A few weeks ago I got some 200-cell nursery trays to experiment to see how seedlings will grow in them. Way too early to start seeds now, at least for real transplantation, but I am curious to see if they will develop.
I sowed 120 Sugar Snap Peas, 10 Swiss Chard (all I had left), 20 cells of broccoli and the other 50 cells were Spinach.
Of course, I can direct sow all of these but the germination rate can be spotty, especially in very early spring. I'm hoping to have about 500 peas, 250 broccoli, 500 Chard and Spinach plants, so germination success is important. Also, the markets open in early May here so any head start I can get will be a help.
Another reason for wanting to experiment with these trays is I need to find room for a bunch of plants so no way can I start them in 18 or 36-cell trays. I can get 32 trays in the front of the greenhouse and another 24 in the back so that is more than enough for what I plan to grow.
I plan to use 60- or 72-cell trays for plants to sell. I'm looking at charging $5 for six plants for things like tomatoes, peppers (except for a couple of superhots), strawberries, etc.
Mike