Trowel Talk Newsletter November 15, 2020

The Trowel Talk Newsletter November 15, 2020 brought to you by the Master Gardeners of Lanark County and Ottawa Carleton, is now available.  This month we talk about:

• Beauty or beast? Invasive Cypress spurge--This plant is considered an invasive weed in Ontario but it is also an invasive ornamental that is often grown in home gardens and can still be found for sale in nurseries.
• Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia--You may remember the popular Chia Pet, popular in the eighties. Follow one gardener's adventure as she grows chia plants.
• Green Roommates--Now that the outdoor gardening season has drawn to a close, we turn our attention to houseplants.
• Bringing nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants--a Book review 
• Ask a Master Gardener--Overwintering Spider Plants and Controlling Spider Mites.

If you would like to receive our Newsletter in your email inbox, contact us at lanarkmg@gmail.com

Trowel Talk Newsletter October 15, 2020

 

The Trowel Talk Newsletter October 15, 2020  brought to you by the Master Gardeners of Lanark County and Ottawa Carleton is now available. This month we talk about:

• Garden Magic--Planting bulbs with the kids, a sure fire way to get your kids, young and old excited about gardening
• Who Let the Moths Out--The invasion of Gypsy Moths and what you can do about it.
• Goldenrods--A beautiful but often misunderstood native plant in its many forms
• Fallen Leaves--The collective wisdom of Master Gardeners and their many uses for fallen leaves
• Ask A Master Gardener.

If you would like to receive the newsletter in your inbox, each month, email us at lanarkmg@gmail.com

Trowel Talk Newsletter September 15, 2020

 

The Trowel Talk Newsletter September 15, 2020 is now available. In this issue, we feature:

• a lesson on drying beautiful hydrangeas from your garden so you can enjoy them all winter long. 
• Native grasses once covered vast stretches of Ontario and Saskatchewan prairies.  They are now recognized as a valuable part of the modern gardens. 
• September is the perfect time to divide you Daylilies if their clumps are growing too large.
• Creeping Bellflower is an Invasive plant whose beauty invites itself in to your garden.  Learn how to remove it.
• Lemon Verbena is an amazing culinary herb.  Learn how to use it in a variety of methods.
• Finally, Ask a Master Gardener column answers two fall gardening questions.

If you would like to subscribe to Trowel Talk Newsletter and have it appear in your inbox, send an email to lanarkmg@gmail.com.

Trowel Talk Newsletter August 15, 2020

 

The Trowel Talk Newsletter August 2020 is now available.  This month, we focus on:

• A Kale for everyone
• Ask a Master Gardener
• What Vegetables can I plant now?
• What is this ugly black mess on my plum tree?
• Fruit trees for an Urban Garden
• Joe Pye Weed is our Native Plant Profile
• From the Garden focuses on Monarch Butterflies and Milkweed
• Book Review of the New Canadian Garden by Mark Cullen

We have tips, quotes and the garden activity calendar for August for both the Vegetable and Ornamental Gardens.

Above is a newly planted Serviceberry.  A wonderful fruit bearing native plant that fits almost any size garden

Hope you enjoy it.  If you would like to have the newsletter sent directly to your inbox each month, contact us at lanarkmg@gmail.com 

Feel free to share with your friends.

Trowel Talk Newsletter July 15, 2020

Trowel Talk Newsletter July 2020 is now available.  This month our feature article describes one gardener's transformation from lawn to a beautiful 'meadowscape' garden that quickly became home to many pollinators. Another author describes favourite beets and how you can grow them in your garden.  If you cannot grow herbs in your garden or do not have a garden, consider easy to grow and low maintenance herbs in a container.
Japanese Beetles are the bane of many gardeners existence. We provide tips for slowing them down and even getting rid of them.
This month, our Ask a Master Gardener answers questions about growing a tomato plant in a pot and What do I do with me Bleeding Heart after blooming?
If you would like to subscribe to our Trowel Talk Newsletter and receive in in your inbox, send an email to lanarkmg@gmail.com

Trowel Talk Newsletter June 15, 2020

The June 15, 2020 edition of the Trowel Talk Newsletter is now available. This month, we feature articles on:

Calendula, an annual flowering herb sometimes called 'Pot Marigold' or Poor Man's Saffron

 Ask a Master Gardener--answers to questions about Hostas and Iris

Garden Safely--tips on how to garden without injury

Planting to preserve and beautify your shoreline, important buffers between land and water 

Garden Mint--Frightened by mints invasive reputation?  It can be controlled so you can enjoy.

Onions Galore!--Onions can also be ornamental too.

If you would like to receive this email directly in your inbox, contact us at lanarkmg@gmail.com
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Trowel Talk Newsletter May, 2020

The Trowel Talk Newsletter May 15, 2020, is now available, brought to you by the Master Gardeners of Lanark County and Ottawa Carleton.

This month, given the downturn in the global economy, due to Covid-19 pandemic we suggest methods to Grow Food to share.  One popular early vegetable is the radish.  The author provides tips for growing radishes and suggests some varieties that you may not have tried.
In the ornamental side, we answer the question "Who put the Zinn in the Zinnias?".  Our Native Plant this month is Vernonia: Bold and Beautiful Ironweed.
This month's Ask a Master Gardener answers a question about the Annabelle Hydrangeas.  If you would like to see your question answered in this newsletter or simply have a question, click on the Helpline button on the last page.

Garden Centres are opening and our Garden season can get underway.  Plant Sales, Gardening events and Clinics have been cancelled but will hopefully return later this summer.

Please share this newsletter with your gardening friends.  If you received this newsletter from a friend, contact us on the Helpline.

Trowel Talk Newsletter April 2020

Trowel Talk Newsletter April 2020 is now available.  This is the first issue of our new newsletter, brought to you by the Master Gardeners of Ottawa Carleton and Lanark County.  We have combined the Edible Garden Newsletter and Trowel Talk, hopefully taking the best of both into one newsletter.  This month, we feature an article on Planting Tomatoes to Prevent Problems and help you create an interest in gardening with your children by planting a Pizza Garden.  Our Native Plant profile features False Blue Indigo, Baptisia australis, an early blooming perennial that is as attractive to Pollinators as it is to the eye.  We have also added a new feature, Ask a Master Gardener.  We welcome your feedback and suggestions for articles and have provided a handy feedback button  on page 6. 
As you are all no doubt aware, the current COVID19 emergency has forced the cancellation of all clinics, talks and events for the foreseeable future.  We are still available to answer your gardening questions and links to Helplines for both Lanark and Ottawa Carleton are provided in the Newsletter.
Hope you enjoy it.

Edible Garden Newsletter March 2020

The Edible Garden Newsletter for March 2020 is now available. This month, our feature article is all about Winterizing Herbs from the garden.  Sage, as shown in the picture, does not need to come indoors as it happily produces all winter long. We also focus on Rosemary.  One gardener tells how she and some friends preserve a tradition by canning Grandma's Chili Sauce.  Finally, a gardener talks about the pleasure of growing blueberry bushes.
I am sad to report that this is the last issue of The Edible Garden Newsletter.  We are combining this newsletter with another existing newsletter, Trowel Talk.  We will be taking the best from the two newsletters and creating one, retaining the Trowel Talk name.  It will be available of the 15th of each month.  If you subscribe to The Edible Garden you do not need to do anything to keep your newsletters flowing.  Thanks to all for your support over the past 6 plus years.

Edible Garden Newsletter February 2020

The Edible Garden Newsletter February 2020 is now available.  In this month's issue, we discuss the pros and cons of growing the various varieties of currants.  They are nutritious and delicious but are also the first step on the process that leads to Pine Blister Rust.  February is the time when people's minds turn to starting seeds.  While it is still too early to start your tomato seeds, it is a wonderful time to get prepared for the big day.  Do you like Pesto? Read on for delicious and different approaches to making Pesto that you love, including using Garlic Scapes.  Finally learn all about the benefits of worm castings (poop)!
However, in our northern forests, Mor soils predominate.  These are soils in which organic matter is practically unmixed with mineral soils below that are more or less matted or compacted.  The forest floor is covered in organic matter, also called detritus, duff and the O horizon.  Within three or four years after introduction, Earthworms can transform Mor soils to mull soils where the organic and mineral layers are mixed.  They can remove the duff layer, disrupting plants whose roots feed in that organic layer.  Plants like spikenard, Solomon's Seal, Bellwort, Nodding Trillium, Large flowered Trillium and Goblin Fern begin to dissipate.  Tree species shift and Invasive shrubs like European Buckthorn and Honeysuckle benefit and thrive and ecosystem disruption ensues.
What on earth(worm) can I do?

Some simple ways to help stop the spread of earthworms and protect our soils in Ontario's Forest Ecosystems are:

• avoid transporting soils, leaves, mulch, and compost to different areas
• wash the treads of your vehicles and shoes when moving from one area to another
• throw unused bait in the trash, not on land or water.

Edible Garden Newsletter January 2020

The Edible Garden Newsletter January 2020 is now available.  Happy New Year to everyone.  On this New Years Day as you are contemplating your New Year's Resolutions, we hope that you will make one to help your garden, more than any other resolution can.  That resolution will be to improve your soil.
In this issue of the Edible Garden Newsletter, we continue our series on soil.  We talk about Soil texture and also introduce you to some simple and fun ways to test your soil.  Your children will love to help out with these tests.  We also compare the properties of sand, silt and clay and how they contribute to the well being in your garden.
Our unusual vegetable series continues with a mouth watering look at Delicata Squash.
We hope that all our readers have a wonderful and productive 2020 and enjoy your upcoming gardening season.

Edible Garden Newsletter December 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter December 2019 is now available.  In this issue we have an in depth article that discusses how pre-Columbian agriculturists adapt to vastly different climates and geography? How well will we adapt to population growth and climate change? Can we learn from our ancestors, both ancient and recent? Can we develop sustainable gardening practices that respond to the world of today?
Our Bee-Line column discusses how not only is the native bee population declining but also many of our favorite birds and what we as home gardeners can do about it.
This issue completes our sixth year of production.  We wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful and fruitful New Year.

Edible Garden Newsletter November 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter for November 2019 is now available.  In this issue we show you that there is more to Edibles than eating as one author combines ornamentals and edibles to create a garden in a vase for all occasions.  Our Bee Line series continues with a visit to a beehive to reap the rewards of owning a share in a beehive.  Our unusual edibles series continues by providing information on lovage, a perennial herb that is beautiful and delicious.   Finally, a small tribute to the fruit, berry and seed producing shrubs that help our feathered friends survive the winter. 
One day in November, I found two apples in a Robin's nest in one of my apple trees.  Not sure if the Robin was saving them for a bed time snack or the Squirrel found it a handy spot to store a couple of apples for later.

Edible Garden Newsletter October 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter October 2019 is now available.  Our Edible Gardeners share with us the ways they enjoy their harvest.  One garden has successfully experimented with making Flower Petal Jelly and shares her successes.  Another tells us of even more ways to share rhubarb, a tart and tasty summer treat.  Yet another gardener tells us of an unorthodox approach she took to harvest an abundance of red currants and an even more unorthodox approach to pruning.  Our Bee Line series continues with a visit to the Corner Pollinator Garden. Enjoy.
Still time to register to our Ontario Native and Invasive Plants--Friends and Foes on October 26. For Details see Featured Post to the right.

Edible Garden Newsletter September 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter for September 2019 is now available.  Many of us look forward to the fresh sweet taste of Ontario Strawberries that we buy at Farmers Markets or go out to a Pick-Your-Own farm but not a lot of us grow our own.  Our feature article this month walks us through the steps to create your very own Strawberry Patch.  Jerusalem Artichokes provide a beautiful daisy like flower and deliver Sunchokes year after year.  Learn all about growing this interesting perennial vegetable.  Our Bee Line column focuses on a different pollinator in a celebration of Monarchs.  Part 4 of our ongoing Introduction to Soil series focuses on Soil Texture.

Edible Garden Newsletter August 2019

Edible Garden Newsletter, August 2019 is now available.  In this issue, we focus on attraction pollinators and other beneficial insects to our garden.  We start with a tour of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, located in the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa right next to the Arboretum.  Another gardener talks about building a simple and easy water feature in her vegetable garden that attracts birds, bees, butterflies and frogs and toads to name a few.  Many people run if they see a Hornets nest but they are another important pollinator and protector from many of the invasive insects that target our gardens.  Finally, we continue our Introducing Soil series with an article on Soil Profile.  Frequently, we are asked "When can I harvest my vegetables?"  We have included a link to our August 2014 Newsletter that describes when your crops are ready and how best to preserve your abundant harvest.

Edible Garden Newsletter July 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter July 2019 is now available.  In this issue, we are all about growing things in containers.  We describe how to create  Pollinator friendly containers as an additional method for attracting pollinators to your garden.  Also, as many of us downsize our gardens, learn how one gardener still grows vegetables in containers. Gardeners often complain about weeds taking over our garden but in this issue we describe the benefits of eating two prolific weeds--Purslane and Pigweed.  If you grow Plums or Cherries, you may have been impacted by the dreaded Black Knot.  Discover what you can do to treat this problem. Finally a book review of Matthew Biggs book Grow something different to eat.  The butterfly in the above photo found its way to a container on the 9th floor.  A welcome guest.

Edible Garden Newsletter June 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter June 2019 is now available.  In this issue, we describe how and when to harvest, enjoy and store potatoes, including something we all look forward too, New Potatoes.  Do Potato Towers work? Check it out.  Our Bee Line series continues with information about Honeybees, Native Bees and Butterflies.  Part 2 in the series Introducing Soil describes what components make up soil.  The Herb of the Year for 2019 is Anise Hyssop.  We feature one gardeners experience of growing, and loving this plant.  Finally a recipe for Chive Vinegar.

Edible Garden Newsletter May 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter May 2019 is now available.  In this issue, we discuss planting our favorite garden staple, Potatoes.  A current major environmental concern is the amount of plastic that is finding its way into the food chain.  We discuss steps we home gardeners can take to reduce the amount of plastic we bring into the garden.  Finally, our ongoing Bee Line series talks about World Honeybee Day August 17, 2019.  The attached photo is of my Dad, showing off one of his favorite vegetables, a potato. Photo credit Kim Allen.

Edible Garden Newsletter April 2019

The Edible Garden Newsletter April 2019 is now available.  This month, we feature a very rarely grown legume to our part of the world--Peanuts.  It is doubtful that Peanuts will become a cash crop in Eastern Ontario but for those who like a challenge, it is possible to grow them here and even harvest a few.  Swiss Chard is native to Southern Europe and will tolerate heat but it grows best in our cooler climate.  It is not a demanding vegetable and some think it is almost "too pretty to eat".  Our author has also provided information on some of her favorite varieties.  Carrots are another popular vegetable.  While they sometimes seem fussy to start, they grow well here and are one of the root vegetables that are easy to store and in the right conditions can last most of the winter.  We even include a recipe for an easy to make and delicious Carrot Cake. Finally we start a new series on Soil, focusing on the terms we use to describe it.