March 5, 2026 - Propogating Some Succulents

Last year I planted a few succulents in a narrow planter that sat on a patio table. I wanted something that could tolerate heat and the occasional drying out. Whatever variety it is, it proved incredibly resilient. It survived being completely dried out at one point.
I was able to overwinter the planter in the greenhouse, and today I separated several small offsets (“babies”) from the main plant. I’ve set them up to root in their own pots.

To give them a bit of help getting established, I placed germination covers over the pots to hold in some humidity. It’s my first a time a time trying this. We’ll see how they do.

• 

March 5, 2026 - Verbena Seeds Sown 2026

Sowed Verbena seeds in germination trays, covered very lightly with vermiculite.

• Twister Violet – Veseys
• Pink Shades – Veseys

There were roughly 21 seeds per package.

• 

February 14, 2026 - Onion Starts 2026 - New Pots

I’ve always started onion seeds in small pots – about 10 in a 2.5 inch bootstrap farmer pot. The problem is this is a lot of pots and they are not deep enough so the plants need a lot of watering / fertilizing to keep them green before planting out.  This year I purchased new larger, deeper pots with dome lids at the dollar store. I planted 30 per pot.

• Patterson
• Talon
• Rossa di Milano

I forgot to by red onions seeds at William Dam Seeds. We’ll see if I can drive there this week but if not the Rossa di Milano are pink so I’m good.

Germination notes:

• Feb 21: about 60% germinated except Rossa di Milan (0%). I lowered the light intensity on my new AC Infinity Inboard S24 to 40% with the lights about 18 inches above the top of the pots. I lowered the heat mat to Low and will turn it right off once more have germinated.

 

• 

February 5, 2026 - William Dam Seeds Order 2026 - CAD$69.26

I picked up some seeds as well as potting soil. They charge more for potting soil but I’ve found that this early in the season it is less likely to have been stored for an entire year and be full of fungus gnats.

• Patterson Onions
• Royal Oakleaf lettuce (new 2026)
• Mustard greens (new 2026)
• Mizuna Red Frills (new 2026)

I also bought a big bale of organic potting soil (Pro-Mix) and a small bag of seed starting mix.

December 29, 2025 - McKenzie Seed Order 2026 - CAD$44.25

• Swiss chard Bright Lights
• Tomato Early Girl
• Lettuce Marveille Four Seasons (new 2026)
• Lettuce Early Curled Simpson
• Carrot Scarlet Nantes
• Carrot Rainbow Mix
• Beet Detroit Dark Red
• Bean Yard Long Orient Wonder Pole (new 2026)
• Bean Velour Dwarf French Bush (new 2026)

December 29, 2025 - Veseys Seed Order 2026 - CAD$136.22

• Maxibel beans
• Carminat purple pole bean
• Buscaro red cabbage
• Gateway cucumber (new for 2026)
• Marketmore-76 cucumber
• Black Magic kale
• Golden Glory summer squash (new for 2026)
• Noche summer squash
• Sunburst Scallop summer squash
• Talon onion
• Oregon Sugar II snow pea
• Clear Crystal Lavender alyssum
• Clear Crystal Purple alyssum
• Super Hero Mix marigold
• Obsession Pink Shades verbena
• Obsession Twister Violet verbena

December 28, 2025 - Revival Seeds Order 2026 - $43.67

This is a new Canadian seed supplier for me. I found some good heirloom tomato and onion seeds I wanted. Better than sourcing these through the United States.

• parade green bunching onion
• Rossa de Milano onion
• Feurerwek tomato (new 2026)
• Red Zebra tomato (new 2026)
• Indigo Rose tomato (new 2026)
• Kellogg’s Breakfast tomato
• Green Zebra tomato

December 28, 2025 - Eagle Creek Seed Potato Order 2026 - $42.89

Even ordering in December I was not able to get some preferred varieties this year. Seems to be common with Eagle Creek.

• Excellency
• Bellanita
• Nicola (new 2026)
• Gold Rush (new 2026)

October 28, 2025 - Greenhouse Startup 2025

Turned on the heat to the greenhouse today.

October 13, 2025 - Planted Garlic In New Raised Bed

Planted three rows of Music (house side) and one row of Red Russian. Thirteen in each row. Build the cover frame. In spring I will cover to combat leek moth.

April 19, 2025 - Direct Sowed Peas

Since my early starts failed as a result of a soil problem I decided to wait a couple weeks and try direct sowing again. I’ll have to go out next week and cover the seeds since I tend to lose the starts as soon as they come up. I’m not sure if it’s birds but something certainly digs up and eats the new shoots.

• 

• 

April 19, 2025 - Potted Up Basil & Tomatoes

I potted up basil and tomato seedings today. Luckily I discovered problems with the last bag of soil mix before this stage. This year I’m using the Pro Mix Organic Vegetable potting mix for everything from here forward.

Even though I used very old seeds, germination was still very good so I have more tomato plants than I’ll need again. And a note for next year, Big Brandy take longer to germinate that most other seedlings. Early girl seemed to germinate the fastest.

• 

• 

April 19, 2025 - Seed Starts - Dahlia & Cosmos

I waited a week longer than my garden plan to start my annual dahlia & cosmos seeds. It’s been an unusually cold spring and while I know the weather can get warm fast, I’m working on the assumption all my tasks will be 1-2 weeks behind this year.

• Dahlia – Bees Choice
• Cosmos – Cranberries
• Cosmos – Apollo Carmine
• Cosmos – Apollo Pink
• Cosmos – Capriola

• 

• 

April 6, 2025 - Moved Cold Crops To Coldframe

This is the first year I’m moving cold crop seedlings to the coldframe very early. I moved:

• onions
• lettuce seedlings I potted up.

I hope this hardens them off enough to get the lettuce in the ground in the herb bed in two weeks, and the onions in about 3 weeks – weather permitting.

April 6, 2025 - More Seed Sowing - Flowers, Tomatoes and Peas

I’m a little later than normal for sowing my tomatoes and peas but it’s been so cold this spring, with another full week of below normal ahead. I think this year overall is going to be a late spring so better not to germinate too early.

Today’s seeds:

• tomatoes
• peas
• basil
• strawflower
• marigold

I still did 7 varieties of tomatoes this year. Probably too many again!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

April 6, 2025 - Potted Up First Seedlings

I potted up first set of seeds sown in flats today. I ended up with:

• 31 Salvia Sirius Blue
• 15 Heliotrope
• 10 micro tomatoes
• lettuce seedlings

I probably could have done this a week or two sooner. I was looking for the seedlings to get a little larger but there were a lot of roots so next year I’ll know it’s about root size when pricking out, not plant size.

• 

• 

• 

March 28, 2025 - Took In Soil for Testing

I took samples of both vegetable gardens to SGS Soil Testing in Guelph this year. Total Cost $160.84. It was a very easy process. I just took in my soil in ziploc bags, filled in the form, paid & dropped them off. They said the results would be reading in 7-10 days.

March 27, 2025 - Few More OSC Seeds - CAD $11.48

My plan to use up old seed is mostly working, however, my mid-season cabbage seeds did not germinate and I was out of red. So I purchased a few more seeds this week. All OSC:

• Cabbage Lat Flat Dutch
• Cabbage Red Express
• Lettuce White Boston
• Beans Royal Burgundy (since we will be eating a lot of raw veggies this year during the kitchen reno)

March 23, 2025 - More Early Annual Starts

Started some alyssum, ageratum and gomphrena today

• Gomphrena Bicolor Rose (cell pack)
• Gomphrena Audray Purple (cell pack)
• Gomphrena Buddy Purple (cell pack)
• Gomphrena Lavender Lady (cell pack)
• Alyssum Clear Crystal Lavender (cell pack)
• Alyssum Clear Crystal Purple (cell pack)
• Alyssum Summertime Deep Purple (flat tray)
• Ageratum Aloha Blue (flat tray)
• Ageratum Timeless Mix (flat tray)

• 

• 

March 23, 2025 - Seeds Starts - Cold Crops

I started a few cold crops today:

• cabbage (early Faroa, mid-season Bronco)
• chard (yellow and red)
• kale (black magic)

Update:  my plan this year was to use up old seed.  The mid-season cabbage did not germinate so I purchased some new seed and sowed again March 30

• 

March 22, 2025 - Finished Maple Syrup for 2025

We did well this year, producing enough to fill 2 quart jars about 3/4 full each. That’s more than enough for us for the next twelve months.

 

• 

March 14, 2025 - First Outdoor Coffee

The sign spring is here for me 😁

• 

March 6, 2025 - McKenzie Seed Purchase March 2025 CAD $27.73

Picked up a few seeds at Rona. I’ve been quite successful this year in picking up all my seeds locally. No postage delivery charges this year.

• Lettuce Grand Rapids Tape (sometimes you have to be lazy)
• Lettuce Romaine Tape
• Marigold Hero Mix
• Dwarf Gray Sugar Snap Peas – I’m looking forward to trying a dwarf variety
• Carrots – Rainbow Mix & Scarlet Nantes Tape

March 6, 2025 - Seed Purchase #2 William Dam Seeds CAD$40.06

My second trip to William Dam Seeds this season. I should be good to go now:

• Dusty Miller Silverdust
• Grand Rapids Lettuce
• Tasty Green Cucumber
• Ageratum Aloha Blue
• Benary’s Giant Pink Zinnia
• Cosmos Cranberries

I also picked up a large bag – 2.8cu ft – of ProMix BX for $22.25

March 1, 2025 - Seed Starts - Herbs and Micro Tomatoes

I started parsley and celery today, all from old seed. I’m trying micro tomatoes for the third year, all from seed purchased in 2023. Last year I transplanted the tomatoes into the garden – that did not work so well. This year the plan is to try and force them a little earlier in small pots.

• Celery – West Coast Seed from 2021, several seeds per pot
• Parsley – McKenzie seed from 2021, several seeds per pot
• Yellow Cup Tomato – 4 seeds, one per pot
• Venus Tomato – 4 seeds, one per pot
• Pinocchio Tomato – 4 seeds, one per pot

• 

March 1, 2025 - Seed Starts - Early Flowers

Started a few early flower starts today. Some of these were old seeds, so I sowed heavily and we’ll see what comes up.  I have individual humidity domes for these small Boostrap Farmer trays which works well.

Today:

• Dichondra Silver Falls – new seeds from William Dam Seeds
• Dusty Miller New Look – new seeds from William Dam Seeds
• Coleus – various old seed, I just threw everything together
• Salvia Sirius Blue – seed was from 2022 – Bakers Creek
• Heliotrope – seed from 2022 I think

• 

February 23, 2025 - Tapping Maple Trees 2025

This winter has been much colder with a lot more snow cover. We still have roughly 2 feet on the ground. However the weather looks like we might finally see some above zero days, so tapping our trees this weekend.

• 

February 16, 2025 - Snow Tunnel to the Greenhouse

We’ve had two or three big snow storms go through in the last few days. And with no January thaw this year, we already had snow on the ground.  I still have a good path to the greenhouse though between digging and my mats.

• 

• 

February 1, 2025 - Onion Starts 2025

I started my onion seeds today. I thought I was a little later than normal but checking back it looks like I didn’t start seeds until Feb 14 in 2024. Kind of funny to have a garden journal but not check until after the fact!

Anyway – onion starts for 2025:

• Patterson (2025 seeds from William Dam Seeds)
• Talon (2024 seeds from Vesey’s)
• Stuttgarter Riesen (2024 seeds from Hawthorn Farm)
• Tannat Red (2025 seeds from William Dam Seeds)
• Spanish Medallion (2025 seeds from William Dam Seeds)
• Rossa di Milano (I had a few 2023 seeds left to try)

• 

January 30, 2025 - Eagle Creed Seed Potato Order 2025 - CAD $66.85

I ordered the same seed potatoes as last year from Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes – 1 kg each of Bridget, German Butterball and Excellency.  Sadly the postage ($37.95) was more than the cost of the seed potatoes ($28.90).  Unfortunately I have not found a source with as nice a quality as these so we’ll stick with it. Still, 9 months worth of organic potatoes for less than $70 is pretty great.