The Crafty Cultivator

On a whim, I bought some seed to grow some Douglas Fir. I’ve always loved this tree, although there are only tiny pockets of it growing natively around here, so I have only really seen it on trips west to BC. They have the best little cones, with little tails poking out.

My best bet for being successful growing (and the trees surviving) here, would’ve been to find some seed from a strand as close to me as possible, as they would be acclimated to our unique weather. However, with 2 little boys, and a lot going on, safely wandering around forests until I find some good cones with seed left in them, just isn’t in the cards right now, (maybe a good plan for a few years from now when the boys are older and able to explore and enjoy the process, and not need to be carried). So I added them to a seed order I made from OSC.

The seed packet instructions say to sow the seed 1/4″ (6mm) deep directly outside in late fall. But I won’t be doing that, partly because it is not fall, but also, the area I think I am going to plant these eventually is not even close to being ready for new plants. If I planted these seeds there, they would likely just get damaged as the area is prepared for the garden I dream of. They also say to cold stratify the seed, you can mix it in a sterile moistened soil and cover with a lid and freeze solid for 2 months. Then, place under lights, and germination should occur within 30 days. This is the route I went.

I followed those instructions, and used a washed plastic container (reused from cut-fruit from the grocery store). I watered well (but not too much, since its obviously not going to drain), wrote on the lid (so I don’t forget why I have a frozen block of soil in my freezer), and stuck it in the freezer. I’ll pull it out around the end of March. If the seed packet time-line is correct, there should be germination by the end of April. I’ll update when anything changes.

Before I close out this post, I’d like to include a few quick facts about Douglas Fir trees.

• Latin name is Pseudotsuga menziesii.
  • Pseudotsuga means “false hemlock” – It is neither a hemlock or a fir… it is its own tree.
  • menziesii is for Archibald Menzies who first documented the tree in 1791 on Vancouver Island
  • The common name “Douglas Fir” is for David Douglas, another Scotsman and rival with Menzies.

If you go to the distribution map for Doug-fir on the Government of Canada website, you can see the little pockets of “Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir” in the eastern slopes of the Rockies in Alberta. The seeds are likely from trees in BC, and not from the few remaining pockets of the Rocky Mountain Doug-fir’s on this side of the rockies

If you made it this far in the post, hi…. I’m going to try and post regularly again. Now that my second son is nearing his first birthday, and he can be out exploring with us, It should be much easier to get back to documenting my garden again. I have missed this and have a bunch of fun stuff to share.