Growing your own plants from seed, buying seeds, trading seeds, and saving your own seeds for the future.
And I am growing it! Back in February a secret somebody, whose identity I will not reveal (pinky swear), gifted me a package of seeds of the only open-pollinated (OP) blue tomato to have been raised by natural plant breeding techniques (not GMO). I was under the impression that this yet-to-be-released tomato was so secretive …
When I wrote about the Morelle de Balbis (Solanum sisymbrifolium) last it was on April 30, 2010 when the seedling was still living in the greenhouse. It had just begun to produce its thorns and I was beginning to get a glimpse into what I’d signed on for. It is now July 1 and the …
My greenhouse grown plants are coming along and at the rate we’re going weather-wise this spring, a few of these babies could be out the door before the typical May 24 planting weekend in this region. I’ve become more cautious than I used to be as we’ve had some fluke cold snaps and hail storms …
We have been enjoying an unseasonably warm March here in Toronto that has lead into the warmest early April I can recall, ever. Temperatures are supposed to soar this weekend, sending gardeners (including me) into a flurry of activity. I have already sown spinach and mâche into containers on the roof. The chives have been …
Remember last year when I invited local site readers to come out and grow seedlings together in a local greenhouse? Well, it’s seed starting season and the greenhouse has kindly offered us some space again this year so I’m putting out the call. There is shelf space for about 2 or 3 people to grow …
Last week I traveled to Montreal to speak at the Montreal Seed Fair and sign copies of the “Grow Great Grub” book in support of the collective food gardening group, Action Communiterre. Toronto’s Annual Seed Fair is coming up this Sunday and is expected to be packed to the gills. I find it difficult to …
Photo of ‘Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge’ Tomato: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds If you’ve been reading this site over the years, you can probably make a pretty safe guess as to where I am right now in the areas of seed starting and garden planning 2010. Behind. Barely started. Most of my decisions so far have …
Question: I am in South Mississippi and my Mother wants to know where you get the pink watermelon radish seed and how she can get some? – Betty Hi Betty, Watermelon radish are a fairly unknown winter radish that are beginning to gain popularity. The seeds themselves aren’t particularly easy to find; however, the radishes …
These are the pea varieties I like best and am growing again this year. ‘Tom Thumb’ and ‘Dwarf Grey Sugar’ go in pots and everything else goes in even larger pots or in-ground at the community garden. I meant to write a post about planting my peas ages ago (peas generally go in early, as …
Hello fellow gardeners. If you’re coming from today’s Globe and Mail article, the full story about the tobacco gardener is here. If you’d like seeds, I’ve got loads (I’m not going to grow them) and am happy to pass them on in the spirit they were given to me. Please send a self addressed stamped …
Winter is slowly coming to an end around here and it is nearly time to start lettuce outdoors. Until then I’ve been growing and harvesting small batches of micro-sized greens on my windowsill as a way to keep some salad fixings coming through the darkest and longest days of winter. Microgreens are tender and tangy …
This should be the last list for the season, unless something else catches my eye. It’s time now to shift to the serious work of getting my seeds started! ‘Ancho Gigantea’ Hot Pepper ‘Negro Azteca’ Tomato ‘Aztec 10’ Tomato – An entire crew of luchadores. ‘Fireball’ Tomato ‘Texas Wild’ Tomato ‘Ring of Fire’ Hot Pepper