denisebiendarra5996]

Today I received an email from MI Gardener saying that changes are being made.

[@nadinecoppage8536]

Nadine when I went to your website the same thing happened to me

[@denisebiendarra5996]

Rainer Redman, I think so.

[@raineeredman6874]

Any one know about planting garlic

[@denisebiendarra5996]

I’m in Zone 5a and plant in October, about 1” deep and 4” apart, with rows 12” to 18” apart. I harvest the following July when at least 1/2 of the tops have turned brown.

[@raineeredman6874]

@@denisebiendarra5996 in a raised bed should I plant deeper?

[@zarahsgarden2097]

@@raineeredman6874 yes its so easy! I don't plant it very deep. Mulch is important for the winter. Mi gardener has a video on garlic I believe. I just posted one as well 😜 though I'm not as experienced I've had a really good harvest and definitely recommend it 🧄💕

[@timothyshanley1132]

Can you move and replant them elsewhere this time of year

[@tamararoberts9307]

To thin or not to thin, that is the question 🤔 lol

[@gardenofglory5403]

So you still have to wait until the true leaves come up on peppers to start thinning them out

[@maries2768]

There seems to be a problem with your website. I can't login and when I try to click on lost password, the page is not found. I hope you didn't get that comment a thousand times already!

[@jenrusso123]

Less is more! 👍

[@kairo7806]

It whas boaring You Because you made it long

[@kairo7806]

OK I admitted it was fun

[@kairo7806]

2ooo