Hardy Annuals from Seeds

What easily grows in one place can be difficult in another. I have tried to make a list of the hardy annuals (the ones you can seed directly in the garden) that grow well at Roche Fleurie where summers are short, but quite sunny and warm, with usually enough rain. As well I have made a list of some hardy annuals that have never done well for us, hoping that readers for whom these grow well might be able to tell me how to go about growing them.

Some hardy annuals

Seed Sorting

I have all my seeds for 2014. In fact, like most years, I have far too many seeds, and these last few days I have been trying to sort them to simplify planting and to make sure I don't forget any of them. I am also writing out labels for each variety to save time later on. Some of you might think it is a bit late to sort seeds, but this is Canada in a year when the winter has been the most severe in decades. Three years ago, hellebores were in bloom at this time of the year, but as I am writing this, there is still about one foot of snow and a few inches of ice packed on the ground even if both have finally started to melt.

Some of my vegetable seeds and my planting schedule

Seedy Saturday in Kitchener, Ontario

Yesterday, I attended "Seedy Saturday". This is a yearly event that brings together people interested in growing plants from seed, biodiversity, heritage gardening and organic gardening. It takes place in many cities all across Canada. The one I attend is organized by the Kitchener Master Gardeners group of which I used to be a member. It takes place in a branch of the local public library.

Seed Saving

This is the major seed collecting time in the gardening calendar. Some seeds have had to be collected earlier, but most are only ripening now, in the fall. Ideally, they should be left on the plant as long as possible to give them time to completely ripen. There is a fine line, however, between making sure seeds are ripe and waiting so long that the seeds are blown off in the wind. Some of the ones I collect are for use the next year (for instance, seeds of heritage tomatoes or of annual flowers, like yellow cosmos). Others I gather to send in for the seed exchanges I take part in.

Bottle gentian seeds

Large Mulleins

The larger cultivated mulleins are rather close to their wild cousins, and I suppose that is why they are not particularly popular. They look too much like what most people think of as a weed. In a way, they have to be treated as weeds to be successful. That is to say, they do not look good when they are too regimented.

Bean Strategies

The vegetable I like best to grow is pole beans. I am not quite sure why, but these Jack-in-the-bean-stalk plants, which are so productive, have a definite attraction for me. The growing season is rather short in our zone 5 garden, so I have to make sure I put all the odds on my side to get as good a crop as possible and have green beans available for the longest period of time. Here is how I grow them.

Pole beans in August

Of crème de menthe, the vagaries of parsley seeding and propagation

Various things I noticed while working in the garden this week.

Same tulip, but with flowers closed

Seedy Saturday

I spent the morning of Saturday, February 23rd at Seedy Saturday in Kitchener (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seedy_Sunday). The main focus of these events is a seed exchange. You collect seeds from your garden and bring them in to exchange with other gardeners. In Kitchener, Seedy Saturday is organized by the local Master Gardeners and is done informally. You leave your seeds on a table and pick from it any seed you want. There are also gardening lectures and several businesses offering mostly seeds and plants, but also gardening books or tools. Groups such as Seed of Diversity are also represented. These groups and the seed companies usually put some of their seeds on the exchange table.

For me, the greatest attraction is the people. Having been a member of this Master Gardener group for over 15 years, it is a yearly opportunity to meet with old friends. I also enjoy chatting with other gardeners about successes and failures and our experience growing some of the plant varieties offered. You can get some useful tips. This year, Mary-Anne Weiler (the lady in a white top on the right), who set up the Kitchener Master Gardener group many years ago, strongly recommended to me "Tricolor Carrots" from Renee's Garden which I made sure to buy. My best gardening friend, Gwynned Brundrett (with the blue top), who was giving a lecture, has been with the group ever since it was created.
As usual, I got quite a few packages of seeds. This year, there was a very good selection of heirloom tomatoes. I got several varieties which I want to try.

Seeds Galore

For me, the milestones that mark the beginning and the end of the gardening year are the seed lists sent out by the North American Rock Garden Society and the Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plant Society for their respective seed exchanges. Invariably, much of the seed I get through these exchanges end up not sprouting or if they germinate I can’t carry the plants to maturity. However, at the ordering stage, all is hope and expectations, every seed I select seems bound to do well and sending out my seed orders is fine way of ending the gardening year on a high note.