If you are thinking about growing any of your vegetable crop from seed this year, now is the time to get organized! Seeds are relatively inexpensive, and most will keep several years if stored properly. And the range of varieties available is amazing!
Seed packages and other resources will indicate whether a particular crop can be directly seeded early; soon after the ground has thawed and warmed up a bit; or must be delayed until the temperatures have warmed, and the last frost has passed. Many crops grow reliably from seed with no need to purchase or grow transplants. Leafy crops like lettuce, spinach, kale, and chard as well as root crops such as carrots and beets perform well when seeded directly into the ground. This makes it easy to stagger your planting dates, as well as an opportunity to try several different varieties of each crop.
Some crops are best purchased as seedlings from your local garden centre or started indoors at home. For plants that are too tender to handle the chilly spring weather, planting as a transplant when the weather is consistently warm means they get a jump start on their growing season. Examples are warm weather crops like tomatoes, peppers, squash, and most herbs. Crops with a longer time required to reach maturity are also best started indoors, such as cabbage and cauliflower. Even cold hardy plants can be started indoors as a way to extend the growing season and allow for an even more spread-out harvest.
Sifting through seed catalogues, browsing your garden centres and shopping online are great ways to spend some time in March. Check out larger suppliers like West Coast Seeds, McKenzie Seeds, and Rainbow Seeds. There are some amazing smaller outlets here in Alberta. Circle Farms, Wildrose Heritage Seeds, A’Bunadh Seeds, and Casey’s Heirloom Tomatoes are just a few. To purchase seeds right from the source, why not check out Calgary’s Seedy Saturday on Saturday, March 22. Many local vendors attend this event, and it’s a wonderful way shop locally for the seeds you need.
Happy Gardening!
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