January is the longest month of the year for gardeners. We long to get out into the garden, and if we get a bright sunny day, we do. But much of the month, we pour over seed catalogues and make plans about what we will do when the weather warms up.

Well, January is just about done and next month, we can start seeding and planting. I've already had some glorious time in my greenhouse puttering about, cleaning things up and getting ready for the coming season. Recent snow flurries notwithstanding, we all know spring and gardening season will soon be here, and Dig This is here to help you get the most out of your garden. Read on for tips, ideas, new products and sales. Remember, we love gardening as much as you do!

Elizabeth Cull, Franchise President
 

We've started to receive our West Coast Seeds and more are arriving each week. Come in and pick up one of their free catalogues - one of the best free resources on how to grow veggies and flowers. I especially like the chart at the front which shows you what vegetables can be planted each month.

We also carry organic seeds from local The Garden Path nursery and from Seeds of Change, a US company that specializes in heritage and rare varieties. And that's not all: each store carries a selection of seeds from other companies, like Suttons, Mr. Fothergills, Renee's Garden, Richters, and Thompson & Morgan, Nature's Garden & Cedar Creek.

Starting February 1st, our website will feature a selection of gorgeous English flower seeds from Plants of Distinction. Watch for this!
 

It's time for our semi-annual greenhouse sale. From January 31 until February 22, you can get a Supreme 86 (see picture to the right) with aluminum staging (work bench), an autovent opener, plus the excellent Greenhouse Gardener's Companion, a complete guide to everything greenhouse, for $1500.

This is an excellent deal, saving you $235, and ensuring you have the most sought after accessories right from the start.

Need a larger or smaller greenhouse? Buy any other greenhouse before February 22, and get the accessory package of one single-tier alumimum staging (work bench), autovent opener and the Greenhouse Companion for $150 - a saving of $165 dollars!

There's nothing like puttering about in your greenhouse in the early spring. Elizabeth recommends saving a small spot for a chair, so you can sit in your greenhouse when it's too cool outside and, as she puts it, "inhale the soothing green air".

As the Dig This greenhouse installer, I'm available for site consultations. My best advice is buy the largest greenhouse you have space for and can afford, because as soon as you start working in your new greenhouse you'll find something you could do in another couple of square feet.

The greenhouse shown here belongs to Dig This Market Square employee, Laura West. Laura has a tiny urban garden and thought she didn't have room for a greenhouse though she longed for one. At first she considered the 4' by 6', but with careful measuring, and relocating a few key plants, she now has a 8' by 6' greenhouse that looks like it's been in her garden forever! She wonders what took her so long to make the move.

Peter Kamerman, Co-Owner, Dig This Nanaimo
 

Or a bench or fountain or a large pot or an interesting piece of garden statuary. Winter is the perfect time to take a good look at your garden. The leaves are off the trees and there are no distracting elements like colourful flower beds. You can really see what landscapers call "the bones" of your garden.

It's a bit like the advice home decorators give you for the inside of your house: remove all the decorative elements and then redesign your room from the basics. In the case of your garden, Mother Nature does this for us each winter.

I like to look at my garden from inside the house and make sure I have beautiful views even when not in the garden. The addition of a strategically placed birdbath (or fountain, or pot, or piece of garden art) draws the eye through the garden and creates interest. These permanent "hard" elements in the garden compliment the plantings and make your garden more like an outdoor room, and much more than just a collection of plants.

Virginia Parkhurst, Owner, Dig This Broadmead
 

You can get a head start on spring by forcing the branches of flowering shrubs indoors. Nothing beats a simple bouquet of forsythia in bloom during the dull days of January and early February.

Here are some good choices:

Forsythias (Forsythia spp. and cvs.)
Witch hazels (Hamamelis spp. and cvs.)
Cherries (Prunus spp. and cvs.)
Lilacs (Syringa spp. and cvs.)
Magnolias (Magnolia spp. and cvs.)
PJM rhododendron (Rhododendron 'PJM')
Quinces (Chaenomeles spp. and cvs.)

Cut and gather the branches and bring them inside. Place in a bucket of warm (100° to 110°F) water with some floral preservative. (You can make your own preservative with 1 tablespoon of Listerine or 1 tablespoon of lemon-lime soda per quart of water.) The preservative will promote hydration and retard bacterial growth, keeping the water clear for up to a week.

Next, fill a sink with very warm water. Holding the stems underwater, recut them at a severe angle an inch or two above the original cut. For larger branches - around 1/2 inch diameter- split the end of the stem in half for a distance of about an inch to allow more of the interior of the stem to be available to take up water.

Then, create your arrangement, placing the branches away from bright, direct sunlight and away from any direct heat source, which will dry out the buds and branches and reduce overall bloom color and quality.

To read the entire article on forcing branches, go to http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/ 

Ann Watley, Owner, Dig This Sidney

Are you thinking about eating better? Eating fresh vegetables that you know for certain are chemical and pesticide free?
Are you concerned about our environment? Wanting to reduce your carbon footprint?

Why not grow your own food? Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon tried to see if they could live for one year eating only food grown from within 100 miles of their Vancouver home. Then they published their story - The 100 Mile Diet. I thought it might be a bit "preachy" and make me feel guilty enjoying my coffee or eating bananas. On the contrary, it is an inspiring book that shows you how easy it is to find  more of your daily food closer to home. Not only do you eat better and reduce carbon emissions, but you help local farmers.

Over the next year, Dig This is going to include something to inspire you to eat more locally-produced food in every newsletter. If you have any stories to tell, or tips to share, please send us an email to info@digthis.com

You've bought the seeds and now you're ready to go. How do you ensure you are successful? Here are 10 great tips from an expert.

1. Keep notes

An often overlooked aspect of plant propagation is the art of record keeping. Whether you are producing a few plants for your home flower and vegetable gardens or working at a larger-scale nursery, developing a propagation journal will prove indispensable. Make sure you note what varieties you've started and when. Later in the season, note how they turned out. And don't, like I did one year, forget to label your seed flats accurately, or you'll wonder why your cucumbers look like pumpkins!

2. Store seeds properly

While some seeds may survive for thousands of years under the proper conditions, others will lose viability quickly, even when properly stored. Keep seeds in a cool, dark location with low humidity, like a refrigerator. I recommend labeling them (seed name, source, year) and storing them in a small reclosable bag or empty film canister that is, in turn, kept in a larger plastic container.

3. Use wide, flat containers to avoid overcrowding

Plastic pots are preferable to clay pots when starting seeds, as they retain moisture more consistently. Wide, shallow containers prevent both overcrowding of seedlings and excessive moisture around fragile, young roots. Plants that resent root disturbance when transplanted are best sown into small, individual containers like cell packs or peat pellets. Recycled plastic containers, like empty yogurt or margarine tubs, work well, too, provided you've poked holes in the bottom for drainage. No matter what type of container you use, it must be clean - wash in warm soapy water, rinse and let dry before planting.

4. Tamp seeds down to make direct contact with the soil

When starting seeds in containers, as opposed to directly in the garden, always use a soilless seed-starting mix - never use garden soil. It turns to cement in pots and may contain pests, weeds or disease. Cover the seeds to the depth of two times the seed diameter. Very small seeds and those that require light to germinate should lie directly on the surface. Whether covered with planting medium or not, each seed must be in firm contact with the moist surface to begin germinating.
After planting, cover seeds with sieved potting mix. Lightly tamp to ensure firm contact between seeds and mix.

5. Prevent disease by providing air flow and drainage

The fungal infection often referred to as damping-off is usually caused by excessive moisture and poor air circulation. Don't overwater! To promote good air circulation, place a small fan near your seedlings. Keep the fan on low and direct it to blow across the containers at the soil level where air may become trapped and stagnant.

6. Cover trays with a dome to keep the moisture level constant

Seeds are very sensitive to the extremes of overwatering and underwatering. In addition, heavy-handed watering can disturb newly germinated seedlings. Placing a dome, or even clear plastic wrap or a plastic bag, over the surface of a freshly sown seed container can help to keep the moisture level constant. Check regularly to make sure the seeds aren't too dry or too moist.

7. Keep seeds warm to encourage germination

Most seeds require temperatures of 65° to 75°F to germinate. Place seed containers near a heater or other warm spot, or use a seed heating mat designed for plant use placed directly under the seed containers.

8. Turn seedlings daily to keep stems strong

Most seeds will not germinate without light and will perform best with 12 to 16 hours each day. Indoors, place seed containers in a sunny, south-facing window and give the container a quarter turn each day to prevent the seedlings from overreaching toward the light and developing weak, elongated stems. Better yet, use a grow light.

9. Feed them well

After true leaves develop, it's time for a little fertilizer. Use a mix designed for seedlings, or use a regular fertilizer at half strength. Fertilize weekly.

10. Acclimate seedlings to direct sunlight

Before seedlings can be planted outdoors, they need to be hardened off, or acclimated to direct sunlight and fluctuating temperatures. It is best to do this over a three-day period by placing them in direct sunlight during the morning only of the first day, then increasing their time outside by a few hours each day until they are vigorous enough to be transplanted.

Source: Adrianna Vargo, Fine Gardening. For more seed-starting tips, go to
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how-to/articles/ten-seed-starting-tips.aspx?nterms=74878

 

The renovations to Dig This at Market Square are complete. Drop by and see what we've done - the new main floor is packed with great gardening items and new ones are arriving every day.

A big thank you to all our customers who came by and purchased items from our basement - we really didn't want to move everything upstairs!  There are still some terrific bargains to be had by visiting our former lower level (Entrance is through the lower courtyard in Market Square). Most things in this sale area are priced at $1, $2, $5 or $10. Sale ends this Sunday, February 1st.
 

Even in our mild climate, there's not a lot to do in the garden in January.

So, relax, tidy your potting shed, make sure your tools are clean, sharp and ready to go. Browse through seed catalogues and plan what you'll grow.  Look over your garden and decide what you might like to change.

Next month, you can start seeds and do some pruning and clean up.  For now, make a cup of tea and relax.

Seedy Saturdays are coming up in many comunities next month.  This is a great opportunity to buy plants and seeds and other garden related items.  Dig This will have a booth at these three shows.  And yes, we will have our seed potatoes there for sale at our booth.

Qualicum Beach Seedy Saturday:  Saturday, February 7, 2009 10 am - 3:30 pm       Qualicum Beach Civic Centre - 747 Jones Street, Qualicum

Seedy Saturday Victoria:  Saturday February 21, 2009 10 am - 4 pm            Victoria Conference Centre

Nanaimo Seedy :  10 am - 3 pm             The Bowen Park Auditorium

For more information go to http://www.seeds.ca/ev/events.php

The 14th annual Spring Festival Celebration of Island Gardening Show is scheduled for March 13 - 15, 2009 Beban Park Social Centre,2300 Bowen Road, Nanaimo.  Admission is $6.00 per day or $12.00 for all three days.  For more information, go to http://www.islandgardenshow.com/