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I planted too many seedlings? Help! How do I transfer and make sure my plants grow #928835

Asked April 18, 2026, 5:20 PM EDT

I planted some seeds, 3-5 per hole in my little tray, and did 3-5 of each of my seeds. That seems to be a lot.... I don't know what to do now and am getting conflicting info on google. Should I cull some? I have some raised beds to transplant in but planting 15 different serrano seedlings seems excessive, I'm not sure why I didn't think about it, i just thought only one or two would actually germinate.

Martin County Minnesota

Expert Response

Well, congratulations on your multitude of seedlings. That’s a good problem to have. 

You should thin them now. You can pinch them off or cut them but be careful to not cut your bed seeding in the pack. Get them down to one or two strong plants per cell. Then, as they grow you can thin them to the one strongest plant. Do not pull them out.

https://seedsavers.org/thinning-seedlings/

When you purchase new seeds, they should give you an expected germination percentage. Each year after that, you may have less germination so keep that in mind if you didn’t plant all your seeds this year. 

Though even the experts differ below is a good reference for saving seed and how long it is expected to remain viable in a proper dry environment.

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-316/426-316.html

You can also share some of them with friends if it is possible to separate them into different containers.

Deb Reierson Replied April 19, 2026, 12:32 PM EDT

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