Edmonton Seedy Sunday 2017

It might not look like spring outside, but there's definitely excitement in the air: this weekend is Edmonton Seedy Sunday! 


Seed Swap, free demonstrations and speakers... plenty, whether you're looking for inspiration or instruction! 


Visit the Edmonton Seedy Sunday website for details on demos, speakers, and vendors and the Edmonton Seedy Sunday facebook page for event updates.

October - Our own seedy exchange

Were you ready for the snow?

As flakes fell, the Highlands Community League Hall felt extra cosy for our October meeting.

Some members were prepared for the snowfall (I was not one of them).  We talked about putting the garden to bed, the great re-jig of the Community Garden (thanks, Ollie!), potential club holiday plans, and some projects for the new year.

With "business" out of the way, it was on to our seed and bulb exchange!

Among the selection were Ollie's tulip bulbs and Cheri's native plant seeds.  Margaret also offered to split her lovely mums (left, still blooming) next spring.  Fingers-crossed this bout of snow doesn't stick around so we can put our new finds into the ground.  

(Below: Our youngest member was not for swap.)

November's meeting will be our holiday / year end celebration.  Keep your eyes on your inbox for an email with more details.

From Cell to Sell: Creekside H&G bedding plant plugs

On Saturday, March 12th, Club members took a field trip to Creekside Home and Garden (formerly known as Dunvegan Gardens EDM).

We were greeted by Roq (Rock) and his staff who provided a great tour of the garden centre.

It is quite amazing to see the process:

A machine plants seeds into cells by needle.

Seeds get planted in the starter cells (512 to a sheet).  Plugs are then finished as bedding plants. We often forget all the hard work that goes into the process and this trip was a great eye opener.

Photos by Erica.

Finished bedding plants in the garden centre.

Edmonton Seedy Sunday 2015

My first Edmonton Seedy Sunday was a blast!

Alberta Avenue Community Hall was filled to the brim with people interested in growing plants or ready to spread to the word.


The hall had been divided into four areas: A free swap / community room, demonstration area in the lounge, a lecture room, and vendors in the main hall.  

Announcer-Flower-Fairy-Bell-Ringer -- Maryann of Goodnote Community Farm -- made sure everyone knew the schedule and what was coming up in the other rooms.

I spent most of my time in the community room speaking to friendly and helpful representatives of Pesticide Free Edmonton, Edmonton Horticultural Society, Front Yards in Bloom and many other groups.

And don't forget the seeds!

Edmonton Seedy Sunday volunteers, behind the long table covered with donated seed packets, helped us to chose among all the different flowers, tomatoes, beans and herbs available.  The selection kept growing as people dropped off more. Those with nothing to swap could also get seeds for a monetary donation.  

Neither Erica nor I picked up any of the "Mystery Squash", but did go adventurous with a few different kinds of heirloom tomatoes.

We took a walk around the vendor hall and filled any remaining seed-gaps.  All while, we were keeping an eye out on the time: The Native Bees of Alberta talk was at 3 p.m.

The speakers, Ashton Strum and Monica Kohler, are both U of A Masters students researching bees.  Their enthusiasm for the subject certainly shone through as they introduced the audience to different families of bees, their living arrangements (social, non-social), and ways to make the our yards bee havens.  

It was certainly a informative and fun time overall.  But, in my excitement, I may have picked up more seeds than I can handle... Anyone else like some seeds to start? 

Highlights and Seed Starting 101

The winter edition of Highlights magazine is out with a Highlands Garden Club article: a whole page on garden planning and seed starting.  Of course, only the bare basics -- there are books and sites and whole sections of science devoted to both topics for a reason!  But sometimes, it can be easy to get modest / passable results. 

Looking for more resources or want better seed starting results?

Here are some of the good online resources I found while researching for the article:

• Seed Starting 101 - A downloadable ebook with photos and tips on basic seed starting including how to "harden" them for the outdoors
• "Seed Starting Chart" at OrganicGardening.com - Count back from our frost date (approximately May 7th) for each type of plant to determine when to start.  
• Seed Shelf Life - A chart from of some common vegetable seeds with their germination rates, average shelf life, and average days to germination

I also found some seeds are notoriously picky - an online search on "how to grow X from seed" will tell you if that plant needs something specific (e.g. light, cold stratification, temperatures over 20C...).

Below is an excerpt of the seed starting portion of the article, updated with more club member ideas and links.

Good luck and happy growing! 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By starting seeds in this "pre-spring period", you get a jump start on the growing season, the satisfaction of growing them from the very start, and the ability to control what kinds of (if any) pesticides are used.  It also gives you a chance to have plants that might not be widely available or are more expensive in full grown form.

Here are some seed starting basics:

Step 1: Choose the right plants

- With our short growing season (The Old Farmer's Almanac has Edmonton's last and first frost dates pegged at May 7 and September 23 -- only 140 days!) choose plants that can use that extra boost.  
- One club member likes to start in February her parsley (long germination time) and petunias (slow growing).  

- Avoid plants with taproots, such as sunflowers and poppies, which don't like being transplanted and can be stunted by starting in a container. 

Step 2: Choose good seeds

- Seeds have a shelf life. A surprising number of seeds are no longer viable after one year even with special storage.  Use fresh seeds or seeds that have been packed for the current year to avoid disappointment. 

- Follow the packet instructions! 

Step 3: Choose a medium

- Various types of potting and growing soil mixes are available.  Many will work!  

- Another member likes to use coir pellets that are medium and container in one -- bio-degradable and easy!  

Step 4: Choose a container

- Almost any container with a drainage hole and the ability to hold the medium will work.  
- One of our members likes to raid the recycle bin for things such as takeout containers with a clear top.  The top helps keep moisture in while the seeds germinate and can be easily removed once spouting appears.

Step 5: Choose a location

- Most seeds like a moist (but not wet) soil and a warm place to germinate.  Consider putting them on top of the refrigerator during this period. 

- Once seeds have spouted, move them into an area with sunlight, such as a bright window.  Keep in mind this area might get cold so to prevent damage by keeping an eye on them and moving them as necessary.  

Clean Start: Organic Seeds

While browsing seeds at the store and in catalogues have you been looking for organic* seeds?
With the organic gardening and farming movement gaining popularity, organic seeds are starting to show up in the stores, albeit in small numbers and limited types (usually herbs).

In contrast, local retail source, Apache Seeds, stocks many organic and heirloom varieties seed lines, and their selection is currently at it's highest.

Earth's General Store, doesn't have their organic seeds yet (as of 02-Feb-2015), but should by March. (Other organic and sustainable gardening tools, however, are available.)

Does your favourite seed company have organic varieties?  How do you get them? 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Organic Certification doesn't mean "pesticide-free", but does mean no synthetic pesticides have been used.  Neonics are synthetic systemic pesticides, so seeds from plants that have been treated with neonics cannot be certified organic.

Organic pesticides are generally not systemic: Penn State University has listed "none have systemic activity" as being a limitation of organic pesticides and Oregon State University's "Profiles of Natural Pesticides" only lists one (Azadirachtin, a Neem derivative, as being systemic at root, and mildly systemic in leaves).  This is a good thing for our Bee-Friendly goals: even if the parent plants were treated with the organic pesticide, it would not have persisted to the seeds and next generation of plants.