Real Gardeners Start From Seed
Oh boy, them’s fightin’ words! But, if you are one of those lucky gardeners with the space and light to plant your own seedlings, well now is the time to get growing. Planting your own seeds saves money and lets you select rare or heritage plants that you may not find at the garden store. Many annual seeds can wait to be sown directly in the garden and they do fine, but some plants require indoor seeding to get a head start on our short growing season. In Calgary, the average length between the last and first frost is 117 days. The ‘days to maturity’ on a seed pack means from the time you plant a seed in the garden to the harvest date. It can also mean, for tomatoes and peppers, the days when the seedling is planted outside. So, even an early type tomato might need 2 to 3 months after outdoor planting before you can harvest fruit. Typically, if we plant our seedlings on the May long weekend, we may be harvesting fruit well into August and possibly September. The often-recommended time to start seeds is 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting outdoors, but I have found I needed more time than that. In 2020, I planted my tomato seeds indoors in April, and I did not get much of a harvest; I still had green tomatoes in late August. In 2021, I planted in late February to mid-March, and I had a much better harvest, which was helped by our warm fall. (This is why it’s helpful to keep a garden diary.) Getting an early start on your seeds allows you time to try again if the first seedling did not sprout or perished (seedlings can be delicate). Put the pots in a warm spot to germinate, then a sunny window or LED or fluorescent light helps strengthen the growing plants. When spring comes (and fear not, in Calgary it eventually does), you will be ready. If you want to have a plot at the community garden, email [email protected].
