My digging supervisor was on duty yesterday.
Also, planting colourful veg in the garden helps me find them amongst the foliage, before they get too enormous or stringy. Still not sure how this “master of disguise” hacked the system 
.
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hi, I’m new. I’m Canadian, live near Toronto.
I am also (for the third year) trying to grow Pohutukawa- Metrosideros Excelsa. which is from the Northern tip of NZ and really has absolutely no business growing in Ontario (I’m also a NZ citizen and it’s my favourite NZ tree.).
This year, I’m going to try 100 seeds each of red and yellow, and use a heat pad underneath the tray to give it a real shot (I hope). wish me luck
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What a beautiful tree 
Do you have a greenhouse for it, or are you planning to try and grow it outdoors?
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I have a little greenhousy thing to start the germination in- I’m going to start it just after christmas (when I get my heating pad, hopefully). My hope is to plant it out into a pot, and have it brave the outdoors sorta June-September or whatever, then I’ll move it inside into my kid’s room which has the most sun. And if more than one germinates then I’ll be giving them away. I doubt anybody else in Ontario has them
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What a wonderful garden 
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The zoomed-out view is a bit of a mess at the moment because I have “left it for the wildlife”, as my aunt puts it (AKA not tidied up any of the dead plants for the winter). I am very pleased with the heather though; it’s recovered well from an ill-advised pruning a couple of years ago.
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Today’s excitement is the arrival of the greenhouse I ordered 6 months ago:
Not the best location, admittedly, but we have a very small garden.
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Oh now that is a sweet size 
I recently saw one that was on wheels and could be converted into a small one person “writer’s room”
Am definitely considering doing more veggie planting when I get to have that bigger garden after the renovations are done.
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Veggie gardening is great 
I’m planning to plant more perennial veg this year, to save me effort in the long run! I’ve got some walking onions overwintering in the conservatory to plant out in the spring.
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I prefer my vegetables sessile, thank you very much.
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Was that a single plant? I heard potatoes were easy? Or is this because of winter?
I think it was 8 plants. To be fair, I just planted the seed potatoes and left them - this is what complete neglect produces 
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Some evidence of the approaching spring
I’ve also sown my first seeds of the year: chillies, sweet peppers and luffas in the heated propagator.
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I’ve got Pohutukawa started in my mini greenhouse, been 10 days or so… no signs of life yet. I’ve significantly dampened the soil (think it was too dry) - not soil, bu seed starting mix (that I hate, doesn’t absorb water at all well, but whatever). I’ve got it on a heater, the soil is warm, hopefully with the added moisture the seeds will kick off.
I"m also trying to grow manuka in addition to the rest of my list
Get Stuffed & Japanese Trifele & Black Cherry & Riesenstraube & Yellow Currant Tomatos
Oxlip Cowslip Primrose
Hellebore
Alexanders
Angelica
Chervil
Caraway
Cumin
Beebalm
lovage
Upland Cress
black hollyhock
Salad Burnet
Strawberry Spinach
Ramsons & wild leeks
Fenugreek
Heartsease
Radio Calendula.
Purple de Milpe Tomatillos.
Hardy herbs will go in the front garden to continue packing it out. Much of the rest will go in beds in the back (which still gets a crap ton of sun over the house, despite facing north- we’re 43 and a bit degrees north). Front yard faces south, mostly. I put hardy herbs there and it’s my main herb garden.
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To my great shock, I seem to have managed to get 3 pohutukawa seeds to germinate. (The photo shows the first one).
They’re incredibly wee, I have no idea how long they’ll take before they can be moved into little pots and planted on (some months,I understand). But… holy crap.
I may well be the first person in Canada to grow Pohutukawa from seed.
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That’s super exciting! 
I had some new arrivals for the garden yesterday:
Two honeyberry plants (a kind of edible honeysuckle)
And something to satisfy my nerdery:
There were also some rhubarb crowns, which currently just look like sticks in dirt 
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I’m very impressed by that kit
