This post is sponsored by Autodesk. Another in a series of posts on the things we actually own and use here at MoCo Loco.

UPDATE: check out our Design the World Giveaway

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much to my indispensable transplant tool: a thin strip of stainless steel, curved and bent into a vaguely shoehorn shape. The beauty of its design is only apparent when you use it as I do. In the greenhouse or out in the field, moving hundreds of seedlings at a time, from tiny potted homes to larger quarters, this elegantly simple piece of gear really shines.



My full-time job for the last eight years has been growing vegetables. You can slot me under "small-scale organic farmer." Each season, I produce several tons of garden veggies on about three acres of land, working mainly with my hands. This type of farming places me at the far end of the agricultural spectrum from larger-scale, mechanized operations, with their 100 hp tractors and quarter-million-dollar combines. My tools tend to be plain and simple, inexpensive and no-frills.



This transplant tool does most of its work at the beginning of the season, when I start the first wave of crops safely indoors under lights. For seed starting, I use several sizes of plug sheets, plastic sheets divided into cells, each one a miniature planting pot, from 2 cm to 6 cm across. The cells are filled with seedling mix and seeds are added. In a few weeks, the new seedlings have developed a few leaves and a delicate root system. It is the job of the transplanter to leverage each plug out of its cell, intact.



Using the transplanter quickly and efficiently takes a bit of practice, but it is not difficult. Slide it down against one cell wall, apply a slight lateral pressure to gently compress the plug against the far side, while also lifting it with a bit of a levering action, and out should pop a perfect little potted plant, balanced on the tip of the tool. Depending on the crop, the plug is either placed in a larger pot (tomatoes and peppers get this treatment), or directly in its final garden bed in the field (lettuce, for example).

You may think any old thin, flat object could handle the task, but this is not the case. I have tried many alternatives: semi-rigid plastic plant stakes, both ends of various pieces of cutlery, assorted other bits of plastic, wood and metal. None even come close. Common sense says it is the combination of the curve and the offset, the choice of two tip widths, the rigidity of the steel, and the smooth, nonporous surface that makes for the easy sliding-out experience. Probably, but how well it works is still a bit of a mystery to me.

A casual chat with the manufacturer-distributor did not unearth a fascinating design story. There is no celebrated designer. Apparently, somewhere in England, some time ago, a farmer or gardener or toolsmith devised this unimposingly effective item, and the tooling used to fabricate it has been passed along without a story history. In the end, though, that does not concern me. My four-dollar transplanter is no more than a superbly designed tool that does its job -- with thousands of seedlings to produce each season, life wouldn't be the same without it!

Do you have a favorite object or product? Share it with us by uploading a picture and description at mocoloco.com/upload. We may feature your submission in an upcoming Favorite Designs post.

The illustrative sketches you see here were all created by Chris Sweet using Autodesk's Sketchbook Pro because favorite designs, yours and mine, begin with an idea and quite often with the kind of sketches you see here.