Agricultural Fairs

Agricultural Fairs have been an annual tradition in Lanark County for well over 150 years.  They all include an opportunity for people to show their garden produce, including flowers, fresh and preserved fruits and vegetables.  There are baking competitions and amazing craft displays. The stars of the show are the Livestock competitions.  Some fairs have grown to include midways and commercial displays.  Finally, all are capped with outstanding Home made meals.  Whether you  are city or country folk, there is fun for all.  The season starts in July with the Almonte  Fair and continues into August with Pakenham and Mayberly.  Labour Day weekend brings the Perth Fair and September, McDonald's Corners and Middleville.

Edible Garden Newsletter August 2017

Edible Garden Newsletter August 2017 travels way back in time to visit the Monastic Gardens from the 1100's.  We travel around the World in 80 plants with a review of a book by that same name.  Love spinach but don't like how it bolts as the weather heats up, then learn all about Malabar Spinach.  Finally, our 3 part Drought Buster series wraps up.

Edible Garden Newsletter July 2017

The Edible Garden Newsletter July 2017 continues our series on Drought Busters. This month we focus on Berms and Basins. Given the patterns of weather we are now experiencing--excessive rainfall alternating with drought and heat, we need every trick we can devise to create resilient gardens. Learn about tricks and tips to keep weeds under control. Plant once and harvest many times using "Cut and Come Again" vegetables. Finally our pollinator series continues with the Prettiest Pollinator.

Edible Garden Newsletter June 2017

The Edible Garden Newsletter for June 2017 A resilient gardener must prepare in advance for hot dry summers.  Over the next three issues, we focus on drought busting solutions.  This issue concentrates on your garden topography.  We also explore the history and usage for four perennial herbs.  Finally, our pollinator series continues with a not very popular pollinator and introduce a way you can become a backyard scientist.

Edible Garden Newsletter May 2017

The Edible Garden Newsletter May 2017 encourages gardeners to look at weeds, not as a dreaded chore but as a tasty and nutritious addition to your diet.  Most weeds are best picked and eaten when they are young and tender.  Now is a great time to start your pumpkins.  They are an amazing and tasty addition to your garden and come in many shapes, sizes and colours.  Finally, maybe it is time to give Salsify a try.

The Power of Pollinators Presentation by Dr James Coupland

The Power of Pollinators, by Dr. James Coupland--a presentation sponsored by
the Almonte and District Horticultural Society and the Mississippi Mills Beautification Committee on Wednesday, May 10 at 7:00 pm upstairs at the Almonte Old Town Hall. This event is open to the general public and is free of charge. We encourage residents of Mississippi Mills, Carleton Place and surrounding areas to participate in this educational opportunity.  A strong advocate of pollination, conservation and the value of ecosystems, he’ll talk about the importance of pollinators and their decline. Pollinators, which are critical to plant reproduction, are “a huge part” of the value of nature, he says. And even individual gardeners can have a big impact in solving the problem of habitat loss and the effect of insecticides.

Canada's Garden Route--Feature

Canada's Garden Route Feature--2017 marks Canada's 150th Birthday.  To celebrate many Canadians are taking the "Great Canadian Road Trip".  If you travel to another province or stay right at home, there are many spectacular gardens you can visit.  Canada's Garden Route has been developed to help you find a garden wherever your travels take you.

This Sidebar Feature  (on your right) is a tribute to Canada's 150th birthday celebration and a promotion of Canada's Garden Route, drawing extensively from the material on the Canada's Garden Route website. The goal is to present the material as a cross country tour, and supplements "Featured Garden" destinations on Canada's Garden Route with additional images and videos for individual destinations. This feature attempts to be impartial, in every way, limited only by the available material.

Sidebar Features are specifically designed for viewing in the popup window opened when clicking the Sidebar Feature label or image on the Lanark County Master Gardeners blog. Other viewing options will result in distorted or fuzzy results.

Please note that there is a built-in navigation capability. It is triggered using the leftmost button (just before the backward/forward buttons). After clicking the appropriate button you can navigate to a specific province and to a specific Featured Garden within a given province. This is particularly useful if you get interrupted while viewing the entire Sidebar Feature or have a vacation planned in a specific province.

Edible Garden Newsletter April 2017

The Edible Garden Newsletter April 2017 focuses on starting seeds and growing vegetables that are adapted to cool starts.  We take you from starting a few seeds through to Vegetable gardens that have the real "Wow" factor.  We show you how you can avoid laying out big bucks for plant starting equipment by using  items from your recycle bin and even how to make soil blocks so you can avoid pots completely.  Finally, we continue our Pollinator Series with an article about Spring Plants for Bees.