The early birds...

Spring is such a wonderful time of year...and I ache to get back into the garden.  I do have trouble resisting the urge to plant stuff outside right NOW...so what do I do to combat those urges?  I plant indoors!  Its a little tricky, as our cat Buster tries to help himself to the new green sprigs....but we try to keep the seedlings in an area that is tough for him to get to.  When the seedlings are big enough and the nights are warm enough...we move everything outside to our enclosed sun porch.  Finally they reach the garden and stay there until they are ready to harvest.

In case you were wondering, there are several things you can plant earlier than others.  There are also some plants that, if you are starting them from seed, you must start them early.  Peppers take a while to grow to maturity in Canadian weather...so be sure to get those seeds germinating well before you plant them outside. 

Here are a few things that you can plant directly in the ground just before the May 24th weekend:

Peas
Spinach
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Kale
Some lettuce varieties

We like to get some going before that though...so here is the growth update on our spinach!




Pictured taken right before said cat dumped the lot...some lived...miraculously

 We start the seeds in manure or potting soil with a layer of plastic wrap on top.  The plastic wrap acts like a mini-greenhouse, trapping in the heat and moisture.  Use a spray bottle to wet down the soil once a day or so for the first while.  It takes some time, but if you persist, the seeds will sprout.  Once the seedlings reach the plastic wrap, we peel it back and let them soak in the sun!

When we start things like peppers, the package says to start them in a soil-less medium.  If you're wondering, we use a clear pyrite baking dish, 9 x 13".   You wet down a paper towel and line the bottom, then sprinkle in the seeds.  Add another layer of wet paper towel and seal with plastic wrap.  Set in a sunny window for a few days, checking on moisture and spritzing down when needed.  You should be able to see the seeds sprout a tail and then its ready for the soil medium!  Start pepper seeds in March if you have a warm sunny place available.  Keep planting pepper seeds each week to get a full crop that lasts the whole season.  Peppers, sadly don't store well for a long period of time.

Spinach is a great plant for succession planting, as you can plant in cooler weather and  it will still grow wonderfully.  August is tough for spinach though...dry and hot...spinach tends to bolt (go to seed) quickly in those conditions.  Last year was terrible for our spinach...but then again, we were experimenting with location of leafy greens.  Can't always predict what will happen in new conditions. 

What are you planting these days?

Are you itching to turn soil yet?

I am...