Veseys Seeds, based in York, Prince Edward Island, is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The mail order pioneer clearly has as clearly taken root in a broad swath beyond its Atlantic Canada origins.
Growing from seed
Starting seeds indoors
Seeds of annual flowers and vegetables are easy to germinate and grow on to seedling stage, either indoors under lights or outdoors directly in the garden. There are basic protocols for soil, light and moisture, with specific requirements applying to individual plant species.
Petunia Tidal Wave Red Velour grabs attention
Petunia Tidal Wave Red Velour is grabbing attention becuase of its glamorous colour and bold growing habit.
Beautiful pumpkins — warts and all
The arrival of seed catalogues coincides with the end of pumpkin season. Plant hybridizers now are evolving beautiful “ugly” heirloom pumpkins.
First attempt at starting seeds indoors
The top of my refrigerator ended up being the only suitable place for starting seeds indoors, because it’s out of the way and close enough to the light.
How to test for seed viability
Seeds seem suspended in time, but they contain living tissues, and have a finite number of years to remain viable. Here’s how to test for seed viability.
‘Italian Cameo’ basil
Judith Adam is trying dwarf basil, a natural complement to tomatoes and also ornamental on the deck. She selected ‘Italian Cameo’ basil.
Growing alpine strawberries
Sweet alpine strawberries are small intensely flavoured little berries also known as fraises des bois. The attractive perennial plants make good groundcover.
Scented plants for shade grown from seed
For some shady corners, Judith Adam uses long-blooming scented plants grown from seed. Some of these plants are almost forgotten and not so easy to find.
Dwarf tomato seeds
Judith Adam is picky about the tomatoes she grows. In the hundreds of tomatoes in seed catalogues, it’s not easy to find dwarf tomato seeds.
Moonflowers from seed
Moonflowers are distinguished by their night-blooming schedule and intoxicating fragrance that moves through the garden. Try growing moonflowers from seed.
Dark morning glories from seed
My dark morning glories are heirloom hybrids of I. purpurea, producing half-hardy seeds that will often remain in the soil over winter and sprout in spring.
Dwarf vegetables in containers
Growing container dwarf vegetables requires conscientious watering if you expect good fruit quality. I use soilless mix amended with extra vermiculite.
Starting primroses from seed
Starting primroses from seed doesn’t always require complicated treatment to germinate. Judith Adam is enchanted by lovely old-fashioned kinds of primroses.