Winter Preparations

Seed Starting

I have started seed planting successions almost every week since January. The seed starting schedule depends on varieties germination timeline and days to maturity. Some I have started thus far include lisianthus, sweet peas, dianthus, snapdragons and many more. Next up will be the heat loving seeds such as zinnias and celosia. I prefer using soil blocks to help with space under my grow light setup. Soil blocking also prevents plants from getting root bound and decreases transplant shock.

Lisianthus seedlings

Dahlia Propogation

I’ve also planted some dahlia tubers in trays to force growth for cuttings for propagation, which will help me to increase production of some of my favorite varieties. Dahlia propagation deserves it’s own, separate post. I’ll share my techniques but do recommend you follow @santacruzdahlias and @dahliasplease for the very best information on all things dahlias.

Dahlia cutting bed

Greenhouse

We picked up a couple little greenhouses to prevent seedlings from taking over my kitchen. The basement seedling starting set up is getting full and I’m evicting cold hardy annuals out to the greenhouses. These are small but will help make space for me to start more new seedlings!

My fancy little greenhouse : )