Interested in learning more about plant propagation from a professor at Cornell University? Three excellent online courses available January and February, 2027. Click for more info and registration instructions.
As seeds age, they lose their viability. Commercial packages generally indicate the germination rate for the year for which the seeds were sold (eg. 80%) meaning that, under good conditions, 8 of 10 seeds will germinate. Tables are readily available to indicate average seed life expectancy. For instance, corn has a life expectancy of 2 …
When you pour your seeds (home-saved or commercial) out of the package, you rarely think of what structures are inside the seed coat you see. Parts of a Seed Cotyledons are embryonic leaves providing water and energy for young plants until true leaves photosynthesize. There may be one (monocot) or two (dicot) cotyledons. Water absorption …
There are several, and often conflicting, steps given for propagating geraniums through cuttings. You asked, in November, whether it was okay to plant your geranium cuttings started in water (“water babies”). Certainly, plant the geranium cuttings with roots in a potting mix that is well draining. Place these young plants in a sunny window (not …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonSeptember 10, 2026 As planting winds down and harvesting continues, here are some things to do this month: Tomato pruning: It is time to prune off new shoots and flower clusters on indeterminate (vining) varieties of tomatoes in the garden. Late flowers will set fruit too late to become mature tomatoes and …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonJune 22, 2026 We are moving into the season when we start planting in earnest for winter harvests. If you are growing your own winter broccoli and winter cauliflower from seed, sow this week if you haven’t already done so. I went into varieties and sources in detail last year so I …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonMarch 16, 2026 Everyone is eager to plant, despite the occasional waft of winter-like weather (it snowed all yesterday evening at my place). So, what can you do right now? The soil is going to be too wet to work with all the rain this week, but you can try sowing a …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonFebruary 17, 2026 The weather forecast this morning continues to show a few cold nights this week—ranging from -2 to -5oC [23-28oF] in some south coast areas for Wednesday and Thursday. While in mid-winter such temperatures would not damage hardy vegetables, the warm winter we have had has brought on early, and …
Click here to view the handout from Christine Quist’s talk at Fall into Gardening on September 27.
Who knew that the September full moon will tell us the best place in our gardens to plant next March? Read this fascinating article by Jo Canning about using the full moon to determine where the sun shadow will be in your garden in six months and how that affects your seedlings.
Vancouver Island Master Gardeners 