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"
The past two weeks have been unseasonably warm with record breaking temperature in the 70's (F) highs and lows in the 50's (F). Now that is just unheard of here in southwestern Ontario this time of the year. Folks are walking around in shorts and sandals. Our neighbours actually had their AC on yesterday! Folks have been out doing spring yard clean-up but at the same time some are really pushing it by fertilizing and mowing their lawns. The reason being this is still March. In southwestern Ontario our average day of last frost (ADLF) this year is April 15. That means before that date there is a good chance of a heavy frost and up to that date a 50% chance of a frost.
Folks are funny in that they cut their grass too early and too late in the season then wonder why they are fighting the rest of the year to have healthy grass. As tempting as it is, do not touch the mower until after the ADLF for your area. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT fertilize, treat for weeds or seed your lawn until after the ADFL. Lawns cut too early or too late in the season are very susceptible to irreparable frost damage. So resist that urge to mow too early even if the weather is gorgeous!
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
When it comes to gardening there are two types of plants - hybrids and heirloom. In order to understand the difference, you need to know a bit of basic genetics. An heirloom plant is one that has not been modified other than by nature. It breeds true meaning if you collect seeds from the plant, the resulting plants from the seeds will be the same as the parent plant (P). An hybrid is the crossing of two parent plants with different characteristics to result in a unique plant. Now, let say we cross a plant with white (rr) flowers and a plant with red (RR) flowers. I'm using r as the recessive allele and R as the dominant allele. The rr and RR are the alleles for the flower colour so in this case the only way to get white flowers is to have two alleles that are recessive while the only way to get red is to have two dominant alleles. Two of the same alleles is called homozygous. A hybrid occurs when you cross two homozygous plants to form a heterozygous plant for that particular trait. So in this case the cross is RR x rr. The resulting pink flower plant (F1) is the hybrid that in terms of alleles is Rr and it does not have the same flower colour as the parents (white, red). What happens if we take that hybrid and cross it with the same hybrid for the next generation (F2)? Consider a cross between a pink flowered plant (Rr) and a pink flowered plant (Rr). What we end up with is a 1:2:1 ratio of 1 RR (red):2 Rr (pink):1 rr (white). In other words seeds collected from the hybrid do not breed true so you may get the one you want (pink) but there is also a chance of getting one you don't want (white or red).
To complicate matters further, plant reproduction can be sexual (seeds) or asexual (cuttings). Even if you start with a hybrid, if you propagate via asexual methods, the resulting plant will be the same as the parental plant. However, as we see above if a hybrid is propagated sexually the resulting plant may or may not be the same as the parental plant. As a home gardener, what this means is seed collection should be done from heirloom plants not hybrids. These are the seeds you want to keep to grow the same variety the following year. Some hybrid plants are propagation protected meaning you can collect seeds but you cannot legally propagate via cuttings. If you want to take cuttings from tomatoes to grow indoors, you should not take them from a propagation protected hybrid tomato plant. There is nothing wrong with collecting seeds from hybrids but be aware some seed developers have introduced a gene into their hybrids that essential render the plant sterile meaning any seed produced will not germinate. It would be a shame to collect seeds from hybrids anticipating the same variety the following year only to find you end up with something else (not always a bad thing) or worse yet the seeds don't germinate. In addition to this, some seed developers have also introduced a marker gene into the plant's genome so they can identify plants illegally propagated. This is not a huge concern for home gardeners unless you are selling or trading plants that are propagation protected.
I use a combination of hybrids and heirloom plants in my gardens. I collect seeds from both but tend to focus on seed collection of heirlooms first to replenish my gardens for the following year. I am careful to label as to whether the seeds were from an heirloom plant or hybrid plant but the reality is plant tags get lost over the growing season so sometimes a clipping gets through that shouldn't. I'm not selling plants though. When it comes to hybrids, I try to use hybrids that are not propagation protected especially for tomatoes that I like to grow indoors during the winter months. Heirloom seeds are the ones you want to collect and protect!
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
Some plants come in peat pots and the home gardener can start plants in peat pots or use the Jiffy peat pellets. The premise is peat pots are biodegradable and it is as well as being a nice soil amendment. They are biodegradable but my experience like many home gardeners is peat pots do not break down over the course of a year. They definitely do not break down in the turn over time when using the square foot gardening method.
I personally avoid peat pots if at all possible in preference of fiber pots or reusable/recycled pots. I have used the Jiffy peat pellets in the past but moved away from using them as well. My experience with them has been hit or miss with the most common problem being seedlings drying out quickly once they are big enough to have the humidome of the seed starter flat removed. I also limit the use of peat moss in my gardens. Peat pots and the use of peat moss is not environmentally friendly as they help to deplete our global peat bogs. Using reusable/recycled pots and even recycled containers (eg. yogurt cups, toilet paper rollers) is eco-friendly as is using fiber biodegradable pots that do not deplete peat bogs. They also help with water retention once the humidome is no longer needed.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
Many, many problems are caused for houseplants and garden plants by common watering mistakes. These include under watering, over watering, watering at the wrong time, improper watering and watering on a schedule. All of these can lead to plant diseases especially those caused by fungus. They can aid in the spread of plant disease and the leaching of nutrients in container plants. I can't tell you how many times I have gone by a house with the sprinkler going full force while it was raining. What an absolute waste of resources! Sprinklers by their design waste water so an eco-friendly home garden doesn't use sprinklers to begin with. I've talked about watering problems before so here are a few more comments on the subject.
- under watering - Under watering causes the soil to dry out enough that the plant can wither and die. Unless a plant's care stipulates it must dry fully between waterings, do not allow plants to dry out. Avoid this problem especially in indoor or outdoor container plants by using self-watering planters, watering globes or gravity fed self-watering system.
- over watering - Over watering is a very, very common problem both indoors and outdoors because the home gardener fails to realize the needs of the plant. Outdoors, overwatering can occur naturally (eg. a week of storms with heavy rains) or by improper watering (eg. watering too much or watering when it is raining). Over watering leaches nutrients from the soil and causes problems for plants that don't like their feet wet (eg. tomatoes). It can lead to plant diseases caused by a variety of fungus and cause damping off in seedlings. Avoid over watering by using self-watering planters, watering globes or a gravity fed self-watering system.
- watering at the incorrect time - It is important to water plants as they need the water. Outdoor plants should be watered in the morning after the dew has burned off, before the heat of the day (1 PM - 4 PM) and early enough they have a chance to dry a bit before the evening hours. Always water during daylight hours when watering indoors to allow the soil to dry a bit before lights go out.
- improper watering - Plants should be watered at the soil level without getting the foliage wet. Wet foliage aids in the spread of plant fungal diseases and cause sunburn on both indoor and outdoor plants. Indoor plants can benefit from a shower to clean off dust on the leaves but should be allowed to dry fully before returning the plant to its location. Outdoor plants get sufficient rain to wash off any dust although if you have a container plant in a location where rain will not reach it, a short shower from a watering can can be beneficial.
- watering on a schedule - Home gardeners make the mistake of watering on a schedule rather than on the basis of whether or not the plant needs watering. Watering should always be tailored to the plant's needs. If in doubt or on vacation use self-watering planters or water globes both indoors and outdoors. Avoid using timed watering devices (eg. timed sprinkler systems) for watering your plants outdoors as this can result in over watering if it happens to rain.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
This is the time of year where I have multiple trays and pots of started seeds in various stages from just planted to just emerging to seedling and young plants. There is nothing more frustrating than to see damping off go through a carefully cared for seed tray. Damping off is a fungal infection that affects seeds before germination or young seedlings. The very conditions of warm and wet that encourage seed germination are also ideal for the fungal growth that causes damping off. Damping off in young seedlings is noticeable by a thinning of the stem at the soil level. Here are a few tips for preventing damping off:
- Always use sterilized soil for starting seed. This can be a commercial mixture or a homemade mixture of 1 part sterilized soil, 1 part vermiculite and 1 part peat moss.
- Spray the soil with an anti-fungal agent like chamomile tea. Make two cups of chamomile tea. Allow to cool. Pour into a spray bottle. Use the spray as you would water to keep the soil moist for germination.
- Use drier germinating conditions with air circulation. If using the mini greenhouse pots open the vent at the top to allow air circulation. If using the 72 cell mini greenhouse seed staring trays, prop the lid open for 5 or 10 minutes daily. If using plastic wrap as a make shift cover, poke a couple of holes in it for air circulation.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012
