IT’S TIME TO SOW SEEDS
Grow vegetables while isolating at home
I am usually better organized than this. I order my herb and vegetable seed in January, receive it in February and start seeding in March. But then I heard about Calypso Cilantro and I just had to have it.
The reply was instant: “Your seeds will be shipped in 20 days.” After checking around, I see another supplier’s website says: “Seeds will ship in 60 days.” If you are trying to stay home and haven’t jumped into the gardening game yet, summer in Calgary could be over by the time your mail-order seeds arrive!
OK seriously, if you haven’t grown veg here yet, our higher altitude means colder nights and a two- to three-week shorter frost-free season than Edmonton or Medicine Hat. But we do have at least 120 days to grow in the south and southeast parts of town with as few as 100 frost-free days in the far northwest because of elevation differences. (Check your elevation on Google maps because the higher your elevation, the shorter your growing season.)
Add to elevation the fact that some varieties take longer to grow than others. According to my package, Topsi radish seed only needs 20 days to mature while German salad radish takes 60 to 70 days. Most seed packets list days-to-maturity and even though it is all just a guess, it is worth reading all the details.
Seed companies are overwhelmed with orders right now as gardening and food security are suddenly trending so you’ll have to get creative and source locally because it is time to start seeding.
Helen dropped off an old package of zucchini she bought at a Seedy Saturday years ago. Jane left Brussels sprouts seed on my doorstep because I promised to start it for her. How old is this seed? And will seed last forever?
Seed can last a decade, but not always. Onions are short-lived and viable for one to three years while tomatoes last seven or more years if stored cool and dry. Do a little test and you will quickly learn if your seeds are dead or alive. Lay 10 seeds on damp paper towel, pop them in a baggie and leave in a warm spot. Count the sprouts in five to seven days. The number of seeds sprouting is the percentage germination you can expect. If only two lettuce seeds sprout, you have 20 per cent germination. Plant more seeds so something grows.
Buying small plants seems like a faster route for growing vegetables but, the truth is, unless the plants are grown perfectly, you could end up with overgrown and leggy plants that have been in the greenhouse too long. You will also discover that in our northern climate seeds grow so much faster once the days get longer so seeded plants often catch up with plants installed the same week.
Cauliflower is trendy right now among chefs and home cooks, but plants get stressed when shifted from a hot greenhouse to cold soil outside. The result is smaller “button” heads on cauliflower, or worms and other pests on broccoli and kale. And if you just planted “lasagna style” right on top of your old lawn, wireworms might be a problem with transplants. If you see transplants wilt right away, it is probably wireworms gobbling up the fine roots.
Local gardeners sometimes find it better to grow direct from seed. Simply scratch a small trench in the soil and drop the seeds in. Cover them lightly, water and wait. Covering seeds lightly is the part my son-in-law Eamonn missed. He asked me: “So the seeds we planted last year haven’t come up yet. Do you think they will come up this year? I planted them two or three inches deep.”
Before seeding, check suggested seeding depths on each package. Planting depth is usually two to three times the diameter of the seed and many seeds are super tiny. Some, like lettuce, need light to germinate so there is no need for a trench. A mere dusting of soil is enough cover.
Lettuce, radish, arugula and mustard greens sprout in a few days. Carrots and parsley struggle to germinate in 14 to 20 days and, in that time, the soil dries out. To help these tardy plants grow, water the seed well and lay a 2x4 board on top of the row. Tip the board up daily after a week to see if seedlings are sprouting, water if dry, and wait for at least half the seed to be up before you remove the board. The early sprouts will look a bit pale but will charge ahead once they get light.
Do you have to plant everything this weekend? Some crops, including broccoli, peas and cabbage, grow quickly in cool soil. Others, such as beans, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes, are more tropical and need warmer soil. Plant cool-season crops right away. Beans need a few more days, squash need a few more weeks. Aim for early June for seeding squash.
One time a random tomato started growing outside my office behind the conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. It bloomed and fruited and surprised the heck out of me. I guess it came from an ice tray dumped by food-service staff after a winter event.
A single tomato seed left outside mid-winter produced a plant and fruit. This proves anything is possible. But gardening should take advantage of the climate and different personalities of plants. Early plants take cold and can be direct seeded now. Warm-season plants may survive but are better planted later in raised beds against a south-facing wall for maximum heat and fast growth.
I just mailed some spare squash seed to my son who lives near Alaska because he really wanted the Red Kuri squash I brought him last Thanksgiving. I ordered the new-to-me calypso cilantro because a friend told me it stays compact longer in the garden than regular cilantro.
So, we are both waiting for post office deliveries. And judging from the lineups, the post office is busier now than it is at Christmas. The good news is that both squash and cilantro seed can be easily stored and used another year.
Donna Balzer is a horticulturist, author and speaker. To hear her latest podcast, connect at donnabalzer.com.
Local gardeners sometimes find it better to grow direct from seed. Simply scratch a small trench in the soil and drop the seeds in.