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The Coeur d'Alene Coop

Raising Chickens and Urban Gardening

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Home » CdA Coop Blog
a variety of snap beans in a basket

July 18, 2025 By Candace Godwin 2 Comments

Summer may bring sunshine and ripe tomatoes, but it also tests a gardener’s patience—and their plants’ endurance. Amid scorching heat, thirsty soil, and sneaky pests, it’s the season when your vegetable garden needs a little extra care. The good news? A few smart moves can keep your garden growing strong from mid-season into fall. Here are ten simple tips to…
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July 4, 2025 By Candace Godwin 1 Comment

Ah, the garden—always full of surprises. You think you’ve got the bugs and blight under control, but then your plants start acting up again. This time, the culprits aren’t insects or fungi. Yes, these problems originate from the other side of the garden world: abiotic issues—problems caused not by living factors (biotic), such as pests or pathogens, but by physiological…
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June 20, 2025 By Candace Godwin Leave a Comment

You’ve probably heard me sing the praises of tucking flowers into your veggie beds—pollinators love it, and they help keep pests at bay. But what if you turned the tables? What if your garden consists of just a handful of patio pots? Can you sneak veggies in? Oh, you bet your micro-dwarf tomatoes you can! This season, give your flowerpots…
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seed packets of fall vegetables

June 6, 2025 By Candace Godwin Leave a Comment

Brace yourself… I’m about to say something that might make you drop your trowel: It’s already time to start thinking about your fall vegetable garden. I know, I know—you’re still rinsing dirt off your knees from planting summer crops. Maybe your tomatoes just settled in, or you’re still wrangling bean seeds like I am. But trust me on this—fall gardening…
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The Coeur d'Alene Coop

23 hours ago

The Coeur d'Alene Coop
Thinking of saving seeds from your garden this year? Don't miss my latest article: How to Plan a Seed Saving Garden, https://bit.ly/4qQSIyM . This is the feature article in my February newsletter, along with "What seeds to sow in February (for OUR zone), a Garden Checklist, and lots of other garden tidbits! Don't miss out, you can be a CdA Peep, too. Link in comments. ... See MoreSee Less

How To Plan a Seed-Saving Garden (Without Losing Your Mind) - The Coeur d'Alene Coop

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Growing a garden is an excellent way to lower food costs. But buying seeds and plants can also add up. A simple (and fun) way to cut expenses is to save seeds from your own garden. Not only does this ...
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thecoeurdalenecoop

#thecoeurdalenecoop
@thecoeurdalenecoop
Heirloom tomatoes 🍅🍅
Organic gardening 🥕🌶
& Urban chickens! 🐔🐓

Let's talk light as it relates to seed starting. H Let's talk light as it relates to seed starting. Here, a volunteer sunflower is growing along with a propagated rosemary plant. Note how the sunflower is long, leggy, and stretching for light. 

That's because the windowsill can't provide enough light, and the plant is heliotropic -- turning and stretching (begging) for light. 

Then, compare that with the second image: another volunteer sunflower that popped up in onion starts.

This seedling germinated under lights and remained there. Note how stocky and vibrant it is.

Which do you want to grow?

Seedlings need 14 to 16 hours of light each day. Something even a south-facing window can't provide during seed-starting season.

🌱 What are the best light options for home seed starters? I cover lights, heat, fertilizers, and much more about seed starting in my class: 

Seed Starting for the Home Gardener, A Deep Dive
Saturday, March 14. 

👉 Details & registration here: bit.ly/3Nvn6jB

P.S. My soil is located very close to my hen's scratch grains, hence the occasional volunteer sunflower! 😂🌼

#thecoeurdalenecoop
#seedstarting
#heliotropic
#growlights
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I write a gardening newsletter once or twice a month — real advice from my own garden and greenhouse. No spam. Just plants (and sometimes, chickens).

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