Plug plants are young plants grown in small-celled planting trays. The closely spaced cells are typically about three-quarters inch diameter and at least two inches deep. This allows seedlings to develop strong root systems that quickly fill the cell so the plug plants can be easily popped out of the trays and set directly into the garden, repotted into larger containers, or used in plug-planting machinery on farms. Plug plant growing systems have been adapted to suit different plug trays and different types of seedlings. Greenhouses dedicated to growing plug plants produce thousands of seedlings a year for agricultural use. Garden centers sell small versions of plug trays suited to home growers and window or rooftop gardeners.
Organic Plug Plants in England
Plug plants are popular with English gardeners. Harrod Horticultural in the West Country raises organic vegetable, salad and herb plug plants without using chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. It grows its plants in organic compost from certified organic seeds. No artificial heat is used, so no fossil fuels are used. Harrod Horticultural sells its plug plant trays as related collections. Herb varieties, trays of different lettuces and assortments of cole plants are some of the plants available as plug collections.
Grow Your Own Plug Plants
GrowVeg.com outlines several reasons to grow your own plug plants for your garden. Because the shape of the cell is deep and tapered, the plants roots bind with the soil and don't suffer as much transplant shock as with other growing methods. When you grow your own plug plants, you can choose the varieties of seeds to plant instead of settling for whatever the marketers supply. Most commercial plug growers do not offer organically grown plants and this is another factor you can control. You set your own seeding dates, and consequently, the dates you will transplant your plugs.
Agricultural Plug Plants
Youngs Mill Farms supply large commercial growers with organic plug plants. While many organic farmers grow their own seedlings or plug plants, greenhouse maintenance and seedling care can steal valuable time away from field preparation and other necessary work. Their cost-effective plug trays are sold only for field planting, and not for resale. Youngs Mill Farms do custom growing, reserving your greenhouse space as soon as you place your order. Fall plants available in 2010 are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustards and pak choi. Prices for fall 2010 range from $11 per 128 cell tray to $12.50 per 200 cell tray, depending on the plant variety.
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