You may be wondering when to start your precious seeds? Of course, seed packages have instructions such as 6-8 weeks before last frost or once the ground can be worked or even start 4 weeks early OR in situ. To better understand these directions, here’s a crash course on the whens and wheres of planting. […]
This article offers practical advice on starting eggplants and pepper seedlings, covering topics like lighting setups, overcoming light deficiencies, thinning, transplanting, and hardening off. It provides insights into using natural light, fluorescent tubes, and grow lights, emphasizing the importance of adequate light for photosynthesis. The author discusses challenges when starting seeds without artificial light and suggests solutions, such as window sills, winter-sowing, and alternative containers. The role of unheated greenhouses, containers, and grow boxes for larger plants or later starts is explored, along with tips for managing temperature. The article touches on container and growing mix selection, germination requirements, growing on, thinning, transplanting, and the continuous process of hardening off. It concludes by inviting readers to suggest additional topics for future posts. Overall, it serves as a comprehensive guide for seedling cultivation at various stages.
There are so many wonderful looking vegetable varieties that it can be easy to ‘buy all the seed.’ Unless you have a team, a tractor and a farm, it’s unlikely that you are really going to ‘grow all the seed,’ never mind ‘harvest all that veg!’ Leaving you to decide what to grow. We’re going […]
… to any garden question is “It depends.” “How early should I start tomatoes?” “Should I mount my potatoes?” “Do I need to succession sow lettuce?” “How far apart should I space my cabbage?” “Is no dig the best method?” “What grows well here?” “Does it eat all the plants?” “Should I trellis melons?” “Will […]
If you have either a big enough garden or just the inclination, you may have thought about growing for storage. This requires a shift in thinking toward not just food that is wholesome and delicious fresh but also those varieties that store well in a variety of ways. Besides canning and its close cousin pickling […]
You may have noticed the amazing diversity in tomato colour. And if you haven’t then welcome to the wonderful rainbow that is tomato. It is a beautiful kaleidoscope of colour, form, taste, growth habit, leaf pattern and more. This blog post will focus purely on colour but in this series we will be discussing other […]
In the previous post, we explored the many colours of the tomato fruit but it is not only the fruit colour that is variable. The fruit shape ranges from small and round to long and tapered to large and scalloped. Typically smaller fruits are sweeter and more piercing in flavour but taste is also influenced […]
In the last post I discussed some reasons why we might want to combine flowers and vegetables. Of course, vegetables mostly flower too so allowing some to ‘bolt’ aka flower can be a nice way of adding interest for you and the rest of nature. Not only that but you may end up with self […]
I’m a big fan of this often maligned vegetable. It forms the base of my favourite dish which is a Spanish version of moussaka. However, it is not everyone’s favourite. Some say it’s soggy and uninspired. This may be related to textural preferences but I like to think it’s because they haven’t tried the full […]
Planting flowers, or alongside, your vegetables can have a number of benefits including adding beauty, confusing pests and attracting beneficials. Here are some ways to create wonderful combinations. Confuse Sight and Scent Signals Pests (otherwise known as creatures that share vegetables and at low levels are usually non concerning) may become confused while seeking their […]
I was pleased to speak with Kate from Heartbeet farm about growing sweet potatoes in the Ottawa Valley (interview below). Many growers now know that you absolutely can grow this heat loving, nutritious tuber here. In fact, in the best years, you’ll get impressive yields that (in my experience) outcompete potatoes, and in the worst […]
Here are some rarer greens that you may not have had the opportunity to try. Erba Stella: Also known as buckhorn or minutina, this is a species of plantain that you may be most familiar with growing as broad, low leaves in your lawn. The lawn species commonly encountered is Plantago major is also edible. […]
Okra has been one of those plants with which I have a tumultuous growing relationship. I love the look of the plant and have enjoyed it in a few recipes but my success has been uneven. When this happens, I usually assume that there is something yet to learn about the plant. Perhaps a growing […]
“It’s great to see you again Jane. Sure is cozy here in the greenhouse. So tell me, what brought you to Gaia?” Jane, “Well I started working with Kristl from Gardens North After she didn’t need me anymore, I helped out Greta (Greta’s Organic Seeds) with starting and transplanting. I was here in the transition […]
On a farm visit, I got to see the annual migration of many seedlings from their cozy spots under lights to their new digs in the greenhouse. One hard working member of the Gaia crew had a moment to chat. Gaia is a true community effort with multiple connections. Introducing Jess, baby plant carer extraordinaire. […]
Orach, otherwise known as Atriplex hortensis, is a gorgeous, annual ‘spinach’ plant from Western Asia and the Mediterranean
There’s something about hot peppers that collect stories. Perhaps it is because their different flavours and uses are special ingredients in different, often regional, dishes and these make people think of ancestral place or important person. Maybe its the bravado of a food that bite’s back. Hot peppers originated in the warmer regions of the […]
I have learned so much from growers all over Eastern Ontario and beyond so I really enjoy plant conversations. One of the trickier vegetables for many gardeners to grow is cauliflower. Gaia Organic Seeds have a number of interesting varieties. Here is my interview with Gaia team member Manish: “I never really focused on growing […]
Given its humble beginnings as a leafy wild plant, what is now Brassica oleracea has had quite a culinary history becoming European kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, collards, and kohlrabi! Brassica napus became Siberian kale, Canola and Rutabaga. Brassica rapa was developed into mustards, rapini/brocclini/broccoli raab, Chinese cabbages and turnip. There are also Brassica […]
For best growth of onion seed, you should start 10-12 weeks before planting out in warm weather. They are mildly frost tolerant though too long exposure to cold temps might vernalize onions and cause them to go to flower. Once they go to flower, they’ll no longer bulb up. Onion seeds don’t need light to […]
Perennial edibles are a wonderful addition to most landscapes. They are available early in the season before many other vegetables have gotten growing. There are actually a fair number of perennial vegetables that are eaten for their early shoots like udo and seakale but asparagus is the most common in this part of the world. […]
This crispy stem vegetable is a member of the carrot family. It is the same species as the similarly named Celeriac, which is eaten for its swollen lower stem, rather than its long green stems and/or leaves. Both are Apium graveolens and therefore both can be treated similarly in terms of growing conditions and seed […]
Cynara cardunculus is a fascinating set of vegetables. A huge stately perennial thistle that grows wild around the Mediterranean. Varieties called Cardoon are selected for edible stems and varieties called Globe Artichoke are used for the delicate flower bud before it has opened. Both of these are fantastic looking in the vegetable garden but take […]