by Joe Rowland, CFSA Organic Initiatives Coordinator

There are so many factors to manage in the greenhouse. From light, heat, water, nutrition, and soil, the list is exhaustive and, at times, overwhelming. A lot rides on good quality transplants, and learning to produce them consistently takes time and patience. This article will help you identify key areas and avoid common mistakes.

Below, I’ll cover potting soil, nutrition, tray types and sizes, planting seeds and filling flats, timing, irrigation, as well as heat and light.

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by Gena Moore, CFSA’s Organic Research Coordinator

Photo from Windcrest Farm’s Facebook page

All farmers and gardeners must make the decision whether to grow their own or purchase transplants. This decision is made considering several factors, including equipment needs; supply needs; the number of transplants needed; time of year; and, of course, price. There are a few people out there who, against all odds, can generate beautiful transplants year-round without fancy equipment. From my experience, those people are few and far between. The rest of us are forced either to invest in a greenhouse or other supplies, to grow our own, or buy them and save ourselves the trouble of it all. Whatever decision you make, below are some tips to help you be successful.

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by Aaron Newton, CFSA’s Lomax Farm Coordinator


Photo by J.H Photo

Providing consistent access to nutrients during the early stages of transplant development is a problem many organic growers face. At Lomax Farm we’ve developed a strategy that addresses nutrient availability in transplant production and uses some key, low-cost equipment to accomplish the task.

This fall, we will be testing different seed-starting recipes, and we will share those results with everyone later this year. For this Expert Tip, however, we will focus on equipment, and we’ll be using a standard recipe as an example.

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