Indoor sowing
To maximize crop quality, strength and yield, they must be established from organic plants.
Blog
Sowing calendar
It is important to sow at the right time. Young plants left to stagnate in boxes lose much of their vigor and precocity.
Portrait of our producer Martin Drouin from Saint-Didace
A part-time gardener at the Jardins du Grand-Portage, he has been interested in seed production for several years. This year, he is growing seeds from around twenty cultivars on nearly 4 acres of arable land.
The onion... A venerable bulb
I produce 400 bulbs a year, 50 of which are used for seed production. A natural antibiotic The onion — Allium cepa — is known for its important medicinal properties.
Garden density table
Semences du Portage offers you its density chart to help you with your garden plan at a glance. Happy gardening!
Nettle manure
To fertilize tomatoes, eggplants, cucurbits and other voracious plants, it is suggested to water the base of the plants with a 20% diluted solution, after a good rain.
Stinging, but beneficial nettle
Among market gardeners and organic gardeners, stinging nettle occupies a special place. Indeed, nettle manure is of immeasurable help to the vegetable garden, as it is used as a fertilizer and helps reduce the presence of certain pests.
The naked seed pumpkin
I experimented with growing naked-seeded pumpkins in the early 1980s after reading a fascinating article in the now-defunct Harrowswith magazine. I discovered a cucurbit that produces seeds with the highest protein content in the plant kingdom. Its protein percentage is close to 40%, compared to soybeans at 35% and beef at 27%. Pumpkin seeds also contain 45% unsaturated fat and are high in vitamin A, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.
Three beetroot recipes
The roots simmered for barely 20 minutes so that they were tender and firm at the same time. I ran them under cold water for a few moments to peel them, rubbing them gently between my hands. Then I cut the beets into cubes and sent them into the bowl to join the diced apples, which were macerating in a creamy sauce made of mayonnaise diluted with apple juice and tarragon-flavored vinegar. I stir gently, arrange the salad on a bed of chopped Boston lettuce hearts, top with slivers of Elizabeth blue cheese, and cover everything with toasted walnuts, still warm, and finally, I sprinkle with a shower of chopped parsley.
The art of direct seeding
In the garden, many species are propagated by indoor sowing. This is the case for tropical species which, when sown directly in the garden, do not have enough time to ripen their fruits and produce a decent harvest; this is the case for tomatoes, chilies, peppers and eggplants. Some northern species, because of their long growing time, also require indoor sowing.
The Quest for the Perfect Tomato
I have been actively gardening in Saint-Didace for over thirty years. In 1980, Diane and I established our first garden, where we transplanted about ten tomato plants, and we have never stopped cultivating this solanaceous plant, the most popular vegetable plant in the West. Since then, I have continuously experimented with tomato cultivation and sought out the cultivars that are best suited...
German chamomile, a small flower with a thousand virtues
It is difficult to determine the exact origin of the so-called German chamomile—Matricaria recutita—since the Asteraceae has naturalized almost everywhere it is cultivated, whether in North America, South America, the temperate zones of Asia, Europe, or North Africa. It is known that it was already widely used in ancient times. The Egyptians venerated it and dedicated it to the Sun God. In Arabia, it was used as a massage oil. The Greek pharmacologist and botanist Dioscorides, author of De Materia Medica, used it as an emmenagogue.
