Late March: Don`t Work the Soil Yet

A few days of unseasonably warm temperatures does not mean that summer has arrived. We live in Southern Ontario and weather can be variable. Before deciding on what gardening chores you can do now, check the long range forecast. Look…

March: Apply Dormant Oil

To eliminate any overwintering insects and diseases on fruit trees, apply dormant oil spray as directed on the package.…

March: Late Winter/Early Spring Pruning

Late winter/early spring is a good time to prune your deciduous plants for structure, or to remove damaged, diseased and dead branches. The structure of the plant is more visible during the dormant season, which allows you to make more…

March: Tuberous Begonias

Start tuberous begonia tubers indoors about 6 weeks before the last frost date.  Place them in a shallow container filled with a growing medium that is porous but moisture retentive and does not contain fertilizer or manure.  Coarse sphagnum moss,…

March: Feeding Houseplants

Now that the days are getting longer, it is time to start to feed your houseplants. Give them half the recommended dosage of plant food every other week rather than full strength every month.  Be sure that the growing medium…

March: Winter Wounds on Young Trees

The arrival of spring may show a vertical ‘split-like’ wound in the bark on the west or southwest side of a young or newly planted tree.  This wound, sometime called sun scald, is the result of the sun heating up…

March: Selecting Lettuce Seed

Students at the Colorado State University studied varieties of lettuce seeds to determine which were most resistant to bolting.  Batavian lettuce varieties, a cross between leaf lettuce and head lettuce,  came out on top.  The most resistant Batavian cultivars were…

March: Calculating the Sowing Date

Seed packages indicate the number of weeks needed to have a seedling ready for planting out.  Add on a week for ‘hardening off’ your seedlings.  To calculate the date for starting your seeds indoors, start with the date when you…

March: Warning About Growing Potatoes at Home

Now is the time home gardeners are planning their vegetable gardens and ordering seeds, and some may be considering growing potatoes this year. The Ontario Ministry of Food and Agriculture (OMAFRA) has some cautions about growing potatoes in urban home…

February: Growing Medium for Indoor Plants

Indoor plants should be grown in a growing medium that is formulated for potted plants.  Put the growing medium in a bucket and mix it with water.  The medium should be moist to the point that it will stay together…