Gardening with Gail
—by Gail McIlroy
So, with all the snow we had in January this year it’s funny to be thinking about seeds and our gardens. I have researched more sites for us, and it appears there is a lot of differences from one site to another. From this research I have determined experience mixed in with common sense gives us the general knowledge we need to enjoy this hobby called gardening, and might even be of interest for those of us who plant crops as a business.
The thought of spring is approaching us, the gorgeous days of February and March are calling all gardeners! Granted, winter is a time for the garden to rest, but we can be doing things inside because of the natural sunlight filtering through during these late winter months in Ontario.
A general rule is to start vegetables six to eight weeks before the final frost. Start seeds indoors, then plant them two weeks after the last frost. Seeds may be planted from late March to May.
Plants will not thrive until they have warm enough temperatures, this pertains to both indoors and outside.
For some of my research for this column, I used Dr. Thomas Bjorkman, a professor of crop physiology at Cornell University. He is a botanist whose research focuses on the effects of environmental stimuli on plant growth and development, particularly with vegetables.
Why are some seed growths leggy, while others aren’t? It seems everything pertains to light and knowing how much or how little is key when starting seedlings. Of course, there are many factors involved in starting seeds indoors: Too much or too little light. The intensity of the light source. The change of temperature between day and night. The improper use of fertilizers. Leaving seeds in the germination chamber for too long. Sometimes under the plastic cover there is too much humidity. The distance between the seeds and of course the depth.
But the conclusion reached from this study for the home gardeners, regarding seedling legginess, always appeared to be the light.
It turns out as humans our eyes as we know have an incredible capacity to adjust to different light intensities. The study makes perfect sense relating to amounts of light. Fluorescent lighting can be tricky and it’s necessary to realize that if it is too low to the plant it can burn it, and too far away causes the plant to reach for the lamp/light, causing the seeds to become leggy.
The seed trays you can find in most hardware stores work because the seeds are evenly spread out. Over planting and then thinning is just asking for the seedling to stretch and get leggy as well!
Brushing the seedling is helpful from a cotyledon to fully expand the first leaf stage for the species.
Finally, a quick note on Winter sowing. Many of us have enjoyed this procedure for years, however, if you are new to it this is how it’s done:
Place your seeds in a plastic container in your refrigerator where there is a consistent temperature of 33 to 41 degrees. Keep these seeds inside the refrigerator for 4 – 12 weeks depending on their specific type and range.
Once you are ready to plant, keep in mind that opaque pots will cast a shadow over the soil, causing seeds near the edge to germinate later than the rest.
For lots more information on winter sowing, and when to transplant, go to the source at www.growEdenBrothers.com.
Spring is coming, just keep dreaming!