1) I've actually heard that you CAN make a drip system work on rain barrels. I understand it's hit and miss and complex, so I'm not going to try it. My recommendation is to set up a series of connected rain barrels off your house closest to your garden area, so you can hand water from the barrels. However, the options are limitless, so enjoy figuring out what works best for you.

2) Definitely start a compost pile. The bigger the better. Research hot composting so you can have some ready to offset the cost associated with Mel's Mix come spring. Even a kitchen compost system would help augment things.

Also, start planning what you're going to plant. Make a list of everything you want, get a couple of seed catalogs that are good for your area (there's one in Maine that would be good).

3) I am partial to buying online, mainly because I'm not interested in buying from Monsanto. You can't tell where the seeds came from when you're buying off the rack at your local nursary. You also can't tell age of seed and quality. But if you can get a deal and are going on the cheap, there's nothing wrong with it.

Good luck and enjoy the process!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure

1. No idea, sorry! I just use pails and my hose.
2. I'm starting to love working with the compost. It gives you a chance to work those shovel muscles in the winter, lol. It's also SO much fun to plan those boxes. Expecially when you get it all just so, and then you see something else you have to add! It's just a fun activity. Maybe gardening leads to insanity, but it's a healthy insanity.
Once you have the beds planned, then you buy seed (or you buy seed, and then plan the beds). Once that's done, you want to make a chart, so you can know when you can start planting outside. If you go to EG's website, he has a picture of his setup to start seeds early. I just am putting a few seeds in dixie cups and putting those on a couple of bin lids in the window.
You will have some fantastic choices for buying seeds!! I know fullcircleseeds is in BC and so is Heritage Harvest Seed. You might also explore locally. Whatever people are growing locally will be easier to grow. I would also steer you clear of Monsanto, if for no other reason than you can collect the seeds from heirlooms and that is a big plus if you find something you really like growing.

Have you checked out the wintersowing forum here on GW? I'm going to try some things under lights this year, but I'm going to experiment with WS as well. I'm going to WS the flowers for the new garden for sure. I'm quite curious to try some veggies under lights and compare to those I wintersow. This will be my first attempt at both, so I guess we'll see what happens!

Here is a link that might be useful: wintersown.org FAQs

Yes, so far hand watering from the rain barrels is the simplest option. Something I though of last night was maybe some type of I.V. bag you could fill by hand in the rainwater bucket then hang from a pole at the end of each bed and drip from that. Has anyone ever seen such a system ?

I started composting in September however not sure the bin will be worth much in the spring considering it's -30C outside right now (and will be for the next 2 months). I'm still collecting compost scraps and placing them in the bin, but I'm assuming it needs to bake in the sun for at least a few months before it's usable.

I'll look into finding a seed catalog, thanks for the tip !

nbreau, could you devise a system using a submersible pond pump? I'll bet John and EG could help figure out how to do it!

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

nbreau - if you'll give me some more detail about the irrigation needs, i'll be glad to help you design something. Things of real importance will be elevation difference between rain barrels and garden, distance away from the two, and also how many drops you will need to make. As you know, me and John build all kinds of crazy things, but they work pretty good! Hee Hee

EG

Regarding purchasing seeds now vs plants later; I start all my veggies, and most of my flowers from seed. I began sowing many of my seeds indoors after too many years of having my own garden and wanting to grow varieties that just were not available from the nursery. That, and as a remedy to my annual cabin fever.

It continues to be a learning experience and although my results are good and my set-up works well for me, those first few years were chock full of failures and missteps.
I recommend that a new gardener go with nursery plants.

You'll want to start some things from seed right in the ground when it warms up; beans, peas, corn, cucumbers and melons are all things that are best started right in the ground were you want them to grow.

But tomatoes, peppers, and many other veggies can only be started outdoors if you have a really long growing season. We don't.

If you know what you want to grow, you could post a list and we could let you know what seeds you can sow in the ground and which you need to start early indoors or purchase as nursery plants. It would help to let us know your growing zone, as well.

Kay.