Well, as the weather warms up, I’m sure you’ve noticed your seedlings growing. Last blog I put out a call for pictures, and so many members answered.
One thing you’ll notice throughout the pictures is that each person has a slightly different setup. Some have sown seeds individually, while others have crammed them in. There is also a variety of containers from cell trays, to pots and even trays that hold pots. The one thing these all have in common is the winter sowing method and how each person protected the seeds. It’s important that you think about the setup that works best for you and your space, so that’s something to consider when looking at each setup!
In early May, Mary Margaret sent me a picture of the tiny swamp milkweed that had sprouted in the tray she had taken with her to Ottawa. With Ottawa being much colder than Toronto, it was lovely to see the seedling.
On May 11, Christine L. sent a picture of her sprouted seeds. While the white snakeroot was sprouting, the ironweed wasn’t. She also had great luck with New England aster seeds she had collected on a walk.
On May 21st Pat sent me pictures of her trays. While the Flat Top aster was not sprouting, the Joe Pye weed had been up for weeks. The common milkweed had about 70% germination rate and was having its second set of true leaves. As you can see, right from the start Pat decided to individually sow the seeds in cell packs. While this technique initially takes more space, it’s soooooo much easier to transplant the seedlings and you don’t have to worry about root damage.
When Linda D. sent me pictures of her seeds, she had lost the label for one of her pots. One quick look at the list on our blog indicated that she had Big Bluestem which was a relief since it meant that the grassy seedlings showing up were supposed to be there. Pretty good germination rate!
Shawn is also growing cup plant and he has two awesome looking seedlings. He can think about moving them to individual pots so they can each get their own space to spread their roots.
Karen is growing an army of Foxglove beardtongue and she sent this picture before she began dividing them
Veronica sent in the last set of pictures and the top tray has white snakeroot and the bottom tray has zigzag golden rod. She has used the trays which hold the pots.
As for myself, I have been potting up even more seedlings and taking inventory. My outdoor greenhouse is almost full and I have even given away some seedlings for a community garden already.
So what are the seedlings I already have? Similar to the original inventory I took at the start of our project, I will be posting a similar one as you begin potting up your seedlings. So far the seedlings I have are listed here. Remember that our intention was for you to keep half the seedlings and give half back for community projects, outreach, and sharing. Of the half you keep, you can trade with others.
So what happens if your seeds did not sprout? No worries! The important thing is that you tried. There are so many issues that could have happened, but you will still be able to get seedlings. You can most certainly use our common pool of seedlings for plantings within your community.
In the next few weeks I will begin posting about some of the community project that members are working on. They include gardens for schools, community centers and ravine restoration. Take a look around your neighborhood and see if you see opportunities, and let me know. We can work on a way to engage community members together.
One last item that might interest you: Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla, two key project Swallowtail leaders, will be launching their amazing book about the Rusty-patched bumblebee on June 8th at High Park Nature Centre. You know Lorraine as the passionate promoter of native plant gardening and environmental activist. Sheila is a bee expert and such a source of knowledge. Their collaboration together guarantees an amazing project.
Admission to the book launch is open to all, but registration is encouraged so that the organizers can get an idea of how many to expect.
