Wonderful Tools - Widger
What is a Widger?
That’s what I wondered too when I saw it in the catalog of Bountiful Gardens (www.bountifulgardens.org), a biointensive publication for heirloom, untreated, open-pollinated seeds (and stuff) for sustainable growing.
No, they didn’t pay me for this review, but they did make the wonderful Widger available to me (and everyone) for a small fee of $5.
My previous seed starting “technique” used to be different than it is today. I used the little individual packets of peat moss that inflate with water to start individual seeds. As many have found about this method, the little bag (would you call it that?) which holds together the peat moss, also, sadly holds togther the roots and keeps the poor plant from growing to its fullest. Of course, one who knows something about gardening, and isn’t too impatient to plant (which does not describe me in the past) knows to tear apart (or sometimes cut apart) the exterior to loose the inner contents and free the roots. To my mind though, does this not undo the value of the little seed starter bundle?
Now, I am working with starting seeds in flats. If I can wait until the true leaves grow in, I transfer them WITH THIS WONDERFUL TOOL to a six pack, filled with freshly worked soil and freshly strained worm castings. A work of love.
If I did not have this tool, I’d be casting about for facsimiles of it, trying to use knives, screw drivers, nail files, what else could work? The end of a spoon? I’d never known there to be a tool to do this precise job.
But this little thing, yes I’ll show you pictures, has a gentle edge that will not damage the young’ns. It has a bit of concave plane which holds some soil, roots and can also support the stem. There’s a little place for the thumb to rest so mind/hand coordination can work optimumally to support the little ones.
Below you see the intrepid widger sliding into the starter mix to gather together the roots of a red cabbage seedling.
Below the widger creates a hole and holds back the soil to make way for the baby root ball in the 6 pack.
At last a full photo of the widger, tamping down the soil around the red cabbage. Yes, the seedling is a bit leggy. If you recall reading the February 11th post called Light on the Seedlings, I admit to using unapproved lighting techniques. However, the plants are kept in a greenhouse which is bright when the sun shines, so I believe it all evens out. Besides, what if the power grid gives out and we don’t have electricity? What did we used to do before electricity? This valley where I live only started to have electricity some 60 years ago - so I know it has to be possible to raise food by the power of the sun.
More about the question of leggy, stretched out seedlings, in the next post!
Here’s what the Bountiful Gardens catalogue says about the widger:
For many years we have used and loved this elegant little stainless steel tool for pricking out and transplanting tiny seedlings. The original British manufacturer stopped making them in 2004, but we have finally found someone who produces them just for us ... slightly modified but just as useful as the original. it’s amazing how much difference a small tool like this can make! A Bountiful Gardens exclusive.
Whatever you tools you use, Grow Happy!
