HOW TO CHOOSE A HEALTHY SEEDLING

Most people are looking for the tallest, fullest plant to purchase in the sea of visual choices. We advise customers to do the exact opposite of what we think of as a healthy seedling.

1.  Look for plants that have new leaves and are still clustered low in the cup. This means the plant is far from maturity and will have a longer, healthier life in your garden. It also means longer production and more eating for you!

2.  "Leggy" is a plant term used to describe the stem and growth of the variety of plants. If your plant is beginning to look spindly, and the stems are tall and exposed with little bottom growth, the plant is ready to be planted into the garden bed immediately. The longer the plant grows in a cup, the more the roots become compacted and end up competing for water and nutrients. This creates a weaker seedling. Roots should be a healthy white color when removed from the cup. This is why rather than purchasing a plant that is tall and bushy at top and may even have gone to seed (tops are flowering), we try and educate our shoppers to do the opposite and choose the healthier younger seedling.
Remember, bigger is not always better!