In Northern Ontario, gardening zone 3, our secret to successfully growing pounds and pounds of vegetable crops despite our challenging and short growing season lies in a carefully planned approach.

Getting a head start on the growing season is mandatory when growing in a climate with short summers. These are the 4 plants that we make sure to start growing indoors under lights in February. That's right…February is when our growing season begins here on the Wilderstead.

If you want to grow peppers in colder climates, you should be starting your seeds much earlier than you might expect. It's also a good idea to select varieties that require a shorter season or look for varieties that are more tolerant to cooler temperatures. You should also look for varieties that mature earlier so that you can harvest them before the season ends. In our case, the pepper varieties that we grow come from our own saved seeds which we have been developing for the last 6 or 7 years.

By starting your pepper plants indoors in February, you are getting them ready for transplanting into the garden at a much larger size. You get a jump start on the harvest by starting your outdoor growing season with plants that are more mature and ready to take advantage of the summer season. You can start harvesting your pepper plants much earlier than if you had started them later in the year. Starting pepper plants indoors months before planting outside reduces the risk that comes with planting smaller seedlings and chancing them being eaten by insects, rodents and other pests that might be waiting for an easy meal.

A hoop house is a great way to extend the growing season and provide protection from extreme weather. However, a hoop house is not necessary for growing peppers, even in our colder northern climate. Peppers can be grown in most climates without the use of a hoop house provided you are giving them a big head start when they are moved outside into your garden. Peppers prefer a long and warm growing season, but they are also tolerant of cooler weather and shorter growing seasons. With proper care and attention, peppers can produce good yields even in climates with shorter growing seasons. A hoop house is a great way to extend the growing season and provide extra protection from extreme weather, but it is not always necessary for growing peppers.

Asparagus is another crop that we start in February. We have a large patch of garden space that we've dedicated to growing asparagus. While this particular crop is easily grown in colder climates, and is a perennial food crop, meaning it comes back every year a little stronger than the last, it is a good idea to start new asparagus seeds each year to add to your asparagus crop. This will help to ensure the health and productivity of your asparagus bed for years to come. Asparagus plants can remain productive for up to 15 years, so it is important to consistently add new plants to the bed to ensure a healthy, productive crop. The other option when planting asparagus is to purchase asparagus crowns which are somewhat mature and ready for planting. The downside to using asparagus crowns is the cost. You don't get much for the amount you pay. Seeds are much cheaper and are relatively easy to start and grow.

Onions can be started a couple of ways. You have the option of planting onion sets, and starting from seed. Onion sets tend to grow quickly once planted, but there's an elevated risk of the plants bolting and going to seed earlier, and the risk of introducing unwanted pests or disease into your garden. They're also quite pricey when compared to the cost of seed.

One crop that we are particularly proud of our growing capabilities is celery. We use a lot of celery all year round, so we grow a ton of it every year. Celery is a very slow growing crop that definitely benefits from having a very early start in the year. We've started this as early as the first week of January in the past.

We've found that starting plants in early to mid February gives sufficient time for the plants to mature, and we are usually starting to harvest celery ribs in late July or early August.

Aside from dedicating a great deal of time to saving our own seeds here on the Wilderstead, we've learned during our time growing a large amount of our own food is that by starting seeds indoors, we can extend our growing season, get a head start on the harvest, and have more control over the environment in which our plants are growing. Starting seeds indoors is especially important in colder climates, where the growing season is shorter and the temperatures are cooler. With a little extra effort, and a few simple tricks, it is possible to have a successful vegetable garden in even the coldest climates.

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