Dibble Boards

This week we focused on placing our seedlings from the flats, into our beds. This is a process called transplanting. A few weeks ago we planted seeds into the flats that turned into the seedings we used for transplanting. The plants were brought out to the farm, from the classroom, a day before planting to let them acclimate to their new environment. We carefully took trowels and loosened the soil around the seedlings to be able to remove the plants. Without touching the roots, the seedlings were placed in clear plastic bins for easy transportation to the beds. The How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons informed us how far apart the plants needed to be for ideal growth; the information starts on page 134. An example of a plant that most groups planted is Bell Beans. Bell Beans need eight inches in between one another. A dibble board (pictured below) or spacing bar was used to get the correct distance. A dibble board is a piece of wood with small wooden pegs poking out creating the correct spacing and distance. A spacing bar has various lengths depending on how far away the plants are supposed to be placed. The plants also need to be in offset rows, in a triangular pattern. After transplanting we watered, making sure the water got a least one inch below the surface. Lastly, for a successful growth, we need to continue to water our beds every day for the next two weeks. 

- Hannah