Seeds, Seeds, Seeds!

February 15, 2023 filed in Gardening

I love seeds. Love, love, love seeds! They are magic tiny bundles of amazingness and hope. Each one holds the key to growth, individuation, and the beauty of the life cycle. Every year as I push seeds down into the earth and then watch each one grow into what it is supposed to be I feel like a magician.
Packets of flower seeds

And just like attempting to buy soil in February, buying seeds makes me feel like the garden is right around the corner! This year I'm trying to learn from past mistakes. I have been guilty of buying far too many seeds, not storing them properly, and not researching which seeds last and which don't (which led to my carefully tended cosmo plants having incredible foliage and NO FLOWERS!). So this year I took out all my old seeds and sorted through them before I even looked at the seed catalogues. I learnt a lot too. Here's a handy list for how long seeds last:

1 or 2 years

  • okra
  • onion
  • parsley
  • parsnip
  • pepper
  • sweet corn
  • cilantro (and lots of other herb seeds)

3 or 4 years

  • beet
  • cabbage family
  • carrot
  • celery
  • eggplant
  • pea
  • leek
  • basil
  • pumpkin
  • spinach
  • zucchini
  • tomato
  • watermelon

up to 6 years

  • bean
  • cucumber
  • lettuce
  • radish

The other thing I learned last year is not to plant okra in our climate so I'll take that one right off the list, also watermelon. I know some people can grow melons up here in zone 4 but I've never had any luck with them so I'm going to stick to the tried and true veggies this year. I am going to attempt to grow cucumbers again this year even though I've never had much luck with them, but I'm going to grow them in my little greenhouse instead of outside.

The only homegrown seeds I managed to save last year were cilantro seeds (delicious coriander) and I'm excited to try growing them this year. I also planted my own garlic cloves in the fall and will be using potatoes I grew last year as seed potatoes. There's nothing more satisfying than growing new plants from plants you grew! One of my gardening goals this year is to save other seeds from the plants I grow.

Vegetable seed packets

So after throwing away some seed packets, but keeping a lot of them, I went through the three seed catalogues I received in the mail. This year I've decided to stick with T&T seeds in Manitoba. I really liked their seeds last year. I like the seed packets, which are brown and unassuming, but have very clear labels and fold up well for storage. I also like their website - Richters seeds (in Ontario), and Lindenberg Seeds (also in Manitoba) have some great options, but you have to call in or mail in to order their seeds. I'm far too much of an internet baby to do that.

Packets of seeds from T&T Seeds

I ordered lots and lots of Jalapeno pepper seeds since I didn't have any saved from last year and I loved having a lot of Jalapeno pepper plants. I'm going to plant even more this year and feed them better too since I think I could have got even more fruit last year. For a little over a month last year I made quick pickles with my fresh Jalapenos and everyone loved them. I think I'll make some real pickled Jalapenos this year if I get a good crop.

I also ordered Kohlrabi seeds. I've never grown Kohlrabi before, but I loved growing other brassicas last year (cabbage, brussel sprouts) and one of my gardening heroes Meg Cowden raves about them.

I'm so excited to get started. I'll be planting my brussel sprouts and peppers in two weeks. Stay tuned for an in-depth post on starting those seedlings and maybe another post on trying to get my growing medium!

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