It’s hard to believe it’s April already! The Somerset Bridlewood Community Garden is gearing up for an exciting growing season and we are impatiently waiting to get our hands into the soil!
In early March, the garden hosted a fantastic garden talk about spring planning. Our speaker was Calgary’s Cottage Gardener, Janet Melrose, and she gave us plenty of tips for success when starting seeds, winter sowing, and preparing our garden soil.
We also completed our membership renewals in March – nearly everyone who had a garden bed last year is committed to growing with us again this year. The remaining rentals have been filled by members from the communities of Somerset and Bridlewood. We are thrilled to see so many enthusiastic gardeners and look forward to working together!
Finally, here’s a tip for anyone who has found some seeds in the back of the closet and has no idea how old they are: a simple test can tell you whether they are still viable (able to germinate under the right conditions). Grab a piece of paper towel, dampen it with some water, and lay it out on the countertop. Line up 10 seeds in a row on the towel, then carefully fold it up. Put the towel in a plastic bag, close it, and let it sit at room temperature on your counter for about three to five days. Hopefully, you’ll see some sprouts in that time. If most of your seeds on the towel sprout, that package is still good to sow. If you only have one or two seeds sprout, you can still try to use the rest of the seeds in the package but be aware that the germination rate is not very good. Bear in mind that you’ll need to pop the sprouted seeds into some soil or into your hydroponics set up as soon as possible or they will not survive for long.
Happy gardening!
Sheryl Normandeau
Community Garden Director
