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.

Edible Garden Newsletter July 2018

The Edible Garden Newsletter July 2018 is now available.  This month we feature an in depth article about the popular approach to gardening using raised beds.  This article defines the advantages and disadvantages of using raised beds. where to site them and how to prepare the location.  We outline the various types of materials that can be used to crate them and finally the mix of soil used to fill them.  Our Bee Line series continues with an article emphasizing the need for continuous blooms to attract your bees all summer long. 

Lanark County Farmers Markets

One of the joys of summer is visiting local Farmers' Markets.  In Lanark County, we are blessed to have many Farmers Markets that are open every Saturday morning all summer long.  Some of our favorites are in Perth, Almonte, Smiths Falls, Carleton Place and McDonalds Corners.  Farmers Markets provide fresh, locally grown produce.  You also get a chance to chat with the farmer who has grown it.  Lanark County Master Gardeners are available to answer your gardening questions at the Almonte Market on the third Saturday of the month and at the Perth Farmers Market at the first and third Saturday of the month.  Drop by to ask your questions or just to say hello.  If you cannot make it to the market, use the Contact button in the upper right hand corner to send an email and we will get back to you right away.  Hope to see you there.

Edible Garden Newsletter June 2018

The Edible Garden Newsletter for June 2018 is now available.  This month our focus is on the nutritional powerhouse, Haskaps, also known as Honey berries.  This plant is well behaved and is hardy to Zone 2.  The main requirement to get a crop is that it has to have a partner and like many of us is picky on which partner it works with.  A favourite vegetable, and no nutritional slouch itself, is the common carrot.  We feature a carrot myth, a childhood favourite and a recipe.  We also have suggestions for some interesting Edible Planters.  Finally our Bee Line series continues with a tribute to a ghost in the making, the Rusty Patch Bumble Bee.