The greenhouse affect...

Last night I was in the greenhouse transplanting eggplant seedlings from row trays into cell trays. The Classic and Nubia varieties looked great since seeding them! 

"The tiny seed knew that in order to grow, it needed to be dropped in the dirt, covered in darkness, and struggle to reach the light." - Sandra King

Because seeds don’t have a 100% germination rate we transplant seedlings into cell trays to ensure we have perfect germination before going into the field. We want to have accurate seedling numbers to plan the field layout. The plants will grow more effectively and can also be monitored more easily. 

After a long day of school, it felt so good to be in the greenhouse!

Plants are moving along nicely, we'll be in the field planting soon!

Seedlings are planted with one root shoot to make it easier when transplanting into the smaller cells. We use a wooden hole punch to make a place to plant seedlings.

Peppers are next on the greenhouse schedule, more behind the scenes to come! 

If you want to learn a little more about our tray system and germination, continue on below.

Germination is the development of a plant from a seed or spore after a period of dormancy.

What is seed germination? 
When a seed is covered with soil, it can begin germination. Germination is the process of seeds developing into new plants. Environmental conditions must trigger the seed to grow. This is determined by how deep the seed is planted, water availability, and temperature. When moisture is plentiful, the seed fills with water in a process called imbibition. The water activates special proteins, called enzymes, that begin the process of seed growth. First the seed grows a root to access the moisture. Next, the shoots, or growth above ground, begin to appear. The shoot on the surface of the soil will grow leaves, where it will harvest energy from the sun. The leaves continue to grow towards the light source in a process called photomorphogenesis.

Row trays are filled with soil and seed and will then under-go the germination process. Once seedlings are produced, they are pulled and planted into a cell tray where they will grow until it is finally planted in the field.

Cell trays give the seedling transplant a mass of soil to develop a root system and thrive. The plant will have less of a shock when planted directly into the ground, because roots have already been established. It will take a few days though to adapt to it's new environment.

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