Special for the Record Imagine my surprise when I received a preview of a 2023 seed catalog in my inbox. I haven’t even finished putting my garden to bed to close out the 2022 season. I’m not ready to look until next spring yet. Mind you, scrolling through the sneak peek list, I saw quite a few plant seeds that would ideally be scattered around the garden right now. Yes now, despite the freezing temperatures that await just around the corner. The seeds of some plants need vernalization: a period of exposure to cold, even freezing weather to begin the germination process. Examples are allium, poppy, delphinium, foxglove, black-eyed Susan, columbine, penstemon, lobelia, sweet william and many more. But this need for vernalization is not limited to flowers. Some vegetables and herbs also benefit from a period of vernalization. These include kale, cauliflower, rutabaga, leek, parsley, endive, broccoli, lavender, scallion, sweet sicelli, chives, arugula, and more. Think about that for a moment. Remember coming across thin single-stemmed seedlings while cleaning up the area where your allotments bloomed last year? It really pays to let spent flowers drop their seeds before removing them. Besides, some stems decorated with spiky hair add a “cool dude” touch to your floral display. And it saves buying aluminum bulbs in the fall if you want to grow the original patch in the garden. What about those delphiniums that appeared for a third year when the seed packet or plant label said they were biennials? The very concept of biennial is a plant that produces leaves in the first year and flowers in the second year. And then he dies! Polish your trophy and get credit for being an amazing gardener growing three-year-old dolphins! Just don’t tell anyone you never killed the spent flowers last year. I love my Delphinium Trophy because the ‘Pacific Giants’ in the back garden are descendants of the original seeds I started almost 23 years ago. Two year old plants, my leg. Self-seeding plants just rock. Want a jump-start on the vegetable garden? Let some of your lettuce, kale and arugula go to seed in the fall. Come spring you’ll have respectable-sized plants that are easy to dig up and move into a neat row. Or, if you prefer to prepare your vegetables in the fall so they are ready to plant once the weather warms, you can actually sow these hardy vegetable seeds now and cover them with mulch or leaves. This technique saves valuable indoor windowsill space for growing more tender vegetable seedlings such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. You can also use this same technique if you are growing a cutting garden. Any of the hardy annual flowers will tolerate being left in the garden under a nice blanket of mulch or leaves. These include calendulas, sweet peas, snapdragons, alyssum and more. Well, here’s the thing. If you like starting plants from seed, but some of your seeds aren’t germinating, it’s probably because they need this spring ripening period. It’s definitely what I should have done right away with the seeds for the black-eyed Susan plants that John wanted. It took me three tries before I finally figured out where I was going wrong. Years ago, I came across a saying: “The lesson is always taught in a garden.” It has stuck with me ever since because, boy, is it ever true! Leslie Cox is co-owner of Growing Concern Cottage Garden in Black Creek. Her website is at www.duchessofdirt.ca Comox Valleygardening
