Hybrids vs Heirloom Plants

When it comes to gardening there are two types of plants - hybrids and heirloom.  In order to understand the difference, you need to know a bit of basic genetics.  An heirloom plant is one that has not been modified other than by nature.  It breeds true  meaning if you collect seeds from the plant, the resulting plants from the seeds will be the same as the parent plant (P).  An hybrid is the

Repotting Houseplants and Starting Seeds

It's that time of year!  Spring is just around the corner and with our ADLF quickly approaching it is time to start seeds.  I have been busy repotting all of my houseplants into self-watering pots.  I really do like the pots!  The larger self-watering pots for the floor plants are only $7.47 at Wal-Mart which is rather inexpensive compared to some of the regular pots that size (12 - inch).   I

Protecting Saved Seeds

As a home gardener I am also a seed saver.  Seeds can be saved from any plant but heirlooms are preferred as they breed true unlike seeds from hybrid plants.  Really from a genetic perspective if you cross two hybrids you have a 25% chance of the resulting plant being true for either of the homozygous traits but a 50% chance of it it being nothing like the parental plant.  I grow and save

Garden Seeds are Appearing in the Stores

I was at Home Hardware today picking up paint for the bathroom.  As I went to the check-out I noticed two large displays of garden seeds!  I popped a packet of Little Marvel peas in with my painting supplies.  I am planning on painted every room in the house this winter but you can bet I will still make time to get my seedlings ready for the new gardens.  It won't be long now :)

Happy Gardening!

Ordering Seed Catalogues

It's that time of year!  I have a lot of plans for my new gardens in the spring so I spent a bit of time ordering seed catalogues today.  This was triggered by receiving my shipment of potted herbs from Richters (Goodwood, ON) and the first snow flurry of the season.  I focused on those seed companies located in Ontario, Canada offering seeds and/or plants.  It is very important for me that any

Nixing the Seed Catalogues

Every year about this time after the main gardening season is over, I take a bit of time to go my notes of what plants did well and new varieties that I would like to try the following year.  Then I set about ordering seed catalogues that usually arrive in the coldest part of the winter so they are a cheery sight!  I keep seed catalogues as garden reference material so they tend to add up a bit.

Seed Banks

There are many ways to get seeds for your garden with one of the most popular being through seed catalogues.  Another popular method is collecting seeds from plants growing in your garden.  If you join a local garden club they usually offer a seed an/or plant exchange.  You can also get seeds from family and friends who garden.  All of these methods are great ways to get seeds.  One method of

Saving Seeds

During the home garden harvest most home gardeners save seeds for the following year's garden.  When saving seeds it is important to collect from heirloom plants rather than hybrids.  You can collect seeds from hybrids but they often will not breed true.  Seeds from herbs and flowering plants are best collect after the dew has dried on a clear, dry day.  Do not collect seeds from any plants that

Spring Days in the Garden

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. The reality is the gardens in our new home are proving difficult at best. I'm dealing with horrible soil that is mostly clay mixed with a lot of stone and rock along with inclimate weather. The gardens are at the point where I look at them then get frustrated because I simply don't know where to start. The problem is we really are still in the tearing out

Seed Catalogues

The weather has turned cold, grey and rainy with bouts of wet snow flurries, definitely not gardening weather. Walking to the mailbox isn't as enjoyable. The walk back to house was enjoyable Friday despite the nasty weather. I had the new Stokes catalogue safely tucked under my arm. Seed catalogues always bring a bit of sunshine on the dreary, cold days. I'll read through them, dog ear pages

Strawberries and Moving Plants

StrawberriesJune 2, 2007My strawberries have just started producing. These were the first of the season so I had to share them. The technique used on the photo is called selective colouring, combining black and white with colour done in Photoshop. I will be taking a few of these June bearing strawberry plants to the new house. Unfortunately I do not know the variety but they are very

Let the Fun Begin!

It's that time of year folks! Time to get all the seed packets in order, start seedlings indoors and get your hands dirty. It's also a good time to rejuvenate and start houseplants. Let the fun begin!Seeds Everywhere!I admit it, I'm just a little behind on starting my seeds indoors but only by a few days. Yesterday was sunny and a balmy 63ºF so that spurred me into action. Unfortunately the

Cactus Kit Update

Cactus SeedlingsIt took a bit longer but there are now eight cactus seedlings. They are about a quarter of an inch tall. There are a few seeds that haven't germinated yet so perhaps they will before the dome lid needs to be removed. Now the soil needs to be kept just moist to prevent the seedlings from rotting but to give enough moisture to allow the seedlings to survive until the first spines

Cactus Seedlings

Cactus SeedlingsI brought home a cute cactus starting kit from Las Vegas on our recent trip. This was an ideal solution since I thought trying to transport cactus plants on the plane or through Canadian customs would be problematic. The kit came with the soil, a seed packet that could contain upto ten varieties of cactus (including saguaro, prickly pear, cholla, fire barrel, fishhook barrel and

When to plant?

This question comes up over and over and with our changing climate it is still a hard question to answer. When I was younger everyone aimed to have their gardens planted on the Victoria Day Weekend (May 24). However, things have changed as far as when to plant. I follow the Average Day of Last Frost (ADLF) for our location and plant according to that. Last year the ADLF was May 9. One month