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By Oleg Leontovych (Events Planner, Schomberg Community Farm)
Starting Vegetables from Seeds
I’ve been collecting and growing vegetables from seeds as a hobby for years. There is a great deal of pleasure watching them sprout and grow and then eating the fabulously fresh vegetables. Of course you could buy seedlings, but you may not get the variety of produce you want and you may not get the best quality plants. Growing your own vegetables from seeds guarantees the quality and variety you are looking for.
We are in climate zone 5b. You’d never know it with the cold we are experiencing, but in a few weeks’ time we will be able to start our gardens (end of May). It’s time to start the seeds of the following crops indoors:
There are a number of reasons why you should start your seeds indoors:
Overall, starting seeds indoors is fun, and it gets you gardening months before the last frost!
So how do you actually start the seeds?
For complete details see the video I’ve created on the topic https://youtu.be/7x6l0d8PwRw
Gardening Tips
Precaution when using soil for seeds
Whatever soil you use, make sure it's warmed up before you use it, your seeds will not appreciate being put in cold soil.
What type of soil should you used for a raised bed?
It all depends on what you plan to grow. If it is a bed that you will use for lots of different crops, a good mix of multi-purpose compost, well-rotted manure and homemade compost is best. The rotted down leaves are also great to mix in. If it's for root crops incorporate lots of sand but no manure.
Are you thinking of starting sowing seeds? do you think it's too soon?
if you have enough room and light, now is a great time to sow your Greenhouse crops, onion, leeks, celery and broad beans. Sometimes you can sow too early, get leggy plans and then run out of the room when you want to sow tender plants. Look for your last frost dates to give you an idea when you will be planting out your seedlings to try and control when you sow. It's a nightmare having to transplant seedlings into big pots because the ground is not ready yet.
What’s the best plant to start from seeds if you are new to gardening?
Broad beans are a great early crop and providing you sow enough as they are relatively easy.
Do you know why your seedlings can't stand straight and they are leaning towards the soil?
It sounds like it could be a lighting problem don't just try and find the sunniest window, rotate the plants regularly, to stop them leaning to one side. You can also make a sun reflector by lining cardboard with tin foil, and position it to reflect the sun back on to the seedlings.
Condition soil by adding compost and any needed amendments after taking a soil test.
Do not work the soil until it has dried out enough to be loose and crumbly. Till in cover crops when soil can be worked. Add enough organic matter to improve texture, and cover soil with black plastic to warm it up and kill weeds. Set out cool weather veggie starts as soil temperatures reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
Are you supposed to pull everything out of the garden at the end of the season?
Weeds with seeds, diseased plants or bug infested plants should be removed. Leave enough areas with fallen leaves and such to provide winter shelter for beneficial bugs. Let the rest stay as is. Deciduous leaves & the spent stems of perennials and annual can be left in the garden as is, without pulling, to help the soil in several ways. Plant litter, called as residues reduce erosion and the loss of valuable topsoil. They slow the flow of melting snow over the soil. This action help protect the soil structure, keeping it intact for next year’s crops and gardens. Residual plant material also reduces weeds by covering and shading the soil. They limit the amount of soil that is available for weed germination and development.
What's the easiest herb you can plant indoors?
Thyme is among the easiest all-purpose herbs to adopt indoors. Choose the Thyme with the flavor that appeals to your taste: Caraway Thyme, English Thyme or Lemon Thyme. All thymes are sun-lovers, so unobstructed south-facing window is ideal. They adore typical home temperature but can also survive in a chilly porch or mudroom. The trick with the Thyme is to step often with a watering can, because they tend to be thirsty plants. As a workaround give the roots an ample container with plenty of growing space will cut down the number of water servings. Meanwhile, feel free to clip away to give dinner more zest.
When to plant Garlic?
You still have a chance to plant garlic until the ground is frozen hard. If you have delayed your garlic planting to the time when the snow is on the ground, you still have a bit of luck because the ground beneath the snow is soft. Take your snow shovel, remove white powder, dig 2-inch deep holes and place garlic cloves with 6 inches in between. Or wait for the next warm day when the snow thaws and do the same. Next spring you will be glad you did that.
Starting Vegetables from Seeds
I’ve been collecting and growing vegetables from seeds as a hobby for years. There is a great deal of pleasure watching them sprout and grow and then eating the fabulously fresh vegetables. Of course you could buy seedlings, but you may not get the variety of produce you want and you may not get the best quality plants. Growing your own vegetables from seeds guarantees the quality and variety you are looking for.
We are in climate zone 5b. You’d never know it with the cold we are experiencing, but in a few weeks’ time we will be able to start our gardens (end of May). It’s time to start the seeds of the following crops indoors:
- Squash
- Pumpkin
- Cantaloupes
- Cucumbers
- Watermelons
- Kale and Swiss Chards - for late summer harvesting
There are a number of reasons why you should start your seeds indoors:
- By planting seeds indoors, we trick the weather because some crops such as celery, eggplant, parsley, cayenne peppers, and green peppers have quite long germination periods.
- You will help your seedlings to survive better because germination rates are higher in controlled indoor conditions where they don’t have to battle the weather, birds and bugs.
- You will have the advantage of starting your crops earlier and getting them established in the garden before the onset of summer heat and drought.
- It will give you a head start on crops such as tomatoes and peppers so you can harvest them earlier before the autumn comes.
- It may be the only way to grow edibles whose times to maturity exceeds your growing season.
- As a bonus, you can grow interesting species and varieties of herbs and vegetables that you find only in catalogues, not at garden centres.
Overall, starting seeds indoors is fun, and it gets you gardening months before the last frost!
So how do you actually start the seeds?
- Use seed starter soil mix, not potting soil.
- Select the most appropriate container (egg cartons, toilet paper rolls), not large plastic pots.
- Pre-germinate your seeds.
- Only put a single sprouted seed if a larger size seed, or a small number of small seeds in your prepared “pot.”
- Keep them under the light and the soil moist but not overly wet.
- Watch them grow!
For complete details see the video I’ve created on the topic https://youtu.be/7x6l0d8PwRw
Gardening Tips
Precaution when using soil for seeds
Whatever soil you use, make sure it's warmed up before you use it, your seeds will not appreciate being put in cold soil.
What type of soil should you used for a raised bed?
It all depends on what you plan to grow. If it is a bed that you will use for lots of different crops, a good mix of multi-purpose compost, well-rotted manure and homemade compost is best. The rotted down leaves are also great to mix in. If it's for root crops incorporate lots of sand but no manure.
Are you thinking of starting sowing seeds? do you think it's too soon?
if you have enough room and light, now is a great time to sow your Greenhouse crops, onion, leeks, celery and broad beans. Sometimes you can sow too early, get leggy plans and then run out of the room when you want to sow tender plants. Look for your last frost dates to give you an idea when you will be planting out your seedlings to try and control when you sow. It's a nightmare having to transplant seedlings into big pots because the ground is not ready yet.
What’s the best plant to start from seeds if you are new to gardening?
Broad beans are a great early crop and providing you sow enough as they are relatively easy.
Do you know why your seedlings can't stand straight and they are leaning towards the soil?
It sounds like it could be a lighting problem don't just try and find the sunniest window, rotate the plants regularly, to stop them leaning to one side. You can also make a sun reflector by lining cardboard with tin foil, and position it to reflect the sun back on to the seedlings.
Condition soil by adding compost and any needed amendments after taking a soil test.
Do not work the soil until it has dried out enough to be loose and crumbly. Till in cover crops when soil can be worked. Add enough organic matter to improve texture, and cover soil with black plastic to warm it up and kill weeds. Set out cool weather veggie starts as soil temperatures reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
Are you supposed to pull everything out of the garden at the end of the season?
Weeds with seeds, diseased plants or bug infested plants should be removed. Leave enough areas with fallen leaves and such to provide winter shelter for beneficial bugs. Let the rest stay as is. Deciduous leaves & the spent stems of perennials and annual can be left in the garden as is, without pulling, to help the soil in several ways. Plant litter, called as residues reduce erosion and the loss of valuable topsoil. They slow the flow of melting snow over the soil. This action help protect the soil structure, keeping it intact for next year’s crops and gardens. Residual plant material also reduces weeds by covering and shading the soil. They limit the amount of soil that is available for weed germination and development.
What's the easiest herb you can plant indoors?
Thyme is among the easiest all-purpose herbs to adopt indoors. Choose the Thyme with the flavor that appeals to your taste: Caraway Thyme, English Thyme or Lemon Thyme. All thymes are sun-lovers, so unobstructed south-facing window is ideal. They adore typical home temperature but can also survive in a chilly porch or mudroom. The trick with the Thyme is to step often with a watering can, because they tend to be thirsty plants. As a workaround give the roots an ample container with plenty of growing space will cut down the number of water servings. Meanwhile, feel free to clip away to give dinner more zest.
When to plant Garlic?
You still have a chance to plant garlic until the ground is frozen hard. If you have delayed your garlic planting to the time when the snow is on the ground, you still have a bit of luck because the ground beneath the snow is soft. Take your snow shovel, remove white powder, dig 2-inch deep holes and place garlic cloves with 6 inches in between. Or wait for the next warm day when the snow thaws and do the same. Next spring you will be glad you did that.
