Growing Greens in Minnesota? Give Those Crowded Seedlings a Little HAIRCUT!

When spring seedlings look more like a dense green carpet than a neat row, that means it’s time to space things out a bit. My latest garden check-in found the kale & cabbage desperately needed some breathing room.

The biggest thing to avoid: ripping those extras out by hand. Step away from the soil and grab a pair of scissors instead!

I gave these seedlings a little trimming because they were packed too closely together.

Using scissors helps avoid inadvertent damage to the roots, as the seedlings can have their roots connected at this stage. If you pull those plants out by the roots, you risk yanking neighboring seedlings right along with them, or at least severely disrupting their delicate root structures.

Snipping the extras at the soil line gives them a clean "haircut." The remaining will stay securely anchored, undisturbed, and ready to thrive.