How to plant vegetable crops with the Paperpot Transplanter
Free crop-by-crop growers notes for the Paperpot system: chain size, rows, trays per bed, Kwik Klik plate, timing and yields, plus bed prep, cultivation and harvest. Developed with farmers Erich Schultz of Steadfast Farm and Seth Davis.
Settings for 19 crops
All figures are for a 100′ x 30″ bed. Click a crop for the full guide and a printable two-page PDF.
| Crop | Chain pot | In-row | Rows | Trays per bed | Seeds per cell | Days to transplant | Days to maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basil | 6″ | 6″ | 3 | 2.2 | 1 | 30 | 70 |
| Beets | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 50 |
| Bunching onions | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 5-7 | 28 | 70 |
| Cabbage | 6″ | 12″ (skip) | 3 | 3 | 1 (every other cell) | 28 | 68 |
| Cilantro | 2″ | 2″ | 3 | 6 | 2-3 | 30 | 55 |
| Dill | 2″ | 2″ | 5 | 10 | Broadcast 2 tbsp per tray | 30 | 50 |
| Fennel | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 60 |
| Garlic | 6″ | 6″ | 5 | 4 | 1 clove | 1 day | 255 |
| Head lettuce | 4″ | 8″ (skip) | 3 | 4 | 1 (every other cell) | 28 | 56 |
| Kohlrabi | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 70 |
| Leeks | 6″ | 6″ | 2 | 2 | 1 | 55 | 180 |
| Little Gem lettuce | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 50 |
| Mesclun mix lettuce | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 60 |
| Onions | 6″ | 6″ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 45 | 110 |
| Snap peas | 2″ | 2″ | 2 | 4 | About 3 | 10 | 60 |
| Salad turnips | 4″ | 4″ | 5 | 6 | 3-4 | 21 | 38 |
| Spinach | 2″ | 2″ | 4 | 8 | 3-4 | 28 | 55 |
| Storage radishes | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 50 |
| Summer crisp lettuce | 6″ | 6″ | 4 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 48 |
Chain size sets in-row spacing
Paper chain pots
2″, 4″ or 6″ between cells. The chain size is the in-row spacing. Need wider? Skip cells for 8″ or 12″.
Kwik Klik Slide
Seeds all 264 cells of a tray at once. The top plate’s thickness and hole size set how many seeds land in each cell. Instructions
Paperpot Transplanter
One row per pass. Rows per bed come from how you mark the bed: 2, 3, 4 or 5 rows on 30″. How-to guide
Keep going
Tech sheets
Printable specs for the transplanter, chain pots, trays, Kwik Klik Slide and more.
Jang seeder growers notes
Direct-seeded crops: settings for 10 crops with the JP1 and JP5.
Shop paper chain pots
Chains, germination trays and the Kwik Klik Slide at Modern Grower.
Questions? Email hello@moderngrower.co.