Here at the darkest time of year, I head to the garage to plant the first seeds of 2024. The glow of the lights and the green of the first sprouts are a comfort and an inspiration. Outside, the wind is blowing the rain sideways, but in here is a warm, dry sanctuary of light complemented by the smell of damp soil. Visions of fields of blooming flowers and plants loaded with peppers, tomatoes, and squash fill my imagination as I work. The seed catalogs add fuel to the fire, revealing a bounty of new and heirloom seeds that I MUST try this year!
If you are itching to get started on your own garden, consider signing up for our first two Garden Workshops of the year. The January 13 workshop (10 AM to 12:30 PM) is on Planning Your Garden, where we’ll focus on selecting vegetables and flowers that grow well in our climate zone, the timing of seed starting for different crops, understanding crop rotation to prevent disease and pests, and guidance on where to obtain the seeds you want. We’ll address both vegetables and flowers, with Seth Gowans from Sidekick Flowers presenting a strategy for creating a garden space that will provide you with cut flowers all season long, while also providing food for pollinators. We’ll also introduce you to a web-based planning tool that we have found to be invaluable for planning our garden spaces from year to year. This will be an indoor-only class. Bring a laptop or a tablet if you have one, so you can access the web tool. Tickets can be purchased here.
The January 27 workshop (10 AM to 12:30 PM) will focus on Seed Starting. We’ll discuss the techniques and equipment needed for indoor and outdoor seed starting, conditions needed for optimum germination of different seeds, and the timing of planting, both to start the seeds and to transplant out to the garden. We’ll do some hands-on seed-starting in the greenhouse. Bring your own seeds or help us sow some of our own. We provide a tray with a selection of cell sizes and seed starter mix for planting your seeds. Tickets can be purchased here.
One final thought to ponder . . . To plant a seed is an act of faith—in biology, in renewal, and in continuing this journey that is life. I hope you can join us in this most human effort. Wishing a Happy New Year to all.
