It doesn’t really seem like we should be talking about planting, but it is fall and people are completing request keys in SPAR to get trees organized for next year or more likely, 2026.
I’ve got some tips, tricks and short cuts for you, as well as free-ish stuff!
I learned at the recent conference, as we were touring through the Quesnel PRT nursery that they replace their greenhouse plastic and then they give it away! At least three of us were trying to figure out how to cram it into or tie it onto the top of our very small cars to take home with us. We were then told that all nurseries have old plastic (still good for the backyard gardener) that is available for (usually) free. So, if you’ve got a gardener in your life, and a greenhouse in your future, ask your local nursery if they’ve got old greenhouse plastic. They also give away old styroblocks.
That’s not the only free stuff I’ve found for you! I am passing this message on from Select Seed Company Ltd. They have a number of these seedling protectors and have no further planned use for them. Cost is shipping only (from Quesnel). If you are interested, reach out to Select Seed: Frederik Vroom
I just found a neat little tool for finding seed that is for your zone. With the newish Climate Based Seed Transfer Guidelines that we all use now I’ve had a hard time finding the right seed. Lots of clicking on a seedlot, then opening the CBST tab. But the other day I found a new tool. In the link below, you can choose your species and your BEC Variant and all the seed that fits that zone lines up is a perfect little column.
https://maps.forsite.ca/204/SeedTransfer
There also might be a lot of overruns in the next few years. I am hearing that there are licensees in the North that ordered trees, and then slowed down, or stopped harvesting. If you need a few trees next year, perhaps make a call to your local mill. They might have some trees to sell you.
Good luck getting your sowing requests in!