Starting Seeds – All-In Gardening

Spring 2025 Recap

How is it the middle of May already?

I had great success with my citronella cuttings; much better than expected which makes me quite happy. I found that rooting them in soil was much better than plain water, but I don’t think there was much difference between the combination of rooting compound and regular soil and merely soil. Granted, I did notice more roots when I used the compound.

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Seeding

By using the Nursery Growing Bags for the cuttings I was able to monitor the root growth because I could see them poking through the sides of the bags rather than waiting for them to go down through the bottom of the pots. Either way, I still have over 50 citronella plants (aka lemon geranium/citrosa) in my greenhouse that are waiting for new homes.

As you may recall, I also tested the Pro-Hex Seed Starting Tray. I am impressed with how it performed regarding root development for the few plants that did germinate. The lack of germination was of no fault of the tray’s, rather than the viability (or lack thereof) of the seeds I used. For those who didn’t watch the video, I made reference to several of the seeds being at least two decades old.

My spare room was overrun with seedlings of peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, loofah, pumpkins, echinacea, morning glory, arugula, mimosa (Sensitive plant), and the aforementioned citronella. I know I missed a few plants but it’s all I can think of off the top of my head at the moment.

Greenhouse

When the weather did finally warm up, I was able to move them out to my relocated little greenhouse. I ran the heater a few nights and covered the plants with row cover fleece just to keep them a little warmer. I don’t believe I lost any to the cold but I did lose a few because they dried out. (That’s what happens when one is short and you can’t see the top row of pots.)

I have since rearranged the greenhouse and added a row of shelving down the middle so I can see all of the pots. It’s now a tight fit for me because a 10-foot wide greenhouse doesn’t allow for much aisle space when there’s a bench on one side and shelving on the other.

Shelving in the middle. Notice how much room there isn’t between the shelves and the bench?

I do have to take out the extra pots, buckets, and stakes which will give me a little more room to move around, especially since I have to transplant the peppers and tomatoes into bigger pots.

Yard Finds

I love doing a tour around my yard in the spring because I generally find little treasures; aka tree seedlings. About a week or so ago, I found a few wild saskatoon trees growing at the base of my weeping birch and dug them up and put them in pots. They will be added to my orchard by month-end, provided I get some major weeding/grass removal done.

I also found a tiny pine (or maybe it’s a spruce) growing in my saskatoon row I was weeding on the weekend. That too was put into a pot and is now in my greenhouse.

I have made mental notes of where there are several lilacs and cotoneasters growing as well. I will soon be digging them up and transplanting them to create some space dividers in my yard. After the wicked winds this past winter I have come to realize that adding shrubs to my space will not be a bad thing. The only real treeline I have is on the west side and it does nothing when the winds are directly from the north or the east.

I don’t want to plant tall trees because I don’t want to obscure my view. I figure if I plant trees or shrubs that can be kept trimmed, I’ll have a bit of a windbreak and still be able to enjoy the view. I haven’t quite decided if I want to plant raspberries along the fenceline or something else. I am seriously considering them along my driveway though, because they will keep my grandbabies in the front yard and provide snacks at the same time.

Growing Dome

This is my major project for this year. I received the kit just over a week ago and it sits in my shop just waiting to be put together. I have the spot picked out but still have to do the groundwork. My goal is to have it built and functional by the end of June. I’m giving myself that amount of time because I will be the one doing most of the work. It’s a big project to be undertaking but the rewards will be worth it.

My 22′ dome just waiting for me to put it together.

When I’m enjoying fresh produce all winter long from my all-season greenhouse the hard work of building it will be all but forgotten. I’ve told several people about it and I know I’ll be kept busy all winter long growing food for myself, family, and future customers.

Conclusion

As you can see the spring has been a busy one. The list for this year is long but I know it will be worth it in the end. My yard will be more divided, I’ll have a spacious retreat, and I’ll be able to provide healthier food for myself, family, and others.

What are your plans for the current growing season? Let me know in the comments below.

What Happened to 2024?

It’s crazy how life seems to get in the way of what we’re working toward.

My last post was in September 2023. Has that much time really gone by?

Fast forward and I’ll give you a brief update of life between then and now. New grandbaby, looking after grandbabies while my daughter works toward becoming an RMT, spending a LOT of time designing crochet patterns, having a cabin built, and a very hot and dry summer.

Gardening Oopses

I was quite excited about my greenhouse last spring but it wasn’t as big of a success as it had been in 2023. Even with fans running the veggies didn’t do well, and I ended up with a spider mite infestation. It was quite frustrating to say the least.

I planted potatoes in my new garden spot that had been worked up in 2023 and was so excited about them. The joke was on me because in my haste to plant I didn’t take the location into consideration, and out of 28 hills I don’t think I had enough to fill a 5-gallon bucket. Note to self: do not plant anything next to a weeping birch (or any big tree for that matter) that’s going to require a lot of water. Any water that the potatoes got was sucked up by the tree. Lesson learned.

This year that spot will most likely become a mini wildflower meadow. I need something to attract the pollinators anyway, so it’ll be pretty and practical. I’m looking forward to seeing more flowers than weeds. The flowers won’t care much about the rocks either (and that spot has a lot of them).

I had another spot worked up in October that is out in the open, away from any trees that will take every drop of rain/watering it gets. I’m also happy about the fact there are a lot less rocks than the first patch that was cultivated. I’m sure my potatoes will do much better, and I’m happy to be able to plant peas, beans, corn, sunflowers, etc.

Garden Wins

The rhubarb I started from seed in 2023 did very well. I’m excited for spring because I’ll be able to harvest more than a few stalks. Now that I know how easy it is to grow rhubarb from seed I’ll be adding at least a dozen plants to my trial run of bedding plant sales this year.

I should also get a few asparagus spears this spring. I know I won’t be able to harvest much but even just a few spears for the taste will make me happy. I’m looking forward to when I can get enough to steam for a family meal.

My cherry tree bloomed but I don’t think the bees found it in time because I didn’t get any cherries. The fact that it bloomed was a win for me.

My straw bale gardens did a little better as well. I think they became more conditioned over the winter and I was able to fill one with strawberries and the other with herbs. I’m hopeful the strawberries and some of the herbs survived the winter. Both beds were buried under a lot of snow so I have my fingers crossed.

What I Have Started So Far This Year

I was able to overwinter two citronella plants in my living room and last weekend I took over 20 cuttings from them. I put the cuttings in potting soil and put the tray in a bit plastic bag. They’re all still nice and green so I think I have been successful in getting at least some of them to take root.

I’m attempting garlic in a grow bag. It’s going to be an interesting experiment.

I was also able to get a few Cape Gooseberry and Goji Berry seeds to germinate. (In 2023 I successfully germinated about 10 Goji Berry trees, and of the 10 I believe 7 or 8 made it through the winter. I should get some berries this year.) I’ll be adding a couple to my mini orchard and the rest will be added to my plant sale.

I planted saskatoons, grapes, crabapples, cotoneasters, strawberries (Alpine), and blueberries the same time I planted the gooseberries and Goji Berries but haven’t seen any life yet. It has been a month so my thinking is the seeds should have been given a chilling period. I did put the remainder of the seeds in my freezer so I’ll give them another couple of weeks and try again with a few of each to see if it makes a difference.

I’m also waiting for a couple of banana seeds and a number of passion fruit seeds to germinate. The packages said they can take 1 – 6 months to germinate, which makes me wish I had put them in soil before Christmas. It’ll be fun to have a banana tree again, and with any luck it’ll grow several feet high. I have the space for one now but I may have to invest in a grow light for tall plants as my living room faces north.

Peppers and tomatoes have been put in my aerogardens and will be moved to containers when they are a few inches high. My spare bedroom and office face south so both of those rooms will be full of plants by the time it warms up outside.

Gardening Community

I recently started the Cold-Climate Gardening community on Skool. As of writing I have 5 free memberships still available. (The regular price is $7/month.) Membership gives you access to an increasing number of resources, classes, and other perks. You’ll be able to connect with other gardeners (indoor & outdoor) to share your wins and ask questions. I will be posting in the community regularly and encourage you to join me there.

I started the community so there can be conversations about all types of gardening, and in real time. It’s more interactive than commenting on a blog post and can lead to lifelong friendships. And with the increase in the price of not-so-fresh fruit and vegetables, it’s good to be able to eat produce within minutes of harvesting in a lot of cases.

Wrapping It Up

I have droned on long enough for the moment so I’ll close for now. I’m happy to be back in the game and am excited to share more of my wins with you. You’ll also learn about my oopses (which I’m sure there’ll be a few) and the lessons learned from them (potatoes for instance).

Until next time, happy gardening!

When is it okay to start bedding plants?

Have you noticed we have more daylight now than even a couple weeks ago?

I do have to say, it’s nice to be able to walk at 5 p.m. and have it still be light out. And where I live, I don’t walk after dark if I can help it. I never know where the moose, deer, and other wildlife is hiding.

With the longer daylight hours comes the desire to get the outdoor plants started, but don’t get too excited just yet. The dates ultimately depend on your temperate zone, which I’ll discuss shortly. I have made the mistake more than once, and my seedlings didn’t do well.

What’s a temperate zone?

In a nutshell, the temperate zone is what the minimum temperatures can get to in any given area. Here in Canada we range from an area with the coldest temperature at -1.1 degree Celsius (9b) to -56.7 (0b). Now that is cold!

My area ranges from 3a to 2a, depending on the year. Oveall the average is 2b, which is from -40C to -42.8C. That’s just temperature alone; the windchill is not factored into these numbers.

When living in zones like this, it definitely cuts down on what a person can grow through the summer. Perennials have to tolerate frigid temperatures and annuals have to grow fairly quickly due to a relatively short growing season. It would be wonderful if we could all have heated greenhouses so we could enjoy more of a variety, including citrus trees.

When we were in Vancouver a few years ago I was surprised to see banana trees planted outside. I was told they could survive brief periods of below zero temperatures, but I personally wouldn’t be that brave. But then again, I don’t live there so can’t say for sure.

Frost dates.

When you’re planning your garden you need to know the average first and last frost dates. It does range in comparison to what your temperate zone is, but in my part of Alberta we generally don’t plant anything outside until after May Long Weekend (Victoria Day). And depending on the year, we’re sometimes covering our tomatoes and other plants by the end of August.

When you’re deciding on your seed planting dates, there’s a simple formula to follow. On a normal year it should work out okay, but we all know Mother Nature has the final say.

Copied from the Government of Canada site. Click the image to be taken to the source.

When can I plant?

The rule of thumb is to start plants 6 to 8 weeks before you plan to put them outside. Since May Long is the earliest we can safely put plants out, I generally do not expect to start anything until the beginning of April. That gives me a little more than 6 weeks.

As some seeds take longer to germinate, it’s good practice to pay attention to the information on your seed packets. Also pay attention to the days to maturity, as each plant type is different. Some you won’t have to start inside, such as peas, beans, beets, carrots, as they don’t transplant well and grow quickly. Well, except for carrots; but they are below the surface so a light frost won’t hurt them anyway.

Other plants such as flowers, tomatoes, peppers, many herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, for example, do better when started indoors. They take longer to reach maturity, so depending on your zone, will benefit from being started indoors.

What about light?

All plants need light once they start to grow and giving your plants full sun is best. If you don’t have a south-facing window that gets direct sunlight, the next best thing is a grow light. They need at least the equivalent of 6 hours of full sun a day. I have to admit, my plants usually end up being leggy because they don’t get the proper light as I have limited south-facing window space.

This year I am going to put my seedlings under grow lights. In fact, I cleaned off the top shelf in a bookshelf for some plants. I invested in some small grow light bars and have them in place. So far my shorter house plants are under them, but as the daylight hours are longer I’ll be moving them closer to the window. (My office will soon be entirely over-run with plants.)

In addition to growing time and proper light you’ll need to make sure you monitor watering as well. A spray bottle is ideal for seeds and seedlings, or watering from the bottom to prevent them from being damaged or washed away. A mini greenhouse is ideal for starting most seedlings, but take care to allow for ventilation and be sure it doesn’t get too hot inside.

In conclusion.

Planning your garden is exciting, whether it’s your first or 50th. Starting your own seedlings can bring a little bit of summer into your home early, and you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labour sooner as well.