Seeds In

Saturday, January 20, 2007 03:45 AM

This time of year does not make you think of gardening outdoors, however this is the perfect time of year to start planning for the upcoming spring.

The new seeds for 2007 have already arrived in the garden centers and this is a great time of year to browse through them and see what is new for 2007 as well as go through your old favorites. This way you will have the seeds in your home when you are ready to plant and won’t be disappointed as some varieties sell out and can not be reordered.

When looking at the seeds you want to make sure that the varieties and types of seeds to choose will grow in our Prince George climate.

When growing annuals or vegetables that only need one season, hardiness zones do not play a large part as these plants do not need to survive the winter. One important factor when choosing varieties of flowers and vegetables that will do well in our area is the days to maturity. This means, how many days will it take for the flower to bloom or for the vegetable to produce a harvest.

We have a short growing season with an average of 72 frost free days, although it depends largely on where you live as in the Pineview area we had only 40 consecutive frost free days in 2006. So, you are looking for varieties that require a short growing season.

You can extend the season by starting the seeds indoors and transplanting them outside after risk of frost has passed and also by covering the garden with a frost protection blanket such as ’Reemay’.

Another thing to look for when choosing varieties of annuals or vegetables is checking how the plant adapts to temperature change.

Prince George has temperatures in the summer that are 25 Celsius during the day and at night will dip to 5-10 Celsius during the night and this can affect some varieties of tomatoes, and other heat loving temperatures.

Other things to watch for when choosing seeds are the difficulty level in starting them. Some seeds can take 50-60 days to germinate and others may need special treatment so it’s important to read the directions on the seed packet and see if you have the experience and the patience to start the seeds.

Seed packets contain a lot of important growing information and often times on the seed racks there will be a seed catalogue book with further information about varieties and types of seeds.

Also when choosing varieties or types of plants that you want to start from seed you need to have some idea of where you will plant them as some require full sun, whereas others prefer shade.

So, this is a very good time of year to go into the garden center and check out the seed displays. It is also a good time to ask questions from knowledgeable staff as they have more time now than they will in the spring to help you with any problems you may have had last year and give you information on how to start your seeds and the materials needed for success.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George Area: