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  Credit: @plannt_ca on Instagram Starting a garden from seed can be a great way to grow your own fruits and vegetables. However, as the seedlings begin to grow and mature, it is important to thin them out to ensure that the remaining seedlings have enough space to grow and thrive. What is thinning? When seedlings are first planted, they are usually sown very close together to guarantee that some of them germinate in an area.  Thinning is the process of removing some of the seedlings from a group to give the remaining seedlings more space to grow.   Depending on how you originally planted your seeds, this could be one of the more difficult gardening tasks you encounter throughout your entire season.  Thinning becomes more difficult if you planted multiple seeds in the same spot instead of spacing individual seeds at the manufacturer-recommended seed spacing distance. Also, regardless of your sowing method, thinning can be a laborious task for crops like beets or carr...

Photo by  Joshua Lanzarini  on  Unsplash Square foot gardening is a popular gardening method that allows gardeners to maximize their space and grow a variety of plants in a small area. The idea behind this method is to divide your garden into square-foot sections and plant different crops in each section. This method not only saves space but also helps to reduce the amount of water and fertilizer used. In this blog post, we'll explain how to sow seeds outdoors when following a square foot gardening method. Step 1: Plan Your Garden The first step to sowing seeds in a square foot garden is to plan out your garden space. Here are some considerations for this: The types of growing space you have Raised bed, in-ground, containers How the sun moves in your yard throughout the day, and which areas get the most sun.   What types of crops are best suited to your growing space and environment Light levels, wind, season length, soil drainage. What crops you want to grow & w...

Photo by Jael Rodriguez on Unsplash Transplanting seedlings from indoor containers to your garden is like graduation day. Your babies are off to make their own way in the world. However, before you take this step, it's important to ensure that the seedlings are properly acclimatized to the outdoor environment. If you need a refresher on hardening off seedlings, check out our Gardening Guide on Hardening Off Seedlings . If you're ready to transplant, read on to discover how to do this in a way that will help your seedlings thrive in their new digs (sorry, plant pun). Step 1: Choose the right time Transplanting seedlings should be done when the weather is suitable. For most crops, the reason you are starting the seedlings indoors in the first place is because you need to wait until the last frost has passed to transplant them outside. However, some more advanced gardeners may choose to start seeds indoors well into the growing season in order to time their transplant with the...

As we embark on a new growing season, many of us seasoned gardeners are itching to act on our carefully crafted plans.  In the lockdown era where supply chain issues had grocery stores running on empty, interest spiked around the idea of growing your own food. With concerns about the environment, the cost of groceries, and the desire for fresh, healthy produce, many people are beginning to turn to "urban farming" as a way to feed themselves and their families. For many novice gardeners, the process can be overwhelming, especially if you're like me and want to try multiple varieties of the same crop.  How do I coordinate all of the different planting schedules? How much space do I need for all the seeds I purchased? Will there be enough time in the season to get a harvest at all? These questions, if not properly considered, can make or break your growing season. That's where plannt.ca comes in. With this helpful tool, users can easily plan and organize their garden, d...

  "Growing your own food is like printing your own money."  - Ron Finley I love to cook, and I love to eat.  I'm concerned about pesticides, transport emissions, and fair trade.  I also happen to have a background in Lean Manufacturing (how to do anything as efficiently as possible).  Over the years, I found that growing my own food brings all of my passions together and gives me an outlet for experimentation and learning. Every season, I use my backyard garden as a testing ground for different varieties of fruits & veggies that I grow from seed.  My goal is to see how well they perform against each other, with the ultimate goal of finding a handful of crops that will produce reliably in my specific hardiness zone.   When I first started, I created a spreadsheet to track everything.  However, it quickly became a mess due to my love for variety.  I couldn't maintain a live map with so many things changing at once.  There was no t...