Gitigaan/Gtegan/Kitigaan Kits

Aanii Boozhoo!

Miigwech for requesting your Gitigaan/Gtegan/Kitigaan (Garden) Kit! In this kit, you will find your requested kit seeds, plant starts, and some gardening and recipe information. We hope that you enjoy gardening with your family, friends, and community this season!

We recommend following the planting guidelines that are suggested on your seed kit information flyer. If you are unfamiliar with starting a garden, check out this helpful article, or visit the Gardening in Michigan MSU Extension site. There are also lots of video tutorials on YouTube. If you are interested in learning which plant hardiness zone you are gardening in, view a U.S. Department of Agriculture map here.

For an incredible, collaborative collection of recipes, cooking videos and other materials for healthy cooking the Anishinaabek way, please visit the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan's cooking resource website here.

MSU Extension is also committed to making its programs more inclusive and representative of Michigan’s Indigenous communities. Recently, MSU Extension educators worked with tribal health staff to adapt and implement Share Our Strength Cooking Matters® programs, including a collection of delicious, healthy recipes.

All of the seeds and plant starts are non-GMO and/or organic, handpicked for our growing region. The plant starts have been lovingly grown by the Ziibimijwang Farm in collaboration with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and Gordon’s Farm, a local farm in Sault Ste. Marie.

Good luck on your gardening endeavor, happy gardening!

Miigwech,

FRTEP @ MSU Extension

In 2023, 1,070 seed and/or plant start (gitigaan/gtegan/kitigaan) kits were distributed to:

Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (Kitigaan)
Hannahville Indian Community (Gtegan)
Bay Mills Indian Community (Gitigaan)
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (Gitigaan)

Three Sisters Gitigaan

Contents*

Squash
Pole/String Beans
Corn
"Fourth Sister" inclusion of sunflowers

*Please note that kit contents may vary by distribution location.

Companion Planting

The corn is the vertical aspect of the companion planting. As the corn grows, the beans also grow up the stalk.
The beans have a rhizobium bacteria on their roots, which fixes nitrogen into a usable form for corn. Corn is a "heavy feeder," which means it likes a lot of nitrogen in the soil provided by the beans.
The squash grows around the bottom of the beans and corn, and benefits those by shading out any wayward seeds that might come in to compete or outcompete with the beans and corn.
Planting the sunflowers as the "fourth sister" is a great way to attract pollinators, like native and honey bees, to your gitigaan's bean and squash flowers.

Planting Methods

Plant in a circle
Start with the corn
- Plant 5 to 7 corn seeds about a foot apart around the center
Plant seeds about an inch deep
Keep all seeds moist once planted
- Avoid allowing the seeds and soil to dry out
Plant beans about 2 inches from the corn
Form small mounds when planting the squash
- Plant about 3-4 squash seeds around the circle you're planting
Plant sunflowers outside of where squash is planted
- For taller sunflowers, plant along the north side of the circle to ensure they do not overly shade the gitigaan

MSU Extension Resources

Salsa Gitigaan

Contents*

Tomatoes
Cilantro
Bell Pepper
Jalapeno Pepper
Onion

*Please note that kit contents may vary by distribution location.

Tips and Tricks

One way to think about these plants is in terms of cool season and warm season. Some plants we grow in our gardens prefer warmer temperatures and warmer soil to grow. Hot peppers and tomatoes are an example of warm season plants, which is one of the reasons why they are often started indoors late in the winter to get a jump start on the season.
Onion and cilantro are examples of cool season plants, which means you can grow them as early as you can outdoors to get them comfortable in the soil as it naturally warms with the season.
- Cilantro can also be grown indoors, like in a window sill.
- Onions will want to be planted as early in the season as possible so they have the full time to grow.

Planting and Preventing Disease

There are a few disease and pest problems to keep an eye out for.
The tomato starts in your kit should be ready to be planted, when doing so feel free to bring the soil level up a few inches than how it was planted in the nursery pot.
- Once in the ground, it's important to make sure the moisture levels are consistent to prevent wilting. If you see your plant wilting or drooping, that means it doesn't have enough water. This can lead to damage to the roots of the plant, which can make it more difficult to grow a good tomato fruit later in the season.

MSU Extension Resources

Pickling Gitigaan

Contents*

Dill
Green Beans
Onion
Pickling Cucumbers

*Please note that kit contents may vary by distribution location.

Tips and Tricks

One way to think about these plants is in terms of cool season and warm season. Some plants we grow in our gardens prefer warmer temperatures and warmer soil to grow. Cucumbers are an example of warm season plants, which is one of the reasons why they are often started indoors late in the winter to get a jump start on the season.
Onion and dill are examples of cool season plants, which means you can grow them as early as you can outdoors to get them comfortable in the soil as it naturally warms with the season.
- Dill can also be grown indoors, like in a window sill.
- Onions will want to be planted as early in the season as possible so they have the full time to grow. Onions can even tolerate a little frost.
Dill and cucumbers don't like to be transplanted or have their root system disturbed. Dill has a taproot that extends down, and is a great plant to start from seed if needed.
- Cucumbers can also be started as seeds, but do fine as transplants; they just require a little gentler of a touch when planting into the ground or a larger container. If you are growing cucumbers from seeds, one option would be to start them in compostable pots rather than plastic, so you can place it entirely in the ground so as to not disturb the roots.
- Cucumbers do best planted in 6-inch mounds; if starting from seed, bury 3-4 seeds 1-inch deep.
- Cucumbers may "stall out" temporarily after transplanting, where you may not see a lot of new growth at first. Give them a little time, ensure they get enough water, and in a few weeks you'll notice some new growth!
Once the weather gets warmer, the dill will start to flower. One trick can be to stagger your planting of the dill so that you have different waves of dill harvesting available once your cucumbers are ready to be pickled.
- To stagger plant your dill, plant more every few weeks to ensure you have it fresh for the entire season.

MSU Extension Resources

Salad Gitigaan

Contents*

Lettuce
Carrot
Cucumber
Cherry Tomato
Pepper

*Please note that kit contents may vary by distribution location.

Tips and Tricks

One way to think about these plants is in terms of cool season and warm season. Some plants we grow in our gardens prefer warmer temperatures and warmer soil to grow. Peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers are examples of warm season plants, which is one of the reasons why they are often started indoors late in the winter to get a jump start on the season and avoid any frost outdoors.
Cucumbers do best planted in 6-inch mounds with 3-4 seeds buried 1-inch deep.
- Keep your seeds moist until germination.
- Once the seeds germinate and you notice sprouts, cucumber plants do well with a 3-inch layer of organic mulch, like shredded leaves, to help cut down on weeds and reduce the evaporation of water.
Lettuce and carrots are examples of cool season plants, which means you can grow them as early as you can outdoors to get them comfortable in the soil as it naturally warms with the season.
- These seeds are very small, and can be more successfully and evenly spread when mixed with sand.
- Since the seeds are so small, you only want to cover them with less than a 1/4 inch of soil.
- Moisten seeds and make sure to keep them moist.
- One option for carrots could be to cover the seeds with a light board, which helps create shade and keep the small seeds moist; frequently check for germination. Once they have germinated, you can remove the board.

MSU Extension Resources

Cold and Hearty Gitigaan

Contents*

Radish
Peas
Spinach
Broccoli
Cabbage
Brussels Sprouts

*Please note that kit contents may vary by distribution location.

Tips and Tricks

You can sow (or plant) your cold and hardy gitigaan every two weeks in the beginning and then later in the summer, in order to gain a fall harvest.
This gitigaan kit is made of cool season vegetables, which means you can grow them as early as you can outdoors to get them comfortable in the soil as it naturally warms with the season.
- These plants can grow and germinate in soil as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Early spring is a great time to start them.
Kale and spinach have small seed sizes recommended to be planted 1/2 inch deep. Make sure to keep the seeds evenly moist.
Radish bulbs grow beneath the soil, and if planted first, you can mix the kale and spinach seeds together around the radishes. You can also add the broccoli and cabbage transplants around these as well.
- As the kale and spinach grows around the broccoli and cabbage, you can harvest those greens while the broccoli and cabbage continue to grow to maturity.
Broccoli and cabbage plants mature between 50-80 days, while spinach and kale may be ready to harvest in as few as 30 days.
If receiving these cool season vegetables as plant starts in a greenhouse, it's important to undertake the process of "hardening" them for outdoor growing before directly planting them. Hardening refers to the process of acclimating them to the outdoor conditions; you can begin this process by placing the starts in a partly sunny spot outside for an hour. Then, slowly introduce them to more sun and weather conditions over time before you actually plant them. Directly planting them without hardening first may lead to plant stress.

MSU Extension Resources

Kit Add-Ons

Some kits had the option to add on the following plants:

Basil
Cilantro
Zucchini

Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test Mailer

Lawn and garden plants require 18 nutrients for healthy growth and productivity. By having your soil tested, you can learn which nutrients are present and which ones may need to be added.

How to Order MSU Extension Soil Tests