More in this Category
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Starting Seeds in August
The weather continues to lurch to extremes! Humidity, high heat, and torrential rains. A big test for our gardens. It can be disheartening to…
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Understanding Soil
Author: Barbara Long, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission. We begin our study of what lies beneath our feet by looking at the…
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Starting Seeds: Equipment and Supply
Author: Rebecca Last, Gardening at Last, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Are you excited to start seeds? Me too! Before starting, I like to…
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A Primer on Seed Documentation
Author: Rebecca Last, Gardening at Last, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission A rose by any other name may smell sweet, but failing to document…
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Seed Saving: An Act of Revolution
Author: Rebecca Last, Gardening at Last, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Why Save Seeds? Saving my own seeds saves me money and ensures I…
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When to Start Seeds
Author: Rebecca Last, Gardening at Last, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Browsing seed catalogues and imagining my garden for the coming season…
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Do Not Disturb the Soil
Author: Adair Heuchan, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Most gardeners think that turning over the soil in their garden is a good…
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Winter Sowing: A lesson about growing
Author: Shazia Y. Hussain, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission I am an avid gardener and a lifelong learner. My garden is an…
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Growing Ginger Root
Author: Penka Matanska, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Testing the boundaries of what can be grown in Ottawa, Canadian climate Zone 5a,…
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Hügelkultur for Winter Compost
Greetings fellow gardeners, I am tired and happy and covered with ice bags. Life is good. On Saturday, I decided that I needed to…
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Preparing the Garden for Fall and Winter
There are people who thoroughly wash their bulbs and tubers before storing them. I let mine dry with a small bit of dirt around…
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How to Collect Seeds from Flowers
I packed a bunch of envelopes and a pen and was able to collect a lot of seed. It is a great time of…
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The Dangers of Wild Parsnip and How to Protect Yourself
Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a plant that can pose several dangers to humans and animals due to its toxic sap and other characteristics.…
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Watering with Fish Emulsion Fertilizer
With the continuing heat, I try to do most of my watering in the early morning. I have a nice big green watering can…
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How to Test the Viability of Seeds
Often seeds will surprise us with their viability, but it is easier to test your seeds instead of taking chances. Greetings fellow gardeners Well,…
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Why is composting good for the environment?
In this blog, we are going to talk about why is composting good for the environment. If you’re looking for a particular reason to…
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Organizing My Seeds
The envelopes in the Christmas container can hold my seed catalogues. I am not the most organized gardener, but if all of my seeds…
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Microgreens for Breakfast
Microgreens often start with two little leaves, and then they will get a couple more. This is the time that I clip them as…
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A Method for Saving Tomato Seeds
Judith discusses a slightly different method of saving tomato seeds, which involves fermenting the seeds to improve their quality. It is a dark morning…
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Seed Collection and Saving
Seed collection is always done on a sunny day because wet seeds can go moldy very quickly. Ripe seeds should fall easily from the…
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Acid Loving Plants That Like Acidic Soil
If you have acidic soil which is below a pH of 7, but ideally hanging out at around 5.5, you could have great ground…
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Diatomaceous Earth Keeps Insects Away
Insects are all at once the friend and the foe of the gardener. Beneficial bugs help with pollination and can help to keep the…
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Seed Sources in Canada
One of my dear friends found a seed resource and seed sources on Facebook. The woman who compiled this list has a wonderful page…
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Vegan Carrot Spice Cake
The carrots I buy are not all the same size and some are a little twisty, but they taste great. I just finished baking…