Our winter has been incredibly mild. Several deciduous shrubs in the garden have yet to lose their leaves. All this warm weather creates an itch that needs to be scratched by gardeners, but I encourage you to hold your horses for a touch longer.
Mother nature probably has a few weather surprises in store for us and I would guess at some point we are still going to see some cooler weather and freezing. You can really do your garden a disservice by getting in it too early and tromping around on the wet soil. When the soil is wet, you can easily compact it and create clay. Early pruning followed by frost and thaw can damage your plants irreparably.
Take this time to do some reading and research. For those who want to grow plants from seed this year, this is a wonderful time to peruse the seed catalogues and make some informed choices.
There is a plethora of seeds available to home gardeners these days. The varieties and selection is dizzying. They also cost a ton of money so it is helpful if you do some research, share with friends and shop wisely.
There are a lot of terms being bandied about in the seed world. In most seed catalogues, you will see a large amount of hybrid seeds and open-pollinated seeds. It is important to make sense of what type of seed you are looking for and why.
If you have ever grown seeds from a package and watched a row grow and mature, you have probably noticed that not all seeds are equal. Some of the plants mature earlier than others of the same strain, some have a different shape and colour, and some appear more vigorous. If this is the case, you are most likely growing an open-pollinated variety of seed. This is the type of seed to buy if you are hoping to save your seeds from year to year.
When you grow open-pollinated seeds, you have the ability to pick and choose which plants you prefer to carry on the lineage. It is a cost-effective way to select plants that do really well in your garden and your conditions, which will provide you with a similar product from year to year.
Hybrid seeds are a different kettle of fish. These seeds are bred to provide uniformity with their disease resistance, maturity date and size. This is a useful variety for people who grow produce for markets and also home gardeners with limited space who want to be confident with their end product. Hybrid seeds can be organic.
The big difference with open-pollinated and hybrid seeds, aside from the predictability of the hybrid, is that you should not save the seeds from hybrid plants. They will not grow true the following year.
There are benefits to growing both open-pollinated and hybrid seeds. One is not necessarily better than the other and each provides a great product. Just consider each seed's attributes before you purchase them.
Fans of CBC Radio 1 should tune in on Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. to hear Brian Minter discuss seed starting for our West Coast gardens, or visit www.mintergardens.com/BM_Listen.htm
