Spring Gardening Adventures: Seeds, Squirrels, and Surprises
Spring is (allegedly) coming, and I’ve officially transformed my indoor setup into a seed-starting command centre. The basement has been bustling with seedlings, all eager for their big debut in the new outdoor garden. Coming from the West Coast, my sense of garden timing is still a bit… optimistic. I started many seeds far too early, and this year’s extra-chilly weather hasn’t helped. Here in our new zone, the last frost date is May 31st, and—true to form—we had a frost warning just a few days ago. So, I’ve promoted all the seedlings from the basement to the deck, where they now huddle under cloche covers that I’ve screwed down tightly (it gets windy here; I’ve watched my neighbour’s setup do a tumbleweed impression across the yard more than once)!
Most of the plants are thriving, though a few are giving me the “root bound and ready to move out” look. Next week promises four glorious days in the double digits, and I suspect the lilacs will finally bloom. That’s my cue: “When the lilacs bloom, it’s safe to plant the annuals.” It’s a much friendlier method than trying to decode microclimates in zones 5a or 5b, where even the weather apps throw up their hands in confusion!
I’ve already sown some cool crop seeds in the new outdoor garden, but this morning I caught the Blue Jays feasting on… something. I like to pretend it’s bugs, but it’s probably the spinach seeds I just planted. I’m going to test a trick I found on YouTube: covering newly sown seeds with boards until they germinate. It’s supposed to help with carrots, and since it works for microgreens under blackout covers, why not outdoors? As long as I keep an eye out for sprouts, what could go wrong!?
Now, you’d think with three large bird feeders, the birds would be well-fed. But apparently, my garden is the new bird buffet. Maybe the squirrels have been raiding the feeders too much, so yesterday we greased the feeder poles with Vaseline. So far, it’s working, and we trimmed the nearby tree branches for good measure. Ironically, as I write this, a large grey squirrel just attempted a kamikaze leap from an even higher branch—ending in a spectacular belly flop on the lawn. Opa’s “Honey Do” list now includes “remove trees near bird feeders.” It’s only a matter of time before that squirrel perfects its Olympic swan dive and lands on the feeder again!.
Speaking of birds, I’ve been shooing a determined robin off my outdoor entry lights all week. She finally relocated—right into the middle of my prized Costco hanging basket. It was a definite “What the feather?!” moment. We’ve reached a truce: I water the flowers gently, she bravely nests through gale-force winds, and Opa’s “Honey Do” list grows with “make robin nest boxes for next year”!
Anticipating future raccoon night raids, I’ve installed motion-sensitive solar spotlights around the new garden. Last year, our string lights annoyed a raccoon so much that he unscrewed the bulbs and shredded the cable. I guess he preferred a darker dining experience!
Compared to the outdoor circus, the indoor garden is a breeze—just a few gnats, easily managed by sticky traps. The half-dozen jars of leafy greens provide us with salads every couple of days, and the cucumbers and tomatoes are setting fruit. I do need to organize the area better (note to self: fewer plants next time). Indoors, at least so far, everything grows, so there’s no need for extras like in the great outdoors!
When it comes to Maritime gardening, the real challenge is making sure the outdoor garden feeds us, not the neighbourhood wildlife. If my “Honey Do” list gets much longer, Opa might just suggest we plant flowers and call it a day. In the meantime, stay tuned for more tales from the Maritime Family Gardening—because with this crew, there’s never a dull moment!
