Now comes the hard part in the greenhouse, transplanting seedlings into their sale containers. How do you go from this . . .   . . .to this? By spending hours hunched over a bench, carefully picking apart tiny seedlings and then very carefully transplanting them, 2 at a time, into their new homes.  It’s backbreaking work. When my back … Read More

There are two things I always do when I arrive at the greenhouse each week: check to see how last week’s plants are doing and then what new plug trays have been delivered. Last week, there was a mystery plug tray, “raspberry dressing rumex”. Rumex? What’s rumex? I’d never heard of it, so figured it must be a vegetable. But … Read More

I made a flying visit to the greenhouse today because there were left over plug trays from last week’s delivery that I wanted to get planted before tomorrow’s delivery. There were only three, so it was quick work. I planted fennel, catnip and the mystery rumex. Only 2 flats of the rumex. I’m not sure how popular it will be. … Read More

I talk a lot about working in the greenhouse at Rutgers Gardens, but what exactly is it that I do there? What goes on during the workdays? Basically, I do two things: seeding and transplanting. Everything starts with the soil table. It’s a large bench where bales of sterile soil-less mix are broken up and then moistened so that we … Read More