Introducing the Positions

“Welcome class, please take your seats—fill the front rows first please, thank you—welcome to Transplanting 101: Introducing the positions. Everyone in the right class? What’s that? Proper etiquette for riding in the bucket of the skid loader? No, you want Tractor Safety, just next door. Anyone else? Good, let’s get started.

The lecture for today is intended to give you a brief overview of the positions used while transplanting seedlings by hand. After today you should be able to recognize each position and point out some of the benefits and detractions of each. Pay attention, there will be a quiz.

We will start with the highest position and move down. Each position assumes a dropper moving ahead dropping plants at the appropriate spacing. Planting without a dropper will be covered later.

The first position is the “A-Stance,” or standing pose. The planter stands facing the row to be planted into, spreads the legs into a wide, stable stance, and bends at the waist until the hands can reach the soil. This position has the advantage of speed—indeed, no other can match it. With the lower body constantly in a standing position, the planter can easily step sideways to reach the next seedling. It is good for plants such as broccoli and melons that are spaced far apart and require a lot of moving between plants. This stance has disadvantages, however, in that it severely compromises the back and puts a lot of pressure on the leg muscles. To the right is a nice demonstration by my assistant, Heath, of the first position.

The second position is the squat. The planter stands with feet a hip’s worth apart and bends the knees, keeping the feet flat on the ground. The planter can then reach the arms between the knees, on the outside of the knees, or over the knees, whichever is most convenient and comfortable. The main advantage of this pose is that it is the healthiest for the back—it keeps the spine nicely aligned. It is also a nice stable pose, allowing for reaches to the far side of the garden bed and an easy ascension to a standing or walking pose. But don’t come up too quickly, as you will likely get a horrendous head rush. The squat also cuts off circulation to the lower legs, making any following pose a bit more difficult. It is also not a good position for rapid movement, as the planter often ends up looking like an awkward sumo wrestler while waddling from plant to plant. At left is a very nice squat demonstration, although he is performing the "one knee lowered" variation on the basic squat.

The third position is the kneeling pose. In my experience, I have found the most sustainable position to be on my knees. And before you giggle over your ever so clever “that’s what she said” joke, young sir, know this: we have made them all. And frankly, they are too easy in the farming life for them to even be funny anymore. As I was saying, there are many options for the kneeling pose. The planter can kneel upright, balanced with the toes curled under, or back on the heels. The planter can kneel facing the row to be planted (good for planting multiple rows on the far side of the bed) or kneel parallel to the row (this helps with rapid movement down the row.) Movement can be achieved either by placing the hands on the ground in front of the knees and crawling or doing a “knee walk,” which will be demonstrated in an upcoming lecture. This position combines the advantages of good spine alignment, easy reach, easy and relatively rapid movement, and fluid changing to and from the squat. Disadvantages include stress on the knee joints and gristly patches of thistles. I do hope that your Cultivation 100 professor has drilled into your heads to never leave an uprooted thistle in the pathway, as you never know when you will be coming through again.

The final position is the sitting pose. This should be considered a rest or break pose, as it has serious drawbacks. In this position the weight is shifted from the legs or knees to the posterior, and the legs are folded comfortably. The sit is good for planting Alliums and other plants that are spaced close together, as you can stay in one spot and plant many seedlings without moving. This pose is dreadful, however, for ease of motion, as there are restrictions both in reach of the arms and in movement down the row. Unless you want to look like some sort of demented Buddha, I suggest the crab walk if you have to move while in this pose. This position also has the disadvantage of “looking lazy,” which ought to be avoided.

There are of course many variations on each of these poses: the “one knee up sit-squat,” the “one leg straight sit” and the “knee bend A-stance.” But these basic positions are the building blocks upon which all transplanting prowess is built, and I will expect you to master them.

I hope this lecture has been most informative, and that next time you transplant a half dozen 200-foot beds of lettuce you will be able to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each position for the particular seedling you are transplanting, and choose the proper position for the job.

Now when you are finished with your quiz you are free to leave for your next class, Pest Control: The Varying Methods of Squishing."