Edmonton’s growing season is short. Starting seeds indoors gives you a head start, letting you harvest tomatoes, peppers, and other warm-season crops that need more time than our climate allows.
But timing matters. Start too early and your seedlings outgrow their pots before the soil warms. Start too late and you lose the advantage. This workshop teaches you how to plan your indoor seed starting around Edmonton’s last frost date and growing conditions.
You’ll learn which crops benefit from an indoor start and which grow better when sown directly in the garden. Not everything needs to be started inside. Knowing the difference saves you time and gives each plant its best chance.
The session covers equipment and materials. Pot sizes. Soil choices. Lighting requirements. You’ll leave knowing what you need and what you don’t.
Seedling care is where most beginners struggle.
Watering, airflow, light levels, and temperature all affect whether your seedlings thrive or fail. This workshop addresses common problems like leggy growth, damping off, and weak transplants. You’ll learn what causes these issues and how to prevent them.
The final piece is transplanting. Moving seedlings from indoors to the garden is a critical transition. Done wrong, weeks of work die in days. You’ll learn when seedlings are ready, how to harden them off, and how to transplant safely into containers or garden beds.
What You’ll Learn in This Seed Starting Workshop
- Garden planning for seed starting – Decide which crops to start indoors and which to direct sow based on Edmonton’s climate and your growing goals.
- Timing your plantings – Learn when to start common garden seeds so transplants are ready when outdoor conditions allow.
- Equipment and materials – Understand pot sizes, soil options, and lighting requirements for successful germination and growth.
- Seedling care and maintenance – Practice proper watering, airflow management, and troubleshooting for common problems like leggy seedlings.
- Transplanting techniques – Know when and how to move seedlings into larger containers or the garden without losing plants.
Your Instructor
Mattéa Bujold is the co-owner of One Garden YEG, where she grows and sells organically cultivated herbs, vegetables, flowers, and native plant seedlings.
She is an organic gardener and Master Composter Recycler with deep involvement in community-based food and waste-reduction work. At Sakaw Community Garden, she serves as a master composter, board member, and gardener.
Mattéa teaches regularly at public libraries, universities, and community associations. Her workshop topics include seed starting, garden planning, native plant cultivation, composting, and DIY compost system construction.
Her background is in molecular biology. She is a graduate student at the University of Alberta studying sustainability-focused science. Her research examines emergent pollutants in the organic waste stream, with particular attention to compost contamination. She also works on a project using serious games to help rural organic farmers identify and adapt to climate-related challenges.
Mattéa brings both scientific training and practical growing experience to her teaching. She knows what works in Edmonton’s Zone 3 climate because she grows here.