Hello Gardeners
Just a reminder of our 10th Anniversary Celebration this coming Saturday.
Hope I see you there!
Pam
10 Year Celebration
The White Bear Lake seed library is 10 years old! It was started in April of 2016. It’s time for a celebration! Come visit the seed library for the celebration on Saturday, April 25th from 1-3 pm at the WBL library in the large community room.
This event is for adults and children. There will be seed planting, various games for both adults and kids, lots of information about seeds, hands on seed saving activities, free seeds, yummy treats and more.
It should be a fun event. Please tell your friends and neighbors.
A unique opportunity for someone handy working with wood.
I think having the seed drawers raised up a bit would help people when they are looking for seeds in the bottom drawers. (It might even help in reducing the number of drawers I need to repair too.) I was thinking a wooden box that can be placed under the seed drawers would help in this regard. If you are handy making a small box (one side can be open) please contact me. The base of the seed drawer unit is 15” X 9” and I was thinking a box about 12” high would work. Send me an email if interested at wblseedlibrary@gmail.com.
Seed Starting Basics
Just a quick note about seed starting. The average last date of frost in zone 4 is May 10th.
If your seeds need to be started 8 weeks before this date, you can start them on March 15. If your seeds need 6 weeks, start them on March 29th. If they need 4 weeks, start them on April 12th.
Yes, I know it’s hard to wait, but if you start your seeds too early, you run the risk of having leggy, weak seedlings, which don’t transplant as well as short, stocky seedlings. Don’t forget that tender plants such as eggplant, tomatoes and peppers need it to be 50 degrees both day and night before transplanting outside. This typical occurs 1-3 weeks after the last frost date.
There are 3 things a seed needs to germinate: water, sunlight and someplace to set down roots. If you provide these 3 basics, you’ll probably have a successful seed starting adventure. But before you place the first seed you need to do a little preparation. Nothing is worse than being all excited about starting seeds to find you don’t have all the supplies needed and have to interrupt that enthusiasm to buy or find supplies.
Basic Supplies:
Seeds, Water, Soil-less medium, Containers and trays, Light source, Location to grow
Seeds – find at the WBL seed library, garden centers, dollar stores, grocery stores, online seed catalogs, etc. Make sure the seed package has a date on it. Older seeds have a lower germination rate. If you find really cheap seeds online be careful. Check the date and reviews of the company. There’s nothing worse than trying to start seeds that end up not germinating.
Water – Seeds need damp soil not soaking soil. Too much water could increase mold issues.
Soil-less medium – meaning not your backyard soil as it’s too heavy or too sandy and could be full of pathogens. Buy a bag of seed starting or potting mix. Try to find some with the least amount of peatmoss as that is a not an easy renewable resource. Coir is an option, but I found it needs to be mixed with regular potting soil as it doesn’t have enough nutrients.
Containers and trays – there are hundreds of variations of containers and trays for many different prices. All have pluses and minuses which are too numerous to list in this email. The cheapest route is to reuse plastic food container you punched drain holes in. I’ll bring some options I use to the seed packaging this Saturday.
Light source – No, a south facing window won’t be enough to produce quality seedlings. Minnesota does not have long enough or reliable sunlight to satisfy most seedling needs of 12-14 hours of light per day. There are hundreds of both led and fluorescent lights available. Again, too many options to list here, but I’ll talk about what I use on Saturday.
Location – Seeds usually need a 24 hour warm place to grow. Starting them in an unheated porch is risky in Minnesota as there are still many weeks of temperature below freezing. Basements may not even have enough warmth. Placing trays of tiny seedlings where pets or children play is likely not going to end well for your seedlings. For example, my cats love to nip off 1-2” seedlings, decide they don’t like them and let them lay on the soil. Argh! (I’ve now placed a wire fence around my seedlings with holes too small for furry paws.)
When to start seeds – Read the back of the package to determine when is the ideal time to start seeds. Most peppers it is 6-8 weeks before last date of frost. Tomatoes are 4-6 weeks. In zone 4 (Twin Cities area) the average date of last frost is May 10th.
Depending on the seed variety, you may need to start these seeds anywhere from 14 weeks to 4 weeks before the average last frost date. The reason these plants need to have their seeds started early is that they need a longer growing season then our typical Minnesota growing season which is from the last spring frost to the first fall frost.
BUT that doesn’t mean you can put outside your tomatoes and peppers on May 11th! First off, that is just an average. More importantly, both tomatoes and peppers don’t do well if the temperature at any point goes below 50 degrees. Especially, young plants.
So, it is likely you will still be growing these seedlings inside for longer. Keep in mind you may have to transplant them to larger pots before planting them outside. The longer they have to grow inside, the leggier they will be. You want strong compact plants, not tall, skinny plants.
One more thing – don’t forget to gradually acclimate your seedlings to the outdoors before planting. This involves bringing them outside for increasing lengths over a week or two.
An Act Locally Opportunity!
I want to make a request for locally grown tomato, lettuce, bean or pea seeds you harvested from your garden this season. Though the seed library gets donations of commercial seed packets, I especially like getting locally grown seeds. These locally grown seeds have started adapting to our local environment and in time will grow better than produce, flowers and seeds from plants grown elsewhere in the country.
Pam
Plant Sales:
Big River, Big Woods Wild Ones Plant Sale
WHEN:
Saturday
and Sunday May 30-311st, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
WHERE: Shoreview, MN
There will be more than 70 types of wildflowers, ferns, sedges, grasses and
shrubs available for purchase on both days. The sale is first come, first
served. There will be a discount on 3-packs of the same species. These are
native plants, supportive of pollinators and birds.
For more information see website
Friends School Plant Sale – May 8, 9, 10, 2026 at the State Fair grounds.
They have over 2,100 varieties of plants (vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit, trees, perennials, etc.) all grown neonics free. Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides that harm pollinators. See info about this here.
Friends School sale information can be found here
AFSA School Plant Sale – May 7-9, 2026 at AFSA High School
100 Vadnais Blvd, Vadnais Heights, MN 55127
Plant Sale Hours: Thr: May 7th 3:30 - 6:00 p.m., Fri: May 8th 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Sat: May 9th 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
AFSA's plant sale is held in the greenhouse at the high school. The sale is the largest fundraiser the school holds each year. The profits from this sale go to support a variety of FFA activities at the school.
All the plants are grown by AFSA students in our greenhouse. We grow a wide variety of annuals, herbs, tomatoes, and peppers. We take - Cash, Check and Credit Cards.
Anoka County Master Gardener sale – May 12, 2026 9am – 7 pm
Anoka County Fairgrounds 3200 Saint Francis Boulevard Northwest Anoka, MN, 55303
Join us for one of Anoka County’s best kept secrets—our annual Master Gardener Plant sale! Select from thousands of unique plants—perennials, annuals, herbs, vegetables, trees/shrubs and more! All plants are of the highest quality and affordable prices that can’t be beat. There’s no better place to stock up for the coming growing season!
More information website
Ramsey County Master Gardener sale – May 16, 2026
Ramsey County Master Gardeners are hosting their annual plant sale on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Aldrich Arena, 1850 White Bear Ave, Maplewood.
The sale includes a large selection of native plants, vegetables, favorite and unique varieties of tomatoes, herbs, annual and perennial flowers, houseplants, quality garden gloves, and other great items to get your garden growing strong. Funds raised support Master Gardener community and youth education programs in Ramsey County. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.
For more information, visit www.RamseyMasterGardeners.org/plantsale.
Landscape Revival – Saturday June 6, 9 am – 1 pm
Rockpoint
Church, 5825 Kelvin Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042
Sponsored by the St. Paul Bird Alliance
Market: Purchase MN native plants from multiple growers. No cultivars or systemic insecticides. Includes native plant growers from around the Twin Cities are surrounding areas that will have native plants in all sizes for sale. Cash or check preferred.
Expo: Learn to select and grow native plants for pollinators, wildlife, and water quality. Visit with educators and experts from conservation and environmental organizations. Get your landscaping questions answered.
For more information: Landscape Revival
Local Greenhouses and Nurseries
As a request from our volunteers, I am adding a list of various local greenhouses or garden centers that sell plants. Many of these establishments do not use neonicotinoids on their plants that they grow. But the buyer should beware: they may sell plants that were grown previously at a different wholesaler which did use systemic pesticides. You should ask the growers at these establishments whether neonics were used on the plants you wish to purchase.
Neonicotinoids or ‘neonics’ are a systemic pesticides used on plants to kill insects. Unfortunately, these insecticides also harm pollinators as the insecticide gets into all parts of the plant including the pollen and nectar.
The only way to be sure a plant has not been treated with neonics is to buy certified organic seed and grow it yourself, or buy a certified organically grown plant.
More information here.
Goldman’s Greenhouse – East Bethel, MN
Website: Goldman's
MNL – Ecological restoration and native species landscaping, retail and whole sale seeds. Website: MNL
Norther Hollar – Specializes in growing native plants of the Midwest. Website: Northern Hollar
Outback Nursery – Hastings, MN
Seller of Minnesota native trees, shrubs and perennials.
Website: Outback
Prairie Moon Nursery – Winona, MN and order online
They have hundreds of varieties of native plant seeds, plants and bare root stock.
Website: Prairiemoon
Prairie Restorations – Scandia, MN
Seller of Minnesota native plants.
Website: Prairieresto
Contact info:
Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Website: https://wblseedlibrary.blogspot.com/
