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 Richters 2013 Herb & Vegetable catalogue arrived just before Christmas but I didn't have time to browse through it until today. Richters (located in Goodwood, Ontario) has a wonderful selection of herbs and gourmet vegetables. Their service is speedy with reasonable shipping costs that ensure your live plants arrive safely. This year they have added SeedZoo, a project to preserve traditional and indigenous food plants from around the world. Here is a short video on SeedZoo.
The SeedZoo seeds are sold on a first come, first served basis. Many of the seeds are from rare and endangered food plants so there is only a few seeds available. Once sold out the seeds may never be available again. Home gardeners can help preserve these plants by buying the seed packets ($6 each), growing the plants then collecting the seeds to share with family and friends, much the same way as you do with heirloom varieties. This is a wonderful way to experience vegetables from around the world that you might otherwise not have the opportunity to enjoy.
I ordered three packets - Hutterite beans, monkey faced peppers and giant Armenian black beans. I really would have liked to order more but a lot of the seeds are indigenous to Africa meaning the chances of them doing well here in Ontario, Canada is about slim to none but that doesn't mean I couldn't try. They really are pricey though at 10 seeds per package for $6 plus shipping and HST. Still, it is a well worthwhile project and I do hope that many home gardeners buy at least a package or two to support the cause. More importantly, preserve the seeds and share them!
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
