🌱Before You Start Garden Planning...

Garden season has officially started!

Garden centres are open, plants are showing up in stores, and Seedy Saturday in Cobble Hill last weekend was a clear sign — we are ready to get growing.

It’s an exciting time.

But it’s also where I see the same thing happen every year. I know because it happens to me after all these years.

A lot of plants get bought too early, planted too soon, or chosen without a clear plan. Seeds get started to early too, especially tomato seeds.

And a few weeks later, things start to struggle.

I am here to tell you I am not immune to this even after 40 years of growing. Impulse plant purchases have cost me $$ over the years where I either left them on the porch to die or planted them out only to have a frost weaken or kill them. And it always hurts me when I have to throw a good plant into compost because I realize too late I don't have a place to grow it.

But each year I learn and get better. Here on the farm, we are well under way planting outside with our high tunnels, the greenhouse and large propogation room to support the plants at this time. The greenhouse is filling steadily—tomatoes are establishing strong roots, peppers are coming along slowly, early starting flowers are filling out and everything is being grown with timing in mind for our coastal conditions.

There’s no rush yet to plant out.

🌿 A few things to keep in mind right now:

1. Timing matters more than availability. Just because plants are in stores doesn’t mean it’s time to plant them outside.

2. Choose for your space (not just what looks good). It’s easy to overplant this time of year—spacing and airflow matter more than most people expect.

3. Start with a simple plan. A little thought now will save a lot of frustration later in the season. We'll be sharing some basic things to consider when planning a garden later this week.

4. If you are growing from seed plan your space for growth and hardening off. I am the first to admit I have a seed buying problem. After 40 years growing experience I learned to plan space for seedlings that outgrow their space on a shelf. But as the image below shows, I am still learning as our ginger is having its best year ever!

🍅 Want to grow your best tomatoes this year?

If tomatoes are part of your garden this year, we’ve put together a simple growing guide that walks through all of this in more detail—based on years of growing here locally:

👉 Download our Tomato Growing Guide

We’re also getting ready for our Spring Plant Sale (April 25 – May 10), with pre-orders opening April 12. Our email subscribers will get information on exclusive early access to

More to come as we get closer.