Here is the instant vegetable garden | The Press

If the vegetable garden continues to gain popularity, many gardeners are saying: “No more seedlings! » Especially since the number of vegetable varieties sold in plants has increased considerably in recent years, particularly since the pandemic.

Imagine, today you can find carrots, soybeans, beans, beets, snow peas, Swiss chard, potatoes, spinach, corn and even radishes in the form of young shoots ready to be planted. This is obviously without counting the hundreds of more traditional species and varieties such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and others. It only takes a few hours, time to do your transplants, and your nourishing garden is ready. Here is the instant vegetable garden.

Expensive vegetables

The ever-growing popularity of vegetable gardening is partly attributable to the considerable increase in the price of fruits and vegetables, explains Francis Lapointe, co-owner of the Lapointe Nursery in Mascouche. But the wide variety of plants offered also explains this attraction, he believes. “During the pandemic, many took up gardening and started seedlings with varying degrees of success. Those who missed out are now buying plants,” he says. The nursery, which produces its own vegetable plants, offers for example four varieties of carrots (50 plants per pot), fingerling potatoes and beans, to name only these vegetables which are normally sown in the ground. . Without forgetting the more common species such as the many hot peppers, even the hottest ones which, he insists, are increasingly sought after.

Visit the Lapointe Nursery website

Less worry and care

Director of production at the Maison des fleurs vivaces, a renowned wholesaler in Saint-Eustache, Mario Morin also confirms that a host of vegetable crops that were usually sown directly in the garden are now available in stores. Beans, peas, spinach, Swiss chard are among them. In some cases, he even sees a sort of horticultural incongruity. For example, he points out that a cucumber plant and seed planted at the same time will usually produce at the same time. As for carrot, radish, corn, soybean, edamame, “Fingerling” potato and Egyptian onion plants, they meet the specific demands of garden center customers. “Not only is the product line broad, but for the hobbyist, there are no more problems with space, disease and lighting at home,” he says. Same advantages with sowing in the ground. No more delicate watering on seeds or seeds devoured by birds or squirrels. Better yet, in many cases, we can harvest earlier.

Visit the website of the House of Perennial Flowers

Tomatoes and peppers: unwavering popularity

Installed at Johanne and Esthel’s kiosk at the La Prairie Gardeners’ Market, François Martel also produces carrot, beet and corn plants for “urban” gardeners, he emphasizes. But its great specialty is tomatoes, the most popular vegetable plant in Quebec. In May, it will offer no less than 210 varieties, probably the most impressive choice in a garden center. “Amateurs sometimes reserve their plants from the end of February to be sure of obtaining the desired variety. » But hot peppers are not left out, as demand has increased significantly in recent years, he confirms. Its catalog includes 75 varieties. According to Mr. Martel, the demand for Asian vegetables is also constantly growing.

Write to François Martel to obtain his catalog

Succeeding in your sowing, a challenge

It is always rewarding to successfully sow and have a good harvest from a simple seed. For some enthusiasts, it is also the only way to obtain new varieties that are not yet available in garden centers. This is often the case for plants awarded prizes each year by All American Selections, a non-profit organization. Furthermore, it is good to remember that the use of seed ribbons or even seeds coated with clay (pelleted in English) greatly facilitates the task when handling small seeds (beet, lettuce, tomato, in particular), which allows easier distribution in the garden while eliminating the work of thinning the seedlings due to a density too great. Some references: W. H. Perron, for seed ribbons, Veseys and Jonnny Selected Seeds, for coated seeds.

Visit the WH Perron website

Visit the Veseys website (in English)

Visit the Johnny Selected Seeds website