So you decided you wanted to try saving seeds. You followed all the steps, stored the seeds properly, and planted them in the garden come springtime. But, when your saved seeds finally reached maturity, the plants looked nothing like the plants you grew last year. What happened? Well, you probably saved seeds from a hybrid…
For the last couple of years, we’ve grown so used to unpredictable weather that we now sow nearly all of our seeds indoors. But, for those crops that need to be directly sown in the garden, like turnips, potatoes, radish and lettuce, there are a few tricks to improve germination rates outdoors. In this article…
Sowing seeds outdoors is a cheap, fun and easy way to start a vegetable garden, and the heat of spring and summer helps to create the perfect environment for many of our favourite crops. While many vegetables can be given a good head start by sowing indoors, on windowsills, or sowing in greenhouses, there are…
Some of our favorite plants come from the smallest seeds. Arugula, basil, carrot, and poppy are just a few varieties of seed small enough to make us question our gardening choices. The biggest problem with sowing small seeds is thinning all the extra seedlings – but there are ways to spread them out. There’s no way…
It’s February, and the seed catalogs are here. Actually, they’ve been rolling in since last fall, tantalizing gardeners with gorgeous pictures of heirloom flowers and vegetables. But as tempting as it is to go ahead and start our seeds a little early, starting seeds too soon has disastrous consequences. Seeds started too early tend to…
You may have heard all the buzz surrounding coco coir and its new role in horticulture. Many are finding success using coco coir as a soilless growing medium in hydroponic systems, and home gardeners and farmers are catching on. Coco coir is starting to rival peat moss as a favorite growing medium for our treasured…