Welcome to the WCS fundraising site. If you are NOT looking to purchase as part of a fundraiser, please click here to visit westcoastseeds.com
Welcome to the WCS fundraising site. If you are NOT looking to purchase as part of a fundraiser, please click here to visit westcoastseeds.com
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Gardening Glossary

Micro-Greens

Unlike sprouts, which are grown in water, Micro-Greens are grown in soil, and harvested when the first pair of true leaves have emerged. The whole plant is used, roots and all. Colourful and full of flavour, Micro-Greens can be used as you would sprouts – in sandwiches, as garnishes or as a unique salad on their own. Just about any vegetable or herb seed can be used, too. Some of our favourites include radish, kale, pac choi, and kohrabi.

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Light

All plants require some amount of light in order to grow. Nearly all vegetables and fruits (and most flowers) require full sun – 6 to 8 hours of direct sunshine during summer days, between 10am and 6pm. Parital sun (or part shade) refers to plants that prefer to be shaded from direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day, or plants that can grow in sunlight that is broken by fences, overhead trees, and so on. It is possible to grow some vegetable varieties in part shade, including leaf crops, carrots, peas, onions, radish, cauliflower, and cucumber – but...

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Mesclun

Mesclun means a “mixed up mess of baby greens.” You can pick individual leaves or shear off the whole patch about 2cm (1″) from the ground. The plants will re-grow and can be cut again and again. Combining different flavours and textures produces a great range of salad possibilities. Mescluns are easily grown in containers where space is limited. In the garden, plant them somewhere easily accessible for repeat harvests.

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Intercropping

Growing small crops in the spaces alongside larger plants, or alongside plants which are so slow growing that before they reach maturity the smaller crop will have been harvested. Some plants (such as spinach) may be grown this way because they benefit from the shade given by the larger crop. Other varieties suitable for intercropping include radishes, lettuce and early peas.

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Legginess

This term generally applies to seedlings or young plants. Plants become “leggy” due to insufficient light, either from being started indoors where there is no supplemental light or by being planted too close together and competing for limited available light. Seedlings deprived of sufficient light will grow tall and spindly as they seek light. This causes weak stems and less robust transplants. To avoid legginess, it’s important to provide seedlings sown indoors with supplemental light. Sometimes a bright windowsill is enough, but we recommend suspending full spectrum fluourescent tubes just above the seedling tray, and keeping it lit for 8...

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