Seed Starting 2011- In pictures

Nothing like a four year old in charge of dirt... The aprons were a gift at Christmas, bought by my sister in law from an Etsy shop.

Unfortunately, parts of my fancy 'self-watering' Lee Valley seed starters were food for the winter mice in the garage. I salvaged the tops and placed the capillary mat (that draws water up) in a glass 9x13 pan from the kitchen. This seems to be working. 

Madi is learning to write- and made most of the labels that were taped to the sides of the flats, directly under the designated cells.

Remember when I said I was 'going simple'? I couldn't help myself and ordered, then planted 8 cells, of Goji berries.

I'd love to hear how you organize. I place all my seeds in different bags: "Indoors 12 weeks" (plant before first frost free date. Here in Edmonton that's anywhere between May 7and 31!) "Indoors 8 weeks", "Indoors 4 weeks" and "Outdoors early"and "Outdoors late"

I keep this stuff close: scissors, pens and tape for labels. The green  bulbous spike is for seeding- $4 allows me to drop one seed in each hole at a time (instead of scattering heaps of seeds to later be 'thinned').

My garden book has coils so I can tape extra seed packs in, I also staple in most of my seed and plant orders so I can remember varieties and quantities from year to year.

The calendar allows me to count forward and back from May 7th. I'm an optimist when it comes to frost. I like Lois Hole's advice in her Vegetables book-- 8 out of 10 times you win when you plant a little early- harvesting at least 2 weeks earlier. The risk is that your first sowing of seedlings like carrots and peas die in a late frost but only, according to her math and experience, 2 out of 10 seasons. 

My scratchings.
 Date on top then a rough chart: Row 1: Name of seed. Row 2: Number of cells planted. Row 3: Date planted. Row 4: Date of germination (the first sign of green)

Tell me how you keep track and stay organized! I'd love to know.

Seedy Saturday- 2011 Seed Order

It's done. My seed order is in and in five days I shall be digging about in a bag of dirt and tracking said dirt about the house. The girls will eagerly help fill the seed trays with soil and water. For the next two months, dirt will settle in a fine dust over most of the main floor and the dining room will smell like summer after a hard rain.

There is nothing that gets me through the last couple months of winter better than starting seeds indoors. I love what it affords me: healthy, organic seedlings for a tenth of the price at the greenhouse. I love how it makes me feel a little rebellious, like I've defied the natural order of things. My little tomato seedlings wave like middle fingers at the snow.

This love affair has introduced hundreds- quite literally!- hundreds of seedlings to our home. They fight us for sunlight and expand on all available surface areas. Mat is regularly bewildered by the sheer volume of plants littering our 700 square foot main floor. He sputters, "Where exactly are you going to plant 36 tomato plants?" And, "What the hell is feverfew?"

It's true that I've regularly gotten carried away with the sheer seratonin of it all. But, in deference to my family and part-time job, this year I aim to show restraint. Cutting back is hard, especially in the heat of the moment when ordering "Gogi- the elixir of life" is just a mouse click away.

What do I cut this year? Annual flowers. In the past, many of the annuals I started inside (petunias, snapdragons) have not flowered until well into the summer. With our short growing season and my lack of a greenhouse, having blooms in June is worth my buying annuals from the greenhouse. Since I've had great luck growing sweet peas, nasturtiums and marigolds from seed started outside, I'll do this again (my marigolds seed themselves really successfully. I let them start where they wish then transplant them to other parts of the garden as I need them.).

What else do I cut? Experimental plants. In years past I've grown eggplant (tiny harvest!), sweet peppers (only the hot ones have grown easily for me), corn (two failed years), stevia (shrivelled in the sun) and strawberry spinach (grew well, but took up lots of space). While I may give these crops another go- this year my goal is to fill the freezer and cellar with the basics: carrots, onions, potatoes, peas and tomatoes. These are the crops we love to eat, so these are the crops I will grow in my tiny space.

Did I mention ordering zucchini, cucumber, arugula, beets, basil, parsley, mustard and butternut squash? But at least this year I didn't order feverfew, quinoa, oats and flax.... I promise I'm keeping it simple baby.

November Flowers, Harvests and Buds in the Backyard

BUDS! In November?

Saskatoon has buds like this all over the tree.

I am fearing for the winter health of some of my berry bushes. There have been a significant number of frosts to date, but daytime weather has been generally mild. On roaming the back yard today I was shocked to find buds on my saskatoon- and my honeyberry was actually sprouting new leaves!?

Can you see the new leaves on the bottom right? There are others on the left.

FLOWERS! Even after many many cold nights, my pinks, clematis and, of course, asters, are blooming. The purple coral bells offed rich counter point to all the yellow and orange leaves from the mountain ash.

This is the clematis' second year planted here.  It is zone 2 and native to the rockies.

These pinks have offered an explosion of colour all summer long- and now into the fall. Behind them is a lavender, zone 4, that has flourished at the base of the apple tree for four seasons.

Prolific Asters!

Iris' and coral bell at the base of the Saskatoon.

HARVESTS: We continue to enjoy parsley from the garden. Up to two weeks ago the strawberries were producing and I'm popping out into the yard for still fresh garlic chives, oregano, arugula and beautifully coloured kale.

Arugula still growing and blooming

Still-green strawberries front a Morden Rose

Green onion/garlic chives are still giving. I planted these from seed (from Salt Spring Island Seeds) and they promise to be a perennial that will continue passing on the love, labour free! Wild strawberry seeds blew into this bed, and the little guys seem happy with the onions- a pairing similar to their natural habitat in the mountain meadows I grew up exploring.

 

Four varieties of oregano peek out from the fallen leaves of our mountain ash. 

The kale turns purple when cold- but its still good to eat. These little guys suffered under the shade of a large tree and in drought like, nutrient poor conditions. They are survivors that I don't think I'll eat- for their sake.

This is a Silver Sage that I grew from seed last year. It is still producing new leaves from its centre- now that the slugs are slowing down- I guess it has to grow when it can! I've planted wild strawberries all along the path (at the bottom of the picture) and these should produce fruit next season. They are doing a great job of filling in as a ground cover. I bought the seeds on ebay from an Albertan company. These seeds were hard to find- but propagated very easily both inside and out. 

Seed Starting Workshop Photos

The February's Seed Starting Workshop ended up at the same time and date as the most watched sports event in Canadian history. But 11 participants managed to make the workshop (which included a few breaks to check the score and celebrate Team Canada's gold medal win).

We planted three varieties of pepper, three varieties of tomato, a couple different basils and an array of annual flowers- zinnias, lobelia, snap dragons, and marigolds.  

Cheryl Walker, Rat Creek Press' Gardening Diva, facilitated the day.

Materials awaiting soil.

Participants carefully plant their seeds.

Thanks to Kerrie Miller for her photos! Thanks Cheryl for all your work purchasing materials and facilitating the afternoon.

Seed Starting Workshop - February 28, 2010

Seed Starting Workshop
February 28, 2010
Alberta Ave Community League
Written and Presented by The Garden Diva (Cheryl Walker)

One of the biggest challenges with growing things in Edmonton – zone 3A is our short growing season. While our days are longer than many other more temperate regions, we still don’t have many of them in a summer. One of the ways around this is to start plants ahead of the gardening season. Starting your seeds indoors is a simple and cost-effective way of increasing your garden size.
The process of germination is not magical, but it does require us to pay attention to what we are doing.
Starting
Growing your own plants from seed takes a few inputs, so let’s consider them in turn:
Seeds – You can procure your seeds from several sources, I’ve included a few in my list of sources below. Additionally, you can procure all manner of seeds from hardware stores, nurseries and greenhouses, even grocery stores. Try to ensure that wherever you buy your seeds, your bulbs or corns from has sufficient turnover, they aren’t pulling out stock from last year and trying to foist it off on you. While you can absolutely store seeds, this has to be done properly to ensure germination occurs.
Have extra seeds left over from year to year? No problem. Store them in a cool, dry place. I use a metal cooky tin in my basement. Keep them away from moisture, humidity, and bright light. Sow a bit more thickly next year. I’ve used the same package of cherry tomato seeds for 3 years.
A growth medium – You can buy a wide variety of growth mediums, from compost based, to peat based to dirt. NEVER use dirt from your garden or your house plants – you must use sterilized dirt. You can sterilize dirt in your oven, on cooky sheets at 350 C for an hour, but I warn you, it is a stench unlike any other. Buy new each year, and use what might be left over to add to the dirt component in your compost.
A container - There are as many options for containers as there are gardeners. I like plastic because I use it from year to year. Some people use 2L milk cartons, egg containers, yogurt cups, peat pots, they hang on to the plant cell 6-packs they get their annuals in, this part doesn’t have to be expensive. Do remember to account for adequate drainage, and sterilize your plastic containers before each use. I do this at the end of the spring when all my plants from that year are in the ground. I take a bucket, add about a half cup of bleach, and scrub out my plant containers. Kills the dandelions and cleans my plant starting stuff. I store it in the garage until spring. If you use peat or coir pots make sure you slash cuts in the sides to help the roots extend past the pots.
Water - For the first few weeks, you won’t water much at all, using the evaporation/condensation cycle in your seed starting trays to keep your plants moist. When the seeds have germinated and are getting close to brushing the top of the plastic dome, you will need to remove the dome. Water as much as possible from the bottom, and never, ever allow them to dry out. Some gardeners use watering mats.
Light - Light is particularly important to seedlings, and a great many of the problems you will encounter have to do with light. In Edmonton, it should come as no particular surprise that we constantly struggle for enough light. If you are fortunate enough to have a window that gets at least 6 hours of bright, direct sunlight a day, and you are only starting a small number of seeds, then this will probably work. If you don’t have enough light (and be pessimistic in your estimates, no point in going to all the work of planting only to have your seeds rot), you will need to use a grow light, as discussed in class.
Heat – Seeds need warmth to germinate – which means that you have a few options. You can look at the plant warming pads from somewhere like Lee Valley, while particularly expensive, they do allow you to start your seeds in a colder place, like a basement. Alternatively, you can simply start your plants in a warmer spot – around 23-25 degrees Celsius.
Maintenance Considerations
Air Circulation: Seedlings need air circulation around them to strengthen stems and to keep mould and mildew at bay. The best way is to point a fan at them.
Thinning: Sooner or later you will need to thin out your seeds. Chose the single, biggest and best looking sprout and gently pluck all of the others out. Ideally, do this when your best specimen is at the cotyledon stage (2 leaves)
Fertilization: In a word – yes, but not for a few weeks – again once you have everything at the cotyledon stage, and then in very small amounts. Quarter the suggested amount, and slowly work up. Fertilize about once a week.
Conditioning to temperature: Most seedlings will be ready to go in your garden around May 7th (the average last frost free date in Edmonton). A few weeks before this, start getting your seedlings used to the outdoors. Place them in the shade at first, in the warmest part of the day. Slowly move them into more direct sunlight and have them stay out longer.
Repotting: Depending on what you grow, you may need to repot. Repot when something appears to be quite root bound. To do this, simply pop the plant, dirt and all out of its old container, and plant into a new one. Do not put a peat pot inside another peat pot.



Sources

Seeds:
Vesseys Seeds Canada : http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/
Richters: http://www.richters.com/ (Herbs, both culinary and medicinal)
Upper Canada Seeds: http://www.uppercanadaseeds.ca/ (Heirloom Seeds)

Equipment:
Apache Seeds: 10136 149 Street Northwest
Lee Valley Woodworking and Gardening - www.leevalley.com or 8403 104 Avenue Northwest
Holes Greenhouses – St. Albert