Container gardening workshop

These are the materials you would need for ONE planter container with four different species.

Must-have:

• All-purpose potting soil (~ 10-15 L). Make sure that it’s potting mix and not garden soil!
• 4 or more seed starting containers, with drainage holes (~2 inches in diameter)
• 4 or more seedling containers, with drainage holes (~4 inches in diameter)
• 1 large planter, with drainage hole (~14 inches in diameter)
• Species of seeds native to the mixed wood plain of Montreal (See below)
• Enough outdoor space for one large planter (~ 14 x 14”)

Good to have:

• Marker and popsicle sticks / plastic spoons or masking tape for labelling your seeds
• Sand and a baggie or container, for any seeds that require cold germination in the fridge (more about this in the workshop and the guidelines document above)
  
• Rocks, for covering your planter’s drainage holes
• Mulch materials, for insulating your container plants in the fall
• Organic solid fertilizer, for fertilizing your plants in the spring

Yes! Our workshop partners prefer these vendors because of their committment to ethical, sustainable practices and because of their overall approachability and high level of expertise:

• Aiglo Indigo
  
• Urban Seedling
  
• Jardin Jasmin
  
• La Shop Agricole
  
• Le Noyeau

• For seed starter containers (~2"), egg cartons work perfectly! Just add 1-2 holes in each little pot for drainage.
  
• For seedling containters (~4"), you can use containers from yogurt (add 2-4 holes for drainage) or mushrooms containers (usually these already have holes underneath!)
• For planters (~12-14"), you can get creative. Garbage pails, buckets, wooden crates, and more can be used! You can even cut the top off the large plastic containers that cat sand sometimes comes in.
• To label your seeds after you sow them, you can use popsicle sticks or plastic spoons that you have lying around. Stick those in the soil and label with the name of your seeds! Or, mark the name on some masking tape and attach that to your start pots.