At our York, PA farm, we know that proper thinning of our seedlings will enhance
the yield of the crop ultimately harvested. To learn the proper distance to thin
the plants in your garden, look to the Miller Plant Farm Planting Guide for the details. In addition, you'll find the following tips helpful for vegetable
gardening.
Thinning should be done while plants are small and when the soil is moist, so
they can be pulled out easily without injuring those that are left.
Root crops should be thinned before their taproots become fleshy, onions from
seeds, and radishes, can be left in the ground until those that are thinned out
are large enough to eat.
Carrots should be thinned first when they are 2 to 3 inches tall, so as to stand
about one inch apart. They can be left to develop until large enough to be eaten,
then alternate plants can be pulled out and used, leaving more room for those
that are left.
Thinning is rarely practiced with beans, peas, corn and some other large-seeded
plants which produce vigorous seedlings, because a good stand usually is obtained
by planting only a few more seeds than the number of plants required.
