A short growing season doesnβt have to mean a small harvest. With the right strategies, you can extend your growing window, boost yields, and protect your plants from undesirable weather. Hereβs how to make the most of your time in the garden:Β
Choose Fast-Maturing and Cold-Hardy CropsΒ
Choosing the right plants starts at seed selection. Opt for seeds with shorter days to maturity β ideally 70 days or less. Direct-seeded crops like carrots, beans, beets, radishes, peas, and lettuce are great and reliable options. Cold-tolerant crops, such as kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and chicories, can be planted in warm weather and will continue to grow and form nice, beautiful heads or leaves as temperatures drop.Β
As far as the calendar is concerned, spring is half over, despite the sense for many of us in 2017 that is yet to begin! There are still dozens of seeds to start in May. It can still be cold...
Continue ReadingAs the frost recedes, the possibilities in our gardens expand. Around March 28, gardeners along the south coastal regions of British Columbia witness the last average frost date. This pivotal time signals a period of preparation and anticipation for the...
Continue ReadingIf you're trying to figure out whether your potato plants are determinate or indeterminate, you can breathe a sigh of relief. It's not as critical as it might seem. In the world of potato growing, the lines between determinate and indeterminate varieties are not as clear as they are with tomatoes or beans.
Continue ReadingAs the festive energy of the holidays gives way to the quieter days of early winter, it's a prime time for gardeners to engage in contemplative planning and to dream about the upcoming season's garden. This period, marked by a...
Continue ReadingThe Scoville Scale measures the pungency or spiciness of peppers in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The higher the SHU, the hotter the pepper: 0 SHU (No Heat): These peppers are sweet and have no detectable heat. 100β2,500 SHU (Very Mild...
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Discover the unique qualities of our Certified Organic Seed Potatoes, a hallmark of sustainable agriculture from the fertile Pemberton Valley. These potatoes are more than just a crop; they're a testament to the sustainable and organic practices followed by our trusted growers. What makes seed potatoes from West Coast Seeds so special?
Continue ReadingWhether you've harvested a bumper crop or picked a bunch ofΒ carrotsΒ from your local market, storing them properly means you can enjoy their crisp, earthy goodness well into the cooler months. Let's walk through the ins and outs of carrot storage,...
Continue ReadingAs we approach a new growing season, we begin with the inevitable anticipation of how and what we are going to start in the garden. Here at the farm, we start roughly 20,000 seeds every year. About half of those...
Continue ReadingThis is the first year I planted my entire garden with West Coast Seeds. Having a five-acre homestead, we maintain a very large garden with individual beds for each vegetable and 3 greenhouses for our warm season crops. As you...
Continue ReadingEverlasting dried flowers are having a glow up. Because the secretβs out β this βgrandma craftβ is grandma chic! A dried flower arrangement can be classy with whimsical soft pastels or energetically bursting with vibrant tones. And they have so...
Continue ReadingColeus is often grown as an annual bedding plant or in patio containers to provide a showy splash of vivid colour. Native to tropical regions of Africa and Asia, this shade tolerant plant can also be grown indoors for some extra colour all year round.
Continue ReadingGomphrena, commonly known as Globe Amaranth, belongs to the Amaranth family and are often grown as annual bedding plants.
Continue ReadingCommonly known as Lace Flower, Didiscus is admired for their delicate umbels of tiny, star-shaped flowers that are mildly fragrant.
Continue ReadingLove it or hate it, Cilantro can be a tricky yet rewarding crop to grow, especially when you have a continuous supply in the garden. Cilantro is an annual plant, unlike many other perennial herbs, so it needs to be...
Continue ReadingThe Brassica family contains the highest number of food bearing plants in all of the plant families, including Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, collards, cauliflower, and broccoli. All of these plants share the quality of being cold-tolerant. With crop protection, most...
Continue ReadingPeas, Pole Beans, Indeterminate Tomatoes and Cucumbers make great vegetables to grow along an arch or trellis. By growing vertically, youβll get more sun, better air circulation (which also means less chance of disease), and youβll produce more tomatoes and...
Continue ReadingUnlock The Secrets to Inviting Hummingbirds to Your Garden Let's meet our feathered friends, the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) and Annaβs Hummingbird (Calypte anna). Typically, the Rufous marks the onset of spring, arriving around mid-March, and stays for a lovely...
Continue ReadingEverybody can grow a salad green garden. Small space gardeners, low-light gardeners, even indoor gardeners can plant seeds to grow a continuous supply of salad through the gardening season. Watch the video below to learn all about growing lettuces and...
Continue ReadingComposting: The Garden's Gift That Keeps on Giving Imagine a process that transforms your kitchen scraps and garden waste into a nutrient-rich, soil-enhancing marvel. Welcome to the world of composting! This eco-friendly practice, deeply rooted in organic and biodynamic gardening,...
Continue ReadingThe Monarch butterfly's fascinating journey and precarious situation has been capturing hearts and headlines recently. If you search "Monarch butterfly" on YouTube, you'll discover a multitude of videos dedicated to preserving this unique species. The Monarch's distinctive migration pattern, spanning...
Continue ReadingLet's face it, traditional lawns can be a real resource hog. They guzzle water, demand constant trimming and generally return very little for your efforts. Plus, they take up space that could be transformed into a verdant food garden, or...
Continue ReadingAbout StingingΒ Nettle Although maligned in modern times due to its hairy leaves that cause skin irrititations, Stinging Nettle actually has many favourable attributes. It is a nutrient-rich food (cooking neutralizes the stinging) and both the leaves and roots boasts a...
Continue ReadingCorn, beans, and squash have been grown together for centuries in the Americas, and for good reason: they naturally work in concert with each other. Corn provides a growing support for the beans, which in turn provide nitrogen for the...
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