English Reference

Phrasal verb

bed out

Definition

phrasal verb. to move young plants from pots into the ground so they can grow outside.

phrasal verb. to transplant seedlings or young plants from a greenhouse or nursery container into a permanent outdoor garden bed.

Examples

“I need to bed out the flowers this weekend.”

“Once the risk of frost has passed, you can safely bed out your summer vegetables.”

“The head gardener instructed the staff to bed out the begonias in a geometric pattern to prepare for the spring festival.”

Examples

simple

“I need to bed out the flowers this weekend.”

contextual

“Once the risk of frost has passed, you can safely bed out your summer vegetables.”

complex

“The head gardener instructed the staff to bed out the begonias in a geometric pattern to prepare for the spring festival.”

Usage

usually used in the context of gardening and seasonal planting.

Teaching tip

this is a technical gardening term; contrast it with 'plant' which is more general, as 'bed out' specifically implies moving something from a temporary container to its final spot.

Pitfall

I bedded the plants out of the pots.

I bedded out the plants.

the phrase 'bed out' functions as a unit; you do not need to mention 'out of' the container as it is implied by the verb.

Phrasal verb

Particles

out

Separability

optional

Pattern

bed + out + object

Synonyms

Antonyms

pot upuproot

Grammar

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference