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- Chives

Chives grow throughout my flower gardens, however there is one bunching burst of green that makes me particularly happy.  It grows from a dark pot on the deck and its bobbing, nodding purple flowers offer splats of colour June through August. Like a pair of Camper Shoes, they're pretty and practical in equal measure. Three steps is all it takes me from the kitchen door to the pot. Six steps and I'm back to the stove with a burst of flavour for supper.

The flowers look like a large clover flower, though its colour and fragrance are more poignant. They remind me of the flower Horton found the Who's on; that regularly makes me smile. Close up I can't help wondering aloud to Madi, "Just what else lives on that speck there? And who's to say we aren't floating precariously on a speck of our own?"

Besides stirring some curious existential questions, I find the flowers a nice, mild treat to eat. Like a french marigold you can pop the flower right into your mouth. The texture is a little weird (never mind what all those Who's will do to your bowels), but their flavour is unique from the green bits.

Speaking of the green bits- they can be snipped off at any occasion and added to any dish (no lie!). Not only tasty, as a design element the greenery is a fantastic contrast to many flowers and herbs. People always use those Dracaena-type grasses, however I think that a couple pots with chives as the spiky centre is way more unique and practical. If its harvested around the outside edges in a plant feature, it maintains a nice tall, narrow shape.

My chives come from a couple sources. The first chives I planted were from my friend's mom, since once established they are easily shared. The second group grew from seed sown directly in the garden. They grow back faithfully ever year and each spring I split them and pop the transplants throughout the yard. For me, they flower happily in both part- shade and sunny spots.

With the potted chives, I am pretty lazy at the end of the year. I simply move the pots into the unheated, detached garage where they overwinter. When the spring melt begins, I bring the pot out and watch delighted as my chives reawaken in time to garnish my steak off the BBQ.

To buy garlic chives (with white flowers), check out Salt Spring Seeds where I've bought at least half my seeds the last couple years. Of course, Richters has an incredible selection of chive seeds on pg. 15 of its catalogue. Find it here.

Seedy Saturday: Borage

Borage  planted as a border in the back alley. I wanted to attract bees to my lacklustre squash (check out the post on sex in the squash patch for more on that).

I first heard of borage at a workshop with the Urban Farmer, Ron Berezan. He had a small seedling available to touch and sample. On tasting a small, tender leaf I was surprised by its flavour: mild, and a touch minty (to my palate). I decided to seed it in a stretch of garden that had been stripped of grass (the same stretch that I planted the strawberries a few seasons later).

The plants have a thick, hollow stem and their habit is large and sprawling. I've planted it both on the north and south side of a fence and its stretched profusely on both sites, irregardless of the sun. They have an abundant number of purple to blue bell shaped flowers that have a mild nutty flavour (with no acid kick when you swallow it).  As a garnish on cakes and salads, they add an unusual colour and flavour. I've also frozen them in ice cubes for a nice effect at summer parties. Harvest can happen throughout the summer and well into fall.

To eat, pick the more tender leaves. As the leaves get larger, their soft fur becomes more prickly (not as harsh as hops  but more abrasive than the hairs on sunflower stems).  Chop them up and use in pesto (like I did here), or pasta sauce, or to flavour pork or beef. They also make a nice cold tea: flavoured with lemon and mint.

Borage is an annual that copiously self seeds. I decided to move it from its original location- where I wanted to plant more fruit- to a weedy and forlorn stretch around my garbage nook in the back alley.  The bees love this plant. I have it paired with icelandic poppies and cilantro so when I throw out my garbage, I'm always treated with the sound of working bees, a bursting rainbow of colours, and some cilantro mixed in with the usual garbage smell.

There are a couple things to note about this plant before sowing-- plant it and you will have it every year, as borage seeds are tough little gaffers in our cold climate. The seedlings are large (they look a little like a squash seedling) and are easy to pull, but they really do come up everywhere. Also, the large, adult plant's hairs can be tough for sensitive skin. I handle it with my hands fine, but when I clear up the plants I need long sleeves to protect the softer skin on my arms.

Borage is a great herb, a brilliant bee magnet, and a hardy self-seedier. I also think this plant would be great in a guerilla gardener's seed box-or bombs!

Richters sells the seeds (see catalogue number below). However, if you are in the Edmonton area and  you want to snag some seedlings from me, please email. I'm always pulling them out and am happy to save them from the compost!


BORAGE (Borago officinalis)

Known as the Herb of Gladness for its exhilarating effect. Try adding chopped young leaves and flowers to salads or summer drinks. On those sweltering summer days, cool off with iced borage tea, adding honey and lemon juice to taste.

S1470 Seeds: Pkt/$1.50, 100g/$13, 1kg/$73, 10kg/$530 N S1470-001 Seeds: Pkt/$2.75, 10g/$7, 100g/$40, 1kg/$280

Seedy Saturday- Wild Strawberries

A strawberry valley sits tucked at the base of the hulking Ptolomey mountain range, in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. In my memory, the wind (a constant force of life in the Pass) missed that valley and allowed the sun to fully soak the wild onions, Indian Paintbrush and thistle with heat that smelled of sweet licorice.

Every summer my family of six would unload from our white, 14 passenger van and hunt for wild strawberries in this small pasture. Tiny nuggets of pure gold to the tongue. Warm and sweet- they belonged in our mouths1 Unfortunately, the fruit didn't appear to agree, hiding itself well behind creased, multi-pointed leaves that hugged the ground.

When it came for me to plant my first strawberries in the garden, I bought the ones the garden centres sell. I have a number of varieties and all are more delicious than the berries that travel in plastic clamshells to the supermarket. However, they have never satisfied my hunger for their smaller, sweeter cousins.

When I began looking to buy some wild strawberries last year, I had no luck sourcing the actual plants so I googled "wild strawberry seeds". They turned up on ebay, of all places, and I purchased two packets of 50 seeds.

They arrived in April and I planted half of them in my square foot boxes right away. I then planted a flat of 25 indoors and set it on my south facing window sill.

Both grew! The ones I planted in the garden were slower to sprout, but remember snow continued to fall into May 2010 for us in Edmonton. In mid-June I transplanted all the seedlings into a narrow section of garden bordered by a walkway and fence. Through the summer they grew happily in the part-shade, and quickly began to send out their magical little arms- the ones with fingers that touch the earth and grow a new plant.

Last time I checked Richters Seeds has the seeds for sale. If you are searching, double check for the latin names: Fragaria Virginiana and Fragaria Vesca. These are true wild strawberries- offering aggressive ground cover with many sweet, red rewards.