How to Move a Garden

Evaluate the garden and decide which plants you want to relocate and which plants can stay behind. Not all plants are ideal candidates for a move. Leave behind old plants, unhealthy plants or plants that you have a lot of. Consider bringing cuttings or slips from the plant or dividing it to save work.

Dig a wide circle around the plant with a sharp spade or trowel. Ensure you dig up plenty of dirt with the plant so you can get all the roots. The hole should be as deep as the root system and twice as wide. If you are digging a large plant, like a small tree or shrub, use the sharp edge of the spade to make clean cuts through the roots. Pull up the plant with the dirt still attached.

Place the plant's roots in a burlap sack if you are going to transplant them right away. Keep the roots moist and put them in the ground as soon as possible. Plant them in pots if you are traveling and can't plant them right away.

Prepare the new garden location by using a rototiller to dig it up. Fertilize the location by adding compost and mixing it into the soil. Plant the relocated plants in the appropriate locations for their species by digging a hole and nestling them in, so the top of their root ball is just under the top of the soil. Tamp the soil down around the plant, and water thoroughly until the roots are wet.