Spring Gardening Resources

12 Comments
Photo by Gayla Trail

Spring is coming; we are on the down-slide out of winter now. Everyone join hands and sing because I think we’re gonna make it (after all).

I’ve been receiving a number of emails from readers looking for spring gardening advice: starting seeds, edibles to grow in containers, favourite varieties, etc, so I think it’s high time for a spring gardening recap. I’ve gone through the archives (11 years worth!) and selected how-to articles that will help you get started or provide a little inspiration if you’re feeling stuck.

To begin, please check out my books as they provide all sorts of advice, projects, and processes to follow that are not available on this website. You Grow Girl is a general guide for small space gardening that covers a wide range of plants and topics, and Grow Great Grub is all about growing FOOD in small spaces.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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12 thoughts on “Spring Gardening Resources”

  1. Thanks so much for putting this all in one location! I have both books (and read them over and over!), and due to small budget I am interested in the toilet-rolls, which I plan to try this year. Do you recommend peeling off one of the outer layers of paper, or leaving the roll intact?

    I use toilet rolls for a teaching concept so I have plenty:)

  2. I love your seed starting pdf. I invented a similar version for my garden last year, but yours is laid out better. Thanks for reminding me to use it.

  3. Thank you for putting these all in one place.
    I refer people to the site daily and this is a nice collection of resources. You really do write the best how-tos, especially for the intimidated and new gardeners. Now off to find the container gardening article I’m here for.

  4. Thanks for the chart — that will be handy in preparing for this season. It’s often hard to know when we should start setting plants out since we don’t really get frost here. Almost everything seems geared for people who are socked in part of the year.

  5. Ciao Gayla-

    I really latched onto the idea of the windowsill micro-greens. Especially after the holidays, I get pretty tired of the heavy holiday food and CRAVE greens. We’ve been eating a lot of experimental Asian dishes over the last few weeks in anticipation of how we’re going to use all of the ambitious Asian vegetables I’m growing this year.

    I just recently got a seed-trading parcel and a couple packs of seeds had come open in transit. Thankfully, these were brassicas, radishes, and lettuces. I simply sprinkled them into a quickie container and I’ve got sprouts already!

    Thanks again for the inspired idea!

  6. Hello Gayla,
    My window sills are full, the chart is great.
    Let me know if you need any tomato seeds, I have some really rare ones for this year.
    Thanks
    Tim
    Happycatorganics.com

  8. So glad to have found this site! I am a fellow Canadian living in CT, USA! I would def call myself a new gardener. Loved this post, so much great info! Thanks!

  9. Great post. I’m growing tomatoes in containers for the first time this year, and was wondering if you had any advice about what containers to use – specifically, what exactly do you mean by “trash bins” for indeterminates (i.e. do you mean kitchen trash cans, or the large grey type you put out on the street?). And I was thinking of using 5 gallon paint buckets for determinate varieties, does that sound large enough?

  10. Juliet: I mean the big garbage bins that go out on the curb… 16″ deep. You can use the small waste baskets for determinates if you like. I suggest garbage bins because they are a lot cheaper to buy than “proper” containers of the same size purchased from a garden store. Don’t forget to add lots of drainage holes.

    The buckets are big enough for determinates.

  12. I have saved toilet paper rolls for months now, waiting to start my seeds. I planted 30 of them with chard seeds on Sunday, then put them into my greenhouse. My rolls are now growing white, furry mold! (or at least I am assuming it’s mold) Is the greenhouse too moist an environment? Any ideas? My biggest concern is whether or not I need to rescue my seeds.

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