transplant for success

When we first started growing salad mix, we sewed seeds of baby greens which we then cut by hand, washed, and bagged. This was an arduous process that left us farmers winded for such little yeild. We knew we had to switch over to head lettuce some day and develop better harvesting/washing techniques.

Growing head lettuce is a challenge in itself, and I could go on and on about it. There are so many key components to getting the perfect salad mix just right. Today our focus is on transplanting.

How we transplant lettuce

Today, we still plant lettuce by hand, but this time we are quicker and more efficient. We start by making holes where we will transplant using a dibbler. Then We knock our transplants into a tray. We get into position facing the bed and placing the tray directly onto the bed facing you. Using two hands, we grab a transplant for each hand and plant both sides simultaneously. Planting them 4 plants per row at 6 inches apart in each direction. We continue down our 50 foot bed and repeat till we are out of transplants. This process takes us about 15 minutes to do the 50 foot bed.

To be a good transplanter, you have to be physically able to squat down low for a long time. If your ankles and hamstrings aren’t able to get into a low squat, you will be very uncomfortable and unable to work at a fast pace. For those who are not able, i recommend stretching and getting a small attached butt-seat. Transplanting is a workout, so you must train. The more you transplant, the better you will be at the skill.