• My account
  • Cart
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

The Coeur d'Alene Coop

Raising Chickens and Urban Gardening

  • Home
  • About Our Heirlooms
    • About Candace
  • Garden Consulting
  • Shop
    • NEW for 2026
    • Cool Season Vegetables
    • Culinary Planters
    • Heirloom Tomatoes
    • Heirloom Peppers
    • Heirloom Vegetables
    • Herbs
    • Flowers
  • Gardening Classes
  • CdA Coop Blog
    • Gardening
      • Soil and Compost
      • Garden Seed Series
      • Growing Tomatoes Series
      • Growing Garlic Series
    • Backyard Chickens
    • Recipes
    • Garden Glossary
      • How Often to Divide Perennials & Winter Care
      • Q/A Sheet: How to Decide What to Grow in Your Garden
      • Ripe for the Picking: A Quick List of Common Fruit and Vegetables to Ripen On or Off the Vine
      • Vegetable Plant Family Chart
      • Seed Starting Charts
  • Contact Us
Chick Primer: Brooder to Coop

Chick Primer: Brooder to Coop

It is officially spring. While it’s not the actual vernal equinox (that’s still a couple of weeks away); I know…
Read More

A Primer for Backyard Chickens–5 Points to Consider

A Primer for Backyard Chickens–5 Points to Consider

Are You Ready for a Backyard Flock? A Primer for Backyard Chickens It’s undeniable that baby chicks are adorable…and hard…
Read More

Chicken Little Grows Up…Fast

I am still amazed at how fast chicks grow!  Our new chicks – Marigold, Petunia, Violet and Rose – are…
Read More

Chix Tax in Vancouver?

The city of Vancouver has an interesting proposal for that city’s urban chicken farmers as outlined in this article from…
Read More

Egg-stra, Egg-stra, Chicken Ranch Makes Front Page News!

The Chicken Ranch made the front page of our local newspaper a few weeks ago! I was contacted by a…
Read More

Bucolic Bliss?

I’ve got a secret to share — chickens and gardening aren’t simpatico. Oh sure, everyone loves the dream of a…
Read More

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Recent Posts from The Coop

  • How To Plan a Seed-Saving Garden (Without Losing Your Mind) February 6, 2026
  • How to Turn Winter Garden Dreams Into Real Harvests January 2, 2026
  • SOLD OUT! Winter Sowing for Spring Growing January 1, 2026

Search Our Plants Here

Shop by Category

Cart

the coop on facebook!

The Coeur d'Alene Coop The Coeur d'Alene Coop is at 2nd Street Chicken Ranch.

13 hours ago

The Coeur d'Alene Coop
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 DiveSaturday, March 14. 👉 Details & registration here: bit.ly/3Nvn6jBP.S. My soil is located very close to my hen's scratch grains, hence the occasional volunteer sunflower! 😂🌼#thecoeurdalenecoop#seedstarting#heliotropic#growlights ... See MoreSee Less

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

the coop on instagram!

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
Follow on Instagram

Join the Flock!

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).

Copyright © 2026 The Coeur d'Alene Coop · Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814 · Privacy Policy · Log in
Website Design: Godwin Marketing Communications LLC