Getting Started with Seed Starting

With temperatures starting to consistently creep above 10°C and snow days quickly turning into puddle days, it’s hard not to start thinking about the upcoming garden season.

One of the best ways to lean into that feeling is by starting a few seeds indoors — especially since certain crops greatly benefit from a longer growing window (especially when growing in a cold climate like the Kimberley/Cranbrook area). Check out this great info sheet on recommended seed starting dates that Sarah from Top Crop Too kindly made available at the recent Seedy Saturday event that was held in Kimberley at Lindsay Park School.

To help get you started with some seed starting from the comfort of your own home, Amy from KEGG (Kimberley Edible Gardens & Greenhouse) has put together a handy step-by-step video showing how she starts pepper seeds at home — including her setup, soil prep, planting depth, and a few simple tips to help improve your chances of success (tips that can be used for more than just pepper starts).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfZ70gFi9Gg

Whether you’re brand new to growing or just looking to refine your process, it’s a helpful walkthrough — and a good motivator if you’ve got seeds sitting around waiting to be planted (or if you missed the recent Seed Starting workshop that the Cranbrook Public Produce Garden hosted at the Cranbrook Library back in March).

Beyond getting started at home, there are still a number of ways to plug into what’s happening around our communities locally this spring:

• The Kimberley Seed Library (at the Kimberley Public Library) and the Cranbrook Seed Library (at the Cranbrook Public Library) are both stocked with free seeds and open for seedy business — including plenty of varieties suited to our region — and they are available during regular library hours all growing season.

• You can pick up seeds and supplies locally at Top Crop Too — and if you have a Kimberley Public Library card, you’ll receive 10% off gardening supplies.

• Join Kimberley Edible Gardens & Greenhouse and the Wildsight Community Garden for free Seed Starting Workshops at the Kimberley Public Library on April 14th & April 21st — seeds and seed starting supplies will be provided and you can take home what you plant… just make sure to register with the library as spots are limited.

• And if you’re in Cranbrook, there’s an upcoming Seed Saving Workshop on April 18 at the Cranbrook Public Library, hosted by the Mary Cosman (from Our Cold Climate Seed Library) and the Cranbrook Public Produce Garden — a hands-on session focused on how to save and grow seeds adapted to our local environment.

Whether you’re starting seeds on a kitchen table, setting up a grow rack, or getting your hands in the soil at one of the many community gardens in our region, this is the time of year when things start to come to life.

It’s also a great opportunity to think ahead to sharing what you grow. If you end up with more than you need, consider taking part in Plant A Row, Share A Row — helping get fresh, locally grown food into the hands of neighbours and community food programs.

And if you’re sharing your growing journey along the way, we’d love to see it — tag your posts with #kimcrangrowtogether on Facebook & Instagram, so others in the community can follow along, learn, and get inspired to get growing locally too!