1/9/26 

Don’t you just love receiving emails from seed companies prompting you to “download” their newest catalog? Well, I don’t. I actually love skipping out to the mailbox to see what pleasant petal-packed surprises await. Then I quickly sift through the pile and pick out the tried and trues and happily look through them to see what’s new…

This year, I got an email from a well-meaning purveyor and of course refused to download their offerings, however, I did find something useful to share with you, here. This chart tells us the probability of when certain temperatures occur based on our zip code. If you enjoy growing your own flowers and veggies, you’ll want to know this valuable information, because it can help you determine when you should start preparing your trays, when to actually plant those tiny wonders and when to eventually put them out in the garden. Awesome right? And I didn’t even have to download anything.

Happy Gardening,

Amelia

12/31/25   When I first started growing flowers up here in the North Country, I thought I could just follow the directions on all of those seed packets and enjoy constant blooms from Spring until frost. As many of you know, this is not the case because of a lot of factors, but the main one is what I call the Persephone Period. Named after a Greek goddess to explain the changing of the seasons, it’s the time of year when the earth rests, hours of daylight shorten, plants go dormant and people gather close to stay warm and celebrate the harvests. In the northern hemisphere this is usually from early November until some time in February. Knowing when the Persephone Period ends and your hours of daylight reach ten can make all the difference in how well those little seedlings will sprout and grow on before you can plant them out after frost.

You can find this information HERE, just fill out your city and state and the chart will show you when you will start to get ten hours of daylight. In Gouverneur, February 5th is when we see a little more than ten hours of daylight; which is also when my greenhouse will become a whirl of activity…

Ah, but then we have to check our moon signs because the moon’s pull (position) also affects these tiny seeds (think tides) and when they decide the conditions are just right to sprout…

I depend on the Old Farmer’s Almanac for this valuable wisdom. These can be purchased online, or usually found at your local grocery store. The easy thing to remember is that root crops are best started when the moon phase is waning and aerial crops (like flowers) are best started when the moon phase is waxing. A beautiful resource for Moon Planting is found HERE.

Being mindful of the sun and moon and how these two heavenly bodies influence earth can enhance your seed growing success (even in zone 4 or colder climes). Connecting with their steady healing energies and life-giving force will help you and your gardens bloom for years to come…

Happy Gardening,

Amelia

1/1/26 Today I am printing off a calendar with moon phases. I will use this to plan seed starting. I have over twenty varieties of annuals to start this year. I also have to carefully succession plant the ones that are not “cut-and-come-again.” I have two notebooks that I use for jotting down information. Maintaining order amidst the seeming chaos of planting time is especially grounding and gives me a sense of peace in the process. Do you journal everything? Do you plan out how you’re going to fit everything in your grow space, or just wing it and make room? Feel free to email me here to share your answers and we can grow together!

Happy New Year and Happy Gardening,

Amelia