Mini-Hoop Keeps Seedlings Warm

Reader Contribution by Ilene White Freedman
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Spring is full of babies and birth, and the greenhouse is no exception. Plant the seeds and nurture them… wait for it… and the baby plants emerge from the soil and stretch toward the sun. It’s called a nursery for a reason. I visit the trays of baby plants and feel their energy, budding with all the hope and promise of a new season. I showed a seed tray to a young intern. The tray was right on the verge of germinating, with only the first glimpse of a couple seedlings popping up. Brand new freshly emerging baby cabbage plants. She caught my drift and said “awwww!” just like she was looking at the cutest newborn baby and in on something special. That’s the reaction I was looking for, that amazement at witnessing new life. Could have been a baby human, puppy, any animal or plant, they all start out cute, miraculous, and vital.

A little biology lesson here. The seedling first germinates with the cotyledon, its embryonic leaf. My photo (left) shows the cotyledon of the cabbage seedling. Cotyledon leaves are simple in form. Isn’t it cute?

The next leaf to sprout is called the true leaf (photo right). It’s a miniature leaf too, but it looks like a cabbage leaf in all its detail.

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