Below we have provided you with an outline of our growing and production process. We believe in being as transparent as possible about how our plants are grown, where our seeds are sourced from, and what products we use in the growing process.
Fall (September to November)
Fall is our time of seed collection and planning. We collect seeds from our gardens, from our property in Pass Lake, and from other places such as friends' gardens and farms. The places we collect from are located in northwestern Ontario, although we may on occasion collect from farther abroad in Ontario. Seeds are cleaned, dried, labelled with not only the species but the date and location where they were collected, and stored.
We also pot up our end of season perennials into bigger pots. These are sold the following season as second year perennials. We overwinter our perennials in cold frames or outside with the roots protected. Because native plants are accustomed to our harsh climates, as long as the roots are protected, the plants will survive the winter. Layers of snow also provide good protection as does straw.
Late fall is also a good time to plan. We spend hours planning for the next two years of growing. This includes planning seed collection, sourcing seeds, estimating supplies that we will need, planning the numbers of plants to grow, reviewing the past season records so we have a better idea of what grew well and what customers wanted, and planning for cold stratification of seeds. We try to take detailed notes of our growing processes and how the plants grew over the summer. We review those notes to plan for what we might do differently next season. This is also a good time for us to connect with other native plant growers, listen to webinars and podcasts, and research information.
Winter (December to March)
Winter is about seeding. We use a process called winter sowing. Recycled milk jugs or lasagna trays, or any other transparent container that is more than 4 inches deep, provide the perfect containers. Milk jugs are partially cut horizontally about 4 to 5 inches from the bottom with the handle still attached and holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. We add about 3 to 4 inches of soil to the milk jugs and sow the seeds on top of the soil. Whether or not we cover the seeds with soil or sand is dependent on the type of seed and whether it needs light to germinate. The top of the milk jug is secured with duck tape or twist ties. Lasagna and other trays are used similarly with holes drilled in the top and bottom for drainage and air. Come spring, the seeds have a very high germination rate. The milk jugs and other containers act as mini greenhouses, and protect the seeds from being eaten by rodents or birds. We typically sow hundreds of milk jugs and other containers.
We also plan for cold stratification for the seeds that we will jump start under lights indoors or sow outside in early spring straight into pots and trays. We are experimenting with growing a few species under lights in early spring to give them a jump start on growth. We are still deciding whether or not we do more of this or if we stick to solely growing outside.
Early Spring (April to June)
Spring is all about monitoring and anxious anticipation! Milk jugs and other seedling containers are monitored daily and more frequently for moistness. We use trays with no drainage holes or kiddie swimming pools filled with a couple inches of water to ensure containers are moist. We leave the containers in the water for anywhere from ten minutes to overnight to ensure they are moist, depending on the moisture requirements of the seeds. Our containers are not watered from the top because seeds and seedlings can sift, resulting in uneven seeding and germination. As such, they must be watered from the bottom which means sitting in water until the soil is moist. If seeds or seedlings dry out, they run the risk of dying or not germinating. We check our containers multiple times per day to ensure appropriate moisture content. During these months, we may also take off the lids of containers to acclimate our seedlings to the weather. We are also busy saving water from spring rains which we collect in our water tanks and use later in the summer for watering our plants.
Spring and Early Summer (May to July)
Spring is all about transplanting! Hundreds of milk jugs, which typically yield between 30 to 100 seedlings each, need to be transplanted into pots. This is a painstaking process given the seedlings are extremely fragile. We use a soil mix such as ProMix or AgroMix and add compost and fertilizers which include both macro and micro nutrients. These are added in reduced quantities than one would expect since native plants do not require as much soil amendment and fertilizer as traditional plants. We have been using Alfalfa Green Organic Fertilizers which we buy from a local farm--Sleepy G Farms.
We do not use greenhouses to start our seedlings. We believe that it is critically important that our plants grow in the climate they are accustomed to. This ensures proper bloom time for the pollinators that need them. By artificially growing plants, we run the risk that their blooming times will not coincide with specific pollinators. Because many pollinators are specialists, that is, they will only collect nectar and pollen from specific species, bloom time is critically important. Our selling season begins in June when we can begin selling our overwintered second year perennials. Second year perennials are available throughout the season dependent on supply. First year seedlings will be available in the summer.
Summer (July to September)
Summer is all about selling! You will find us at the Thunder Bay Country Market and other places around town selling our plants. At the nursery, we are busy monitoring our plants, watering as necessary, occasionally fertilizing, and protecting them from wildlife.
We sell until October as many people may be looking for trees to plant in the fall or perennials to fill out their gardens. Fall is a great time to plant native trees and shrubs.
Our Conservation Practices
We try to do what we can to grow sustainably. Here are the following practices that we use
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our growing and production processes. We love talking plants and growing, and would be happy to answer any questions!
Fall (September to November)
Fall is our time of seed collection and planning. We collect seeds from our gardens, from our property in Pass Lake, and from other places such as friends' gardens and farms. The places we collect from are located in northwestern Ontario, although we may on occasion collect from farther abroad in Ontario. Seeds are cleaned, dried, labelled with not only the species but the date and location where they were collected, and stored.
We also pot up our end of season perennials into bigger pots. These are sold the following season as second year perennials. We overwinter our perennials in cold frames or outside with the roots protected. Because native plants are accustomed to our harsh climates, as long as the roots are protected, the plants will survive the winter. Layers of snow also provide good protection as does straw.
Late fall is also a good time to plan. We spend hours planning for the next two years of growing. This includes planning seed collection, sourcing seeds, estimating supplies that we will need, planning the numbers of plants to grow, reviewing the past season records so we have a better idea of what grew well and what customers wanted, and planning for cold stratification of seeds. We try to take detailed notes of our growing processes and how the plants grew over the summer. We review those notes to plan for what we might do differently next season. This is also a good time for us to connect with other native plant growers, listen to webinars and podcasts, and research information.
Winter (December to March)
Winter is about seeding. We use a process called winter sowing. Recycled milk jugs or lasagna trays, or any other transparent container that is more than 4 inches deep, provide the perfect containers. Milk jugs are partially cut horizontally about 4 to 5 inches from the bottom with the handle still attached and holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. We add about 3 to 4 inches of soil to the milk jugs and sow the seeds on top of the soil. Whether or not we cover the seeds with soil or sand is dependent on the type of seed and whether it needs light to germinate. The top of the milk jug is secured with duck tape or twist ties. Lasagna and other trays are used similarly with holes drilled in the top and bottom for drainage and air. Come spring, the seeds have a very high germination rate. The milk jugs and other containers act as mini greenhouses, and protect the seeds from being eaten by rodents or birds. We typically sow hundreds of milk jugs and other containers.
We also plan for cold stratification for the seeds that we will jump start under lights indoors or sow outside in early spring straight into pots and trays. We are experimenting with growing a few species under lights in early spring to give them a jump start on growth. We are still deciding whether or not we do more of this or if we stick to solely growing outside.
Early Spring (April to June)
Spring is all about monitoring and anxious anticipation! Milk jugs and other seedling containers are monitored daily and more frequently for moistness. We use trays with no drainage holes or kiddie swimming pools filled with a couple inches of water to ensure containers are moist. We leave the containers in the water for anywhere from ten minutes to overnight to ensure they are moist, depending on the moisture requirements of the seeds. Our containers are not watered from the top because seeds and seedlings can sift, resulting in uneven seeding and germination. As such, they must be watered from the bottom which means sitting in water until the soil is moist. If seeds or seedlings dry out, they run the risk of dying or not germinating. We check our containers multiple times per day to ensure appropriate moisture content. During these months, we may also take off the lids of containers to acclimate our seedlings to the weather. We are also busy saving water from spring rains which we collect in our water tanks and use later in the summer for watering our plants.
Spring and Early Summer (May to July)
Spring is all about transplanting! Hundreds of milk jugs, which typically yield between 30 to 100 seedlings each, need to be transplanted into pots. This is a painstaking process given the seedlings are extremely fragile. We use a soil mix such as ProMix or AgroMix and add compost and fertilizers which include both macro and micro nutrients. These are added in reduced quantities than one would expect since native plants do not require as much soil amendment and fertilizer as traditional plants. We have been using Alfalfa Green Organic Fertilizers which we buy from a local farm--Sleepy G Farms.
We do not use greenhouses to start our seedlings. We believe that it is critically important that our plants grow in the climate they are accustomed to. This ensures proper bloom time for the pollinators that need them. By artificially growing plants, we run the risk that their blooming times will not coincide with specific pollinators. Because many pollinators are specialists, that is, they will only collect nectar and pollen from specific species, bloom time is critically important. Our selling season begins in June when we can begin selling our overwintered second year perennials. Second year perennials are available throughout the season dependent on supply. First year seedlings will be available in the summer.
Summer (July to September)
Summer is all about selling! You will find us at the Thunder Bay Country Market and other places around town selling our plants. At the nursery, we are busy monitoring our plants, watering as necessary, occasionally fertilizing, and protecting them from wildlife.
We sell until October as many people may be looking for trees to plant in the fall or perennials to fill out their gardens. Fall is a great time to plant native trees and shrubs.
Our Conservation Practices
We try to do what we can to grow sustainably. Here are the following practices that we use
- We save appropriate water from household use and store it in our water tanks for use when the season is dry. This may be water from cooking pasta, potatoes, or other vegetables, water when adjusting the temperature before a shower, or water from rinsing out coffee grinds from our coffee maker. We try to save as much household water as we can for use on the plants.
- We save water in our trays, other containers, and kiddie swimming pools from the rain and store it in our water tanks.
- We try to water by hand rather than using a hose, and water from below or drip water rather than from above to conserve water. We use drip irrigation as much as possible when we need to use well water.
- We use recycled milk and water jugs to winter sow our plants. We get these from local coffee shops and from friends.
- We reuse our plant pots as much as we can. We ask our customers to return the pots so we can reuse them.
- We use non-traditional containers for some of our plants, including reusing plastic cups and cream / milk containers.
- We collect milk crates and reuse them for holding and transporting plants.
- We use old pallets to hold our plant trays.
- We reuse greenhouse plastic given to us from other growers for our cold frames.
- We compost and use this to enrich our soil. We get manure from local farmers.
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our growing and production processes. We love talking plants and growing, and would be happy to answer any questions!
