A new season begins

How to learn from the mistakes of last season and start putting our garden dreams into action

Maybe it was the warmer weather; maybe it was the clear sky. I'm not sure what it was that tipped me off but this weekend I sure did get that feeling. You know the one. The sense that spring is lingering on the coattails of each breeze, and soon it will be time to put in motion the year's garden plan.

Last year was my first go at veggie gardening. I did okay. Not everything lived but the most important thing was that I learned some great lessons. Namely, pay attention and do the research. At the best of times, when I was giving my undivided attention to each and every one of my balcony container plants, they thrived. At the worst of times, I was overzealous and didn't do my homework, assuming what was best for the tomatoes must certainly be best for the pumpkin (I assumed wrong).

Trouble starting seeds

Of my biggest lessons learned it was the seedlings who challenged me the most. While at first they very courageously grew and grew and grew, raising their little heads to the sunlight filtering into my over-crowded kitchen, eventually every single one—from the beets to the arugula—croaked on me.
What did I do?

Well, for one, I didn't do my research. I didn't read my books carefully, skimming them instead so I could hurry up and get outside to do my planting on the deck. This meant I didn't ensure the seedlings were each receiving adequate time in the (in-direct) sun and I didn't check to see at what temperature it would be safe to send them out of doors (oh my poor, frozen little beet seedlings!).

Doing the homework, accessing resources

So this year, I'm taking my lessons to heart and putting in the time to ensure my seeds are sown properly so they can develop big and strong and eventually become delicious fruits and vegetables. For reference, I've picked up copies of Carolyn Herriot's book A Year on the Garden Path and Mark Cullen's The Canadian Garden Primer: An Organic Approach.

I also plan to go back through and reread Carolyn's as well as Carol Pope and Sharon Hanna's GardenWise blogs. If you're considering growing a food garden this year, I highly encourage you, dear readers, to do the same, as there's a wealth of great information in their blogs!

Just today I discovered this excellent post by GardenWise editor Carol Pope about testing and starting seeds: Going to Seed. I love that she keeps such a big stockpile of seeds in her arsenal; I'm inspired to start saving my own seeds (especially from some of the heirloom tomatoes I plan to get from the farmers market later this year!). She also gives some great tips on tools for seed starting.

Ask the professionals for advice

On my path to successful seed-starting, I'm also planning to take advantage of GardenWise's excellent Ask The Pros resource. Anyone can do it. Simply take a snapshot of the problem and email it with your question (or, if you don't have a photo, send your question via our form), and one of the region's foremost experts on exactly your issue will respond with an answer to your question posted on our Ask The Pros page.

Reach out to the gardening community

I'm also planning to do more talking. This spring there are plenty of gardening events going on around the province, many of which promise resident experts to answer gardening questions. My plan of attack: set some time aside beforehand to write down questions and notes so I can bring them along with me (that way I won't forget anything!).

Seedy Saturdays are a particularly good opportunity to get advice, as is the farmers market. Check out our calendar to find a gardening event near you.

Do you have any resources to recommend? Where do you turn for gardening advice, troubleshooting tips or DIY fix-its?