How to Thin Plants

Inspect your plants after they have begun to sprout. Wait until the second set of true leaves appears on the seedlings before you thin them. The first set of leaves emerges from the seed. The second set you see will be the first set of true leaves. The third set of leaves to appear will be the second set of true leaves. After this set appears, the plant is hardy enough to survive on its own. Weaker ones can be removed at this juncture.

Consult the seed package or other authority, such as your local county extension service, to find out how much space to leave between seedlings as you thin them.

Thin when the soil is moist, or sprinkle the ground before you thin. Plants will come out of the soil more easily.

Choose a strong, healthy seedling near the beginning of the garden row to keep. Leave this plant intact, as a starting point. Gently pull out any seedlings before it in the row. Use care not to disturb the root system of the plant you want to keep when pulling out the weaker or smaller seedlings.

Choose a strong, healthy seedling farther down the row the appropriate distance from the first one for the plants you are growing. Keep this plant intact. Remove the rest of the seedlings between it and the first one you kept in the row. Again, use a gentle pulling technique so as not to disturb the "keepers."

Repeat Step 5 as you continue down the row of seedlings. Leave approximately the same space between the ones you keep. Gently pull out the seedlings in between without damaging or disturbing the others.

Sprinkle the garden to resettle the soil after thinning.