Gardening 101

**Gardening 101**

Part 1. Vocabulary

Just like everything else in this world, gardening has its own language and learning some basic terms will go a long way to making your gardening journey easier.  

All plants are grouped into three categories; Annual, Perennial, and Biennial.  

Annuals are plants that grow, mature, flower, seed and die all within one year, or more simply put, they go from seed to seed in one year. These plants need to be replanted every year.  Some examples of Annuals are Petunias, Impatiens and Allysum. Some annuals will drop seeds and grow the following year (known as self seeding) but it is still considered an annual as it is a new plant, not growing from the existing plant.  

Perennials are plants that come back every year. These are plants that live more than two years, and come back each year from the same root system. All perennials must go through a dormancy period (a natural state where growth and activity are halted in order to survive more difficult conditions like the cold), usually in the winter season, in order to grow the following year.  Examples of perennial plants would be Hostas, Irises, and delphinium. Perennials generally do not bloom all season long, they have more specific periods, such as early or late spring, and early or late summer. Many perennials are also initially planted in the late summer or early fall, so they can go through the dormancy period and start fresh come spring.

Biennials are a type of flowering plant that can take 2+ years to complete its life cycle. The first year, the plant is generally building its root system, and leaves. This plant tends to be quite low to the ground with very short stalks, if any at all. The plant then needs to enter into a period of dormancy, usually taking place in the cold of winter, and in the second year, the plant will grow quickly and with an extensive growth. The plant will then produce flowers, followed by seeds, and then dies off. Examples of biennials would be Hollyhock and foxglove. Like annuals, some biennials will self seed and keep producing plants, but they have their own separate root system from the parent plant. Sometimes biennials will complete the seed to seed life cycle in a single year, a speedy production. Usually this is due to some sort of forced dormancy (a random cold snap) or a climate event that accelerates the timeline (such as a drought). If a biennial does a full cycle in a single year, usually the plant is not as healthy and blooms not as vibrant as if it had two years to cycle.  

Next we will discuss Gardening zones, what they are why it’s important to understand them. 

Gardening Zones or also known as, Plant Hardiness Zones, are geographical areas that are grouped by the historical data collection of average winter temperatures, snow cover, proximity to large bodies of water, elevation and frost dates (this will be discussed in further detail in a future post). Zones are then split into subcategories (ex. a and b) for even more specific growing conditions. These zones dictate the potential survival of perennials. Zones in Canada range from “0a” being the coldest to “9a” being the warmest. An example of Zone 0a would be the high arctic, and some of the northern parts of Quebec and The Yukon.  Examples of 9a would be the southern most coast of BC, mainly the island of Victoria and parts of the lower mainland. The United States has its own Zone system with theirs ranging from Zone 1 to Zone 13. Finding your zone is not difficult and usually a quick internet search can help you narrow down your zone. Alberta usually ranges from Zone 1 in the northern regions to Zone 4 in the southern areas. Here in Calgary, we range from 3a/3b in the northern side of the city and here where I am in the south, we are 4a (might be able to overwinter 4b). Talking to your local gardening centers is also a great way to figure out your zone, and what you can plant. It is important to note though that gardening zones largely relate to perennials only, and only if they are planted directly into the ground. If you are using containers to garden, it is not likely that you will be able to overwinter your plants unless more measures are taken.  

Moving onto frost dates, these are very important to know and understand as they will indicate when you can plant, how long your growing season is, and when to expect that growing season to end. Many annuals and veggies are frost tender, which means that they can not survive when frost touches them. Many a gardener has had to redo their garden in the late spring, because they planted too early and the frost killed all their plants (Calgary weather, am i right guys?). It is also important to note that frost dates are an educated assumption. It’s based on previous historical data, and is not always exact. It is always important to keep an eye on local weather to stay informed of impending frost or any unusual weather patterns. Knowing what your estimated last frost date will help you plan any seeds that you are starting inside.  Frost dates are either Last frost date or First frost date. The last frost date is the last possible day there could be frost in the late spring, early summer. The first frost date is the first possible time you could expect frost. Like much of gardening, where you live makes all the difference and will dictate your frost dates. The further north you go, or the closer to the mountains you are, could affect both these dates. My rule of thumb living here in Calgary, is that I will never plant frost tender plants (plants that can not tolerate frost like most annuals, and veggies like tomatoes) before the May long weekend. Inevitably it will snow over the May long weekend, and every year I see gardeners having to re-buy and re-plant entire planters and garden beds. It’s always better to err on the side of caution and plant later. Your other option is having frost barriers set up so that you can easily cover tender plants should the frost fall. The first frost date usually tells us when we can expect to harvest all our fruits and veggies, and when our annuals will start to die off. Not many of them will survive a good frost. The space in between the last and first frost dates is what we know as our growing season. For example, here in Calgary, the Last frost date is estimated at May 21, and the First frost date is estimated at September 11.  So our growing season is about 16 weeks or 110 days give or take. Anything we would like to grow, must have a lifecycle equal to or less than 110 days.  

The last 2 terms we will be discussing are directly related to starting plants from seeds.  All seed packages will state if the seeds should be direct sown or started early. ‘Direct sow’, means that you will plant these seeds directly into their final resting place, whether that be a container or a garden plot. Some plants do not tolerate transplanting (the moving of a young plant from one location to another) well. These are usually root crops like carrots, radishes and beets; or fast growing crops such as peas, beans, lettuce and spinach. ‘Starting early’, refers to starting the seeds inside in a controlled environment and will later be transplanted outside to their final resting place. All seed packages should tell you how many weeks prior to your last frost date you should start your seeds. Many of these plants require a longer growing season than we can give them (gotta love the Calgary weather), so starting them inside gives you a head start and you are more likely to be successful.  

Hopefully, after going through all these definitions you will have a better understanding of the terms and as we go through the next topics, it will be easier to follow along.

– Authored by: Marissa L.C.