Neighbours talking over the garden gate has long been a tradition. They share gardening tips, complain about the weather and pests yet are ever eager to discuss their gardens. That is what I had in mind when creating this blog. So stop by my garden gate to find out the latest happenings in my garden.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." ~ Madame Marie Curie"
I have a very busy garden year planned for 2012. Aside of doing a bit of clean-up work on the existing ornamental garden beds after moving here in September of 2011, we had done only basic yard maintenance and planning. So far, we have determined the ornamental garden beds have to be completely revamped. The two umbrella trees and arbor trumpet vine need to be replaced with something less likely to maim. I am definitely leaning towards morning glory for the arbor and silver birch trees. The hard, jagged rock bordering some of the ornamental beds is coming out. I think it is ugly and a safety hazard as does my husband. The ornamental beds will be mulched with red cedar as an accent colour that will go nice with the colour of our house while providing a bit of natural insect deterrent. We will prune the fruit trees then it will be ready to get the vegetable and herb gardens going.
This is a smaller property so the vegetable and herb beds will be raised, planted in the square foot garden method. I am considering making the beds a bit deeper and using something a bit more elegant than plain pine, perhaps with a nice finished ledge along the top for additional potted plants or sitting. Deeper beds will allow some of the vining fruit and vegetable plants to tumble over as well, softening the look a bit.
I need to establish the following long term beds: rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries and herbs. These will be the first beds to go in and aside of the herbs, do not have to be raised or planted in the square foot garden method. I would really like to work in some raspberry canes and a few blueberry bushes but that is going to be iffy since the pool takes up a good portion of our backyard. I have picked out a spot for a grapes too.
I know these are a lot of plans and some won't get finished this year. I will be happy getting the long term beds in along with the raised beds built and filled. My husband is talking of replacing the fence so I need to keep that in mind as well. All in all it should be an exciting but very busy year for gardening here!
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
When I first started growing a vegetable garden years ago, I bought mainly plants and very few seeds. As my gardens become larger and more complex, seeds entered into the picture. Now I turn to seeds I have collected from the gardens as well as buying seeds and some plants. As most gardeners experience from time to time is the only way to get plants outside of the normal limited range of quite often hybrid plants and seeds is to order seed from a seed company or participate in a seed exchange.
My seed supply is rather low because our house was on the market for the last two growing seasons which translated into growing less. This ultimately meant I had less plants to save seed from so my own, known to be organically produced seed is almost used up. When I buy vegetable seed or plants, I look for seed from organic growers who have been certified organic (eg. The Centre for Systems Integration certification). I want to be sure the seeds and plants used for my edible garden is not GMO (genetically modified organisms) or chemically treated as well. Thankfully, heirloom seeds and certified organic seed is easily available through the seed and plant companies I deal with. This year I expect the new raised beds and other garden beds to be fairly productive so I will be able to replenish my seed supply further.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
Normally we have a light snowfall in late October, a bit heavier in November and quite often snow for Christmas. We had just enough snow so far to barely coat the grass but it was gone in a flash. The temperatures have been quite mild as well especially this past week with temperatures above the freezing mark. In fact, we have yet to have a hard frost which translates into a lot of mud and illnesses. Last year was a bad year for snowfall as well. Lack of snowfall usually means a hotter than average summer but it also creates a lot of problems for local farmers and home gardeners. Yet this year, unlike last we have had a fair amount of rain, even a couple of record setting downpours. It snowed a bit last night and is trying today but really there isn't much accumulation. Here's hoping for a bit more snowfall before our attention turns to planting season!
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
I was at Home Hardware today picking up paint for the bathroom. As I went to the check-out I noticed two large displays of garden seeds! I popped a packet of Little Marvel peas in with my painting supplies. I am planning on painted every room in the house this winter but you can bet I will still make time to get my seedlings ready for the new gardens. It won't be long now :)
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
We left on December 4 for our winter vacation, spending a couple of days in chilly Wisconsin before heading to our vacation home in the warm and sunny south. We returned home in the late evening hours on December 22. It was a wonderful break and while we could have stayed longer I wanted to be home to spend Christmas with the kids and grandkids.
There wasn't a lot to do in the garden at the vacation home. We hired a gardener to look after them when we aren't there as weeds can quickly get out of hand in Florida. We have rented the vacation home out for January through April but can't expect our tenants to do any gardening. We dealt with fire ants for the first time and let me tell you that wasn't pleasant! Our pest control service came out to take care of that problem. We spread more red cedar mulch on the gardens as well. I can't believe the difference in price. Here (southwestern Ontario) a bag of red cedar mulch costs $8 but there (Florida) it only costs $3. The red cedar mulch gives a nice splash of colour while conserving water in the soil and it has natural pest deterrent oils that help control centipedes, millipedes, spiders, pill bugs and ants.
On the homeside, I lost a few of my indoor herbs while away. They were fairly new, still suffering a bit from the transit and although they were being cared for a couple dried out. The geraniums are looking good but need a bit of cleaning up. The first of the seed catalogues arrived while we were away so I'm already excited at the prospect of starting my new gardens. I will be placing my first order for seeds shortly. We have just enough ice and snow on the ground to not quite cover the grass but the never ending grey days of November are long gone. We are seeing more bright, sunny days which makes the anticipation for being out in the garden a bit stronger.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
It's that time of year! I have a lot of plans for my new gardens in the spring so I spent a bit of time ordering seed catalogues today. This was triggered by receiving my shipment of potted herbs from Richters (Goodwood, ON) and the first snow flurry of the season. I focused on those seed companies located in Ontario, Canada offering seeds and/or plants. It is very important for me that any edible plants were grown organically, free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides. We live in beautiful Ontario so when I order from an Ontario based seed company or grower, I am supporting our local economy. The nice thing is when I order live plants they arrive within a day or two resulting in a lot less stress for them. Here's a few seed companies and growers I recommend:
- Ritchters (Goodwood, ON) - superb quality and pesticide free medicinal, culinary and aromatic herbs
- OSC Seeds (Waterloo, ON) - high quality herb, vegetable, flower and tree seeds
- Stokes (Thorold, ON) - high quality seed and plants for all gardening needs including heirloom varieties
- Dominion Seed House (Georgetown, ON) - high quality seeds, plants and bulbs by mail order
- AgroHaiti (Lynden, ON) - specializing in Oriental vegetable seeds [online catalogue only]
- Florabunda Seeds (Indian River, ON) - specializing in heirloom varieties for cottage gardens
- Terra Edibles (Foxboro, ON) - organically grown heirloom seeds
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Boston Fern
(Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis')
I have had a Boston fern in every home we have had. My oldest Boston fern was acquired during our early newlywed days, moved with us from Ontario to Alberta and back, then graced our first four owned homes. It had a long, long history and really was more like a family member. I was devastated when it failed to thrive at our last house. As mentioned earlier, that house had serious bad karma with respect to houseplants!
I bought a new Boston fern for my office at our new house. It sits in the corner where I can enjoy it while on the computer. Boston ferns are an age old low maintenance plant that graced the parlors of many a home. This is a medium light plant that does well in filtered to partial sunlight. A trick I learned eons ago was to water my Boston fern wih a little milk. By little I mean putting a bit of water into an empty milk bag then water the fern. Done once a month and this little tip will keep your Boston fern happy and healthy. The second trick with Boston ferns is humidity so mist the foliage couple of times a week. The foliage will fade if the plant is not getting enough water. Keep the soil most. I'm using a watering globe to make sure the fern gets the right amount of water that it needs.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
