Thinning

On Wednesday I helped Christian with the thinning of some of the seedlings from his winter garden. All plants require different spacing, so it's best to follow the directions stated on the seed packet. The plants we thinned were kale, collards, and arugula. When thinning it's best to grab firmly at the base, near the soil, so that you have the best chance of pulling up the entire thing, roots and all, in one tug.

A view of the rows prior to thinning

Thinning should be undertaken once the seedlings are 2-3 inches tall, once they are fairly well established but before they begin to compete with their neighbors for water and nutrients from the surrounding soil. When possible, cull the weakest performing plants and leave the ones that seem to be growing the strongest.

Christian thins the collards

The thinned row

The importance of thinning cannot be overstated. If plants are left in overcrowded rows, the individual plants will never reach their full potential, and rather than having fewer, stronger, full grown specimens you will be left with too many scraggly, etiolated plants fiercely competing for the same resources.

In the case of greens such as the ones we thinned, the thinned plants can even be put to good use in a salad or perhaps on a sandwich. We chose the former, and was it ever delicious.