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Winter dulldrums got you down? Well let's get a head start on 2023 gardening season! Now is the time to purchase seeds, sit down with a botte of wine and organize. I separate mine first by the following catagories: WI perennials, other flowering annuals, veggies and herbs. Then I go further and organize by when they need to be planted into the ground (or put outside in a container). This helps to determine which seedlings need to be planted first. If you are growing native seeds that need a cold dormancy period, they might need to be cold treated even earlier than February (cold stratification can take place in a shielded location outside or in a ziplock bag with lightly moist vermiculite placed in refrigerator). Then I grab the calendar and mark some dates! Last frost in WI is around mid-May. So those seeds that say 8-12 weeks I start around now until the end of February. Those that say 8-10 weeks end of February to mid-March, and 4-6 weeks end of March to start of April. Start much earlier than these dates and you will get huge tall leggy plants (I made this mistake a few times when I got a little excited to plant early...)! You will need to acclimate seedlings outdoors little by little when they are old enough so that they get used to the sun's UV rays and windy outdoor conditions. Taking many huge seedlings in and out can be a chore! But those that need the longer germination period such as many herbs (lavender/oregano/rosemary) and wildflowers feel free to start now! May the force of germination be with you.....good luck!

Hello all! Want to welcome you to the Toad Hollow Blog. Here we will discuss plant care, varieties, and everything else plant related! Hope you enjoy. -TH