Reflowering Amarylis

Christmas is over.  Your beautiful Amaryllis bulb is nothing but green leaves.  Can you make it reflower.  Yes! You can. Follow our easy steps and your Amaryllis will rebloom again and again.

Sugar Tyme

What is that beautiful little tree growing all along Wilson Street in Perth?  It is a spectacular crab apple, know as Sugar Tyme.

Edible Garden Newsletter January 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter January 2019 is now available. Want to become a Modern Bee Keeper?  This issue will tell you about one self-taught apiarist.  Seed Catalogues are coming in fast and furious.  Now is the time to start dreaming about spring with their help.  It is dark in the morning when I get up.  It is dark when I make supper.  Spring seems so far away.  Still lots can be done to help our gardens and ourselves thrive in this dark season.  Finally, a Garden Procrastinator documents a year in the life.  Happy New Year and great gardening to everyone from the Master Gardeners of Lanark County and Ottawa Carleton.

Edible Garden Newsletter December 2018

The Edible Garden Newsletter for December 2018 is now available.  As it is December, some of our Master Gardeners have provided a gift wish list.  You might like to leave these pages laying around for your favorite gift giver.  One of our authors writes about visiting Manitoulin Island and coming home with a taste for "Hawjelly".  Cannabis is now legal to possess and use in Ontario and we provide information and links to make sure you grow and use it legally.  The December 2018 marks the end of 5 years of creating this monthly newsletter.  Our leader, Edythe Falconer, is stepping back from her leadership role but she assures us we can look forward to her interesting and informative articles.  The rest of the team is staying in place.  Thank you Edythe. Merry Christmas to all our gardening friends.

Edible Garden Newsletter November 2018

The Edible Garden Newsletter November 2018 is now available.  In our October Edible Garden Newsletter, we discussed the benefits of using a Grow Tent in your home to grow plants.  This month, we describe how to install the Grow Tent.  We also describe a Prairie Farmers family's War on Weeds and how weeds can become a benefit to the home garden.  Our series on unusual vegetables continues with a discussion on two perennial onions, the Walking Onion (shown above) and the Potato Onion.

Edible Garden Newsletter October 2018

The Edible Garden Newsletter October 2018 is now available.  This months newsletter provides an introduction to the world of Indoor Grow Tents.  These tents come in a variety of sizes and are beneficial for gardeners who want to start plants or those who wish to actually grow produce in their own homes.  As many of you know, October is garlic planting month.  Whether you are a novice garlic planter or have been doing it for years, there is something in this article for everyone.  October is also the time to deal with leaves, leaves and more leaves.  Finally see what one gardener learned about Roadside Vegetable Gardens on a recent trip to Newfoundland.

Edible Garden Newsletter September 2018

The Edible Garden Newsletter September 2018 is now available.  Our feature article focuses on helping your trees and shrubs survive the drought, such as we have had this summer.  Many of our favorite edibles, Apples, Cherries, Plums, Chokecherries, Hazel nuts and Currants grow on these woody plants.  We have likely all heard of Green Manure.  We follow one gardener as she attempts a green manure crop.  One of our Master Gardeners discusses her experience of being Armchair Mayor and her idea to make Ottawa a bee-friendly city.  We finish up this edition with a book review on "The Complete Mushroom Hunter", an illustrated guide to foraging, harvesting and enjoying wild mushrooms, by author Gary Lincoff.

Edible Garden Newsletter August 2018

The Edible Garden Newsletter August 2018 is now available.  Virtually all parts of Ontario have been in severe and long lasting drought.  We polled some of our Master Gardeners and learned their secrets for dealing with drought.  This may be too late for this year but are excellent strategies to employ.  Ever hopeful  and thinking August may be a little wetter, we have recommended some plants that you can plant now and still have a vegetable harvest this year.  Sage is a herb that most of us have in our kitchens.  Learn more about this valuable herb--its history and methods to propagate.  Goji Berries are touted as having great beneficial properties.  Learn more about this delicious and surprisingly easy to grow tree/vine.  Jicama is not a vegetable that would easy to grow in our area but could become a welcome addition to your dinner table.  Finally, our Tool series continues with an article on choosing the ever important Shovel.  Sorry about the snow for August but Sage is tough and can be harvested in winter.