Category Archives: Advice

Advice, Compost, Fertilizer

Bokashi Method of Composting

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By Marjorie Vendrig, Master Gardener in Training

Five years ago I moved from a large rural garden outside Ottawa to a small urban lot in downtown Peterborough. One of the biggest changes in my gardening practice was making the switch from large, multi-bin composting to a single, small, black plastic bin. Over the years in my Ottawa garden I had developed a good system for adding kitchen and garden waste, turning the compost, adding leaf mulch,  then spreading the compost over the gardens. Here in Peterborough, my small plastic bin was productive on a smaller scale but the raccoons, bunnies, and rats managed to chew through the plastic and serve themselves. It was more of a mess than a benefit. They defeated me. Thankfully, the municipal kitchen waste program kicked in about the time the racoons moved in, giving me a reasonable alternative for kitchen waste. My garden wasn’t getting much benefit except for the fall leaves that I mulched and put over the beds.

I realized that I really miss composting and I would prefer to be putting my own food scraps back into my garden.  I started looking into composting systems for small spaces and came across bokashi composting. It’s not really composting, rather a fermentation process, and described as perfect for small spaces. Sometimes called a ‘pre-compost’ process,  the fermented results are added to worm compost or outdoor compost where decomposition is completed. It’s also anaerobic so there’s no need to turn the compost or layer materials. The process is fairly fast, about two weeks for the initial fermentation step. Any kitchen waste, including meat, cheese, oil, can be added. Bokashi is a Japanese word meaning fermented organic matter; the practice originated in Japan.

The anaerobic fermentation process  requires an accelerator, something like a starter for sourdough baking. It is often referred to as ‘bokashi bran’, the bran inoculated with microorganisms – fungi,  lactobacteria, phytobacteria.  It’s easy enough to put together a homemade system with a few 5-gallon buckets –  one with a tight sealing lid – and other household items. One bucket should have holes drilled in the bottom; this bucket is placed inside the other; the holes allowing any moisture from the fermenting food to drip into the bottom bucket. Fill the top bucket with layers of small 2 – 3” kitchen scraps and bokashi bran until the bucket is almost full, cover and press with a layer of waxed paper, a cloth, or even some foam before sealing the bucket with the lid and leaving for a few weeks to ferment.  After about one week some white mold with develop, after two weeks the bucket will smell like pickles and the fermented material can be buried in the garden about 6-12”deep. It will decompose fairly quickly in the garden and planting can be done around the fermented trough after a few weeks. Alternatively, it can be added to the compost heap or even into a large tub of soil indoors where it will continue to decompose. Any liquid  – the ‘tea’ in the bottom bucket can be added to the compost or garden as well.

Bokashi bran is widely available online and at some garden centres; it’s also possible to buy a kit that includes bran, several buckets, and instructions. The buckets in the kits often have a tap and reservoir so the ‘tea’ can be collected at the bottom of the bucket.  Like sourdough starter, the bran can be made at home, though some starters work more quickly than others. It’s worth experimenting to test a few products and compare results. I’ve learned that a few cities in western Canada have municipal bokashi programs so it is possible in colder climates. On a large scale, it is also being trialled at Sissinghurst, a famous garden in the UK. 

The image on the left shows bokashi bran sprinkled on kitchen scraps.

The image on the right shows soil with fermented kitchen scraps after a few weeks in soil.

Resources

https://www.saskwastereduction.ca/recycle/resources/composting/bokashi-buckets/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokashi_(horticulture)#:~:text=Bokashi%20is%20a%20process%20that,by%20specialist%20bacteria%2C%20not%20decomposed.

https://www.gardensillustrated.com/garden-equipment/lifestyle/best-bokashi-bins

Advice, Garden Design, Native Plants, Perennials, Planting, Shrubs & Trees

Fall is the New Spring…It’s Time to Plant

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by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

I confess to LOVING this time of year. The heat and humidity of the summer is gone, and our gardens are still looking lovely. Although my established gardens are beginning the slow process of fading and getting settled in for their winter sleep, fall is a wonderful time to plant for so many reasons.

They may not look perfect but they’ll be going to sleep soon and will wake up next spring in their new homes.

You Have Time

Unlike your annuals or tender perennials, most perennials (and native plants in particular) can be planted in September and well into October (depending on where you live in Ontario).

Smaller trees and shrubs in particular are fine to plant once they have gone dormant and leaves have dropped, as long as they are well watered until freeze up.

I love the fall as it seems less frenzied than the spring gardening season, with time to reflect on the summer that has passed. Unlike spring and summer, temperatures moderate during fall, not only for the plants but also for us! It’s terrific working weather – you start with your sweatshirt on in the morning, but by the afternoon the temperatures have warmed up considerably and you might be in a t-shirt. During July and August I can only work in my gardens in the early morning or late evening due to the heat. Your plants don’t like to be planted in the heat of summer either. So fall is my happy time.

Assessing and Dividing

Fall is the perfect time to look around your garden – do you have holes, bad-looking spots, poorly performing plants? Are there places that need something new or something moved?

I need to revamp this garden and think about moving some perennials around.

Fall is a great time to divide overgrown perennials, especially those that bloom in the spring. I just dug up all of my fragrant hostas the other day and moved them to a new location so that I can expand my shade native plant garden. Next up – planting a hedgerow.

Hostas at the front of the bed were removed to put in more native plants

Warmer Soil Temperatures

During fall, soil temperatures remain warm from the summer sun, so conditions are ideal for root growth.

Cooler Air Temperatures

Gone is the humidity and heat of the summer and the unpredictability of spring weather (and worries about frost). Daytime high temperatures are nice and there is less water evaporation from leaves.

More Rain, Less Work

With fall also comes more frequent rainfall and less need to water new plantings. There aren’t crazy swings in moisture levels – fall rains are warm and welcome and moisture levels are perfectly balanced, encouraging root growth.

When you plant in spring and early summer, the weather can be very variable, especially with regard to temperatures and rainfall. The soil is still cool, and plants take a while to get established.

Fall rains rejuvenate our gardens

Some Challenges

It can be challenging to plant new perennials in the fall – stock and selections at nurseries may be less (however the prices may be better!) and some plants have been sitting in plastic pots for months and look less than perfect. Be sure to purchase new plants at a nursery that takes good care of their plants over the gardening season (that generally does not include big box stores – shop local where you can) and pull the plant out and check for a healthy root mass in the pot.

Ideally, give your plants at least 6 weeks of optimal growing weather of fall before the colder winds start blowing in.

One Last Note

It’s a really good idea to add mulch to your fall gardening – it helps insulate the ground and maintains warm soil temperatures even during early winters. So, you are providing a nice warm area for young plants to establish their root systems before the frost.

A Special Note on Native Plants

They might look a little sad in the nursery, with not much top growth and it may be browning. However, under that soil are roots, lots of roots, and that is what you are buying when you purchase a native plant.

Although a bit brown on top, this native plant has great roots
just ready for a new home.

So when you see a small three inch plant with roots coming out the bottom, recognize that it’s the perfect size to plant, and don’t worry about its ability to survive the winter.

Sleep, Creep, Leap

You may have heard the phrase “sleep, creep, leap” with respect to many plants, and especially native plants. Unlike most perennials, native plants just want to get their roots established during the first year (which is why they appear to ‘sleep’).

So if you plant in the fall, the roots are growing furiously, pushing south to grab moisture and nutrients to sustain them through the heat of summer next year. In the second year native plants creep, with more top growth and maybe even flowering. Watch out in the third year! They leap to their full size and blooming capacity.

So, if you can plant in the fall, the sooner your native plants can put down their roots in their new home, and be ready to grow in the spring season.

Bottom line? Fall weather is optimal for growth.

The perfect combo of warm soil temperatures near the root and cooler air temperatures on the top offer the ideal growing conditions for any new plantings or dividing existing perennials.

So get out in your gardens! (It’s also time to think about planting your spring flowering bulbs. Check out Master Gardener Cheryl Harrison’s excellent blog on how to do this.

Advice, Native Plants, Shrubs & Trees

Garden Jeopardy: The Small Native Tree Edition

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By Lois Scott, Master Gardener

Welcome to the second edition of Garden Jeopardy featuring a number of smaller native trees. 

I do love trees and in my suburban garden the opportunity to grow multiple smaller varieties is appealing.  The choices are many and discovering an interesting characteristic or benefit about a particular species inspires my choices.  Hopefully this edition will be inspiring for gardeners looking to add more trees to their gardens this fall.  You can confirm your responses at the end.

  1.  A shade-tolerant tree with smooth, blue-tinged bark and a fluted trunk sometimes known as ‘musclewood’.
  2. A tree that bears white, showy clusters of flowers in June or July that develop into orange or red fruits that are persistant throughout the winter and much loved by birds.
  3. A small evergreen tree that is resistant to insects and rot, rarely requires pruning and produces dark blue, berry-like cones that are a food source for Cedar Waxwings.
  4. A species at risk tree for part to full shade that is a host tree for the Giant Swallowtail butterfly, the largest butterfly found in Canada.
  5. An understory tree with branches in distinct layers that produces clusters of white flowers in spring, red leaves in the fall and is an important butterfly larval host.
  6. A tough, adaptable and urban friendly tree with a distinct upright trunk, wide-spreading crown and the densest Canadian wood.
  7. A tree bearing pea-flower shaped intense pink flowers in spring prior to leafing out, that is not native to Peterborough but will thrive here in a protected area.
  8. An excellent Peterborough source for the aforementioned trees.
A bedraggled Giant Swallowtail in my garden.

  1. What is the Blue Beech; Carpinus caroliniana?
  2. What is the American Mountain Ash; Sorbus americana?
  3. What is the Eastern Redcedar; Juniperus virginiana?
  4. What is the Common Hoptree; Ptelea trifoliata?
  5. What is the Alternate-Leaf Dogwood; Cornus alternifolia?
  6. What is the Ironwood, Hop-hornbeam; Ostrya virginiana?
  7. What is the Redbud; Cercis canadensis?
  8. What is Ecology Park Native Plant Nursery?  https://greenup.on.ca/ecology-park/
Pagoda Dogwood in fall.

Thank you for participating in this edition of Garden Jeopardy!  For information on tree planting please check out MG Cheryl Harrison’s blog on planting trees which includes a link on how to properly plant a tree. https://peterboroughmastergardeners.com/2024/04/22/earth-day-2024-plant-a-tree/

Advice, Herbs, Vegetable Gardening

It’s Not Too Late! Try Fall Vegetable Gardening!

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by Rachel Foebel, Master Gardener In Training

In the world of vegetable gardening, the fall garden starts about mid to late summer. This is an unusual time to think about starting seedlings or putting seeds in the ground for many.

Busy summer schedules, hot dry weather and maybe even lack of interest in the garden at this point in the year make the fall garden less popular. Perhaps gardening is not a project that’s high on your list in the middle of summer vacation.

Here is why I think you should do it anyway!

  • A chance to try some cool weather crops that don’t like the heat of summer.
  • Many fall garden vegetables taste better or sweeter in the cooler weather or after a frost.
  • Tasty herbs that can be enjoyed fresh and brought inside for winter.
  • Making use of available space after harvesting a summer crop.  
  • Fewer bugs and weeds to contend with (in theory).
  • Helps the garden to look fresh and tidy and less like a shaggy jungle this time of year (if you’re anything like me).

How To Get Started

In general, you learn the first frost date for your area and count backwards based on the number of days your fall garden varieties need to reach maturity. In the Peterborough area, we can expect our first frost around the end of September or early October. This means there are about 40-50 days to work with from the day of this post (mid-August). Keep in mind, a lot of fall- friendly garden varieties can easily survive light frosts. This means you have more than enough time to grow some delicious food.

Here are some sources to help determine your growing zone’s last frost date:

Below is a list of plants that can be harvested 40-50 days from germination and tolerate light frosts. (The numbers can vary depending on the variety. Choose short season varieties if possible.)

  • Spinach
  • Lettuce (greens, not head)
  • Bok Choy
  • Cilantro
  • Turnips
  • Radishes
  • Green Onions
  • Mustard Greens
  • Swiss Chard
  • Arugula

This website has some more unique varieties to suggest:

Additionally, here are some vegetables that take longer to reach maturity but can also handle light frosts:

  • Carrots (70-80 days, depending on the variety – can be stored in the cool soil until snow comes)
  • Leeks (100-120 days – can be harvested as early as 60 days)
  • Parsley (60-70 days – these can be slow to germinate, so if you can find a plant, perfect!)

Some late season carrot seedlings popping up in the bed I recently harvested my garlic from.

You can also consider some cool weather crops with a slightly longer growing time by starting your fall garden a little earlier next year. Examples: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Potatoes.

Get Planting!

  • You can start your seeds in trays in a sunny window or sow right into the garden, outdoor pot, window box, etc.
  • Amend your soil with compost if you have it available.
  • Plant your seeds and water daily to ensure the seeds have a good chance to germinate. Decrease the frequency as sprouts appear.
  • Don’t forget to leave space to plant your garlic in the fall!

Trouble Seed Sourcing in Late Summer?

  • Use any extra seeds from spring.
  • Look for seed sales as companies look to clear out their seeds that can’t be sold next year.
  • Learn to seed save. It’s easier than you might think!
  • Allow your spring/summer plants to self seed. Ex. kale, cilantro, lettuce, spinach, etc.
Some kale seed pods from my spring plants that I can use for a fall crop.
A few trays of greens to go out into the garden for fall eating.

Good luck!

Advice, Fertilizer, Lawn

Managing your Lawn

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By Carol Anderson, Master Gardener in Training

Have you ever looked out at your lawn and wondered why it is not as lush and green as the neighbors? Have you tried seeding and fertilizing your lawn but are still unhappy with the results? Here are some considerations that may help you create a lawn management plan that is successful in helping you achieve what you are looking for. Keep in mind that a healthy thick lawn will reduce your lawn susceptibility to pests and disease…so keep it healthy!  And if you suspect an insect infestation such as chinch bugs (see Figure 1), web worms or grubs, you must endeavor to address this first. Similarly, a lawn with a heavy weed infestation requires special treatment, perhaps even a full lawn “renovation”, prior to a lawn management plan being initiated.

Figure 1. Chinch bug damage (https://www.ontario.ca/page/hairy-chinch-bugs-lawns)

Lawn Management Plan:

Watering: One of the most misunderstood, yet critical, elements of any lawn management plan is ensuring that your lawn receives the proper amount of water. A specific watering schedule cannot be provided given that each lawn is subject to different environmental conditions impacting its’ watering requirements. For example, the lawns facing south/west will dry out very quickly, depending upon the amount of shade. In contrast, lawns facing north/east will tend to hold moisture much longer and will require less frequent watering.  The general rule of thumb is that a lawn typically requires about 1” (30cm or 300mm) of water per week to stay healthy. If there is sufficient rainfall and overcast days, no watering may be required 😊. However, if you determine that watering is required (soil feels dry several inches below grade), the following guidelines should be followed:

1.           Sod should not be watered in the middle of the day. Sunlight on a freshly watered lawn will burn the grass blades as the water droplets act as a magnifying glass for the suns’ rays. Sod is best watered in the early morning. Watering grass at night leads to infestations with grubs and other sod loving parasites and can facilitate fungus spores to develop.

2.           It is important to water your lawn deeply and less frequently. Why? It is very important to encourage grass to grow roots that are deep in the soil. Frequent light watering encourages superficial roots to develop and eventually the creation of grass that is not drought tolerant. A good rule of thumb…a sprinkler set for 30 minutes should provide the necessary moisture to thoroughly wet the sod 4-6” below the surface.

3.           Keep in mind…once your lawn is beginning to turn brown…it is too late to start watering it!! Try to stay on top of watering and watch the weather…hopefully mother nature will help you out!

Mowing and “Grass-cycling”: Under normal conditions, an established lawn should be mowed with the blades at a height of 2½ – 3” with sharp mower blades.  For many, this feels too long. However, removing too much of the grass blade puts the lawn into a state of stress making it susceptible to disease and insect infestations.  Under normal circumstances, grass clippings can be mulched and left on the lawn (grass-cycling) as a source of additional nutrients, protection from dehydration and to attract earthworms that will naturally improve both aeration and water filtration. However, in the Spring IF the grass is heavy with moisture, and the lawn is growing quickly, you may wish to remove grass clippings.

Dethatching (deep raking): A lawn with a high percentage of fescue grass will benefit from dethatching – the removal of a thick layer of dead grass and roots that have not decomposed. This should be done if thatch is present and before aeration and topdressing the lawn.

Aeration & Topdressing and “Grass-cycling”: Grass needs nutrients and your lawn might benefit from adding a thin layer of top-dressing (compost) on the surface, particularly if the soil has a lot of clay. A lawn that has a large amount of clay will need to be top-dressed regularly with compost to provide both a steady supply of nutrients, and to improve the soil texture and water/nutrient holding capacity over time. This can be done in the spring and fall. Aerating with a core aerator, topdressing with compost and then raking will break up the cores and improve the penetration of the compost into the soil.  

Fertilization: To maintain healthy lawns, 1.5-2.0kg/100m2 of nitrogen is recommended. If using a slow-release fertilizer, it can be applied twice in the growing season (spring, late summer/early fall), with a third application of specially formulated “winter” fertilizer in late fall. Keep in mind that grass grown in the shade requires ~ 50% less nitrogen than a lawn in the sun, so it is advisable to reduce the fertilization rate by one half in the shady areas of the lawn.

Overseeding: If your lawn could benefit from thickening, overseeding should be done in the late summer/early fall when there is less competition, and the roots can take hold.

In the end, if you desire a beautiful and lush lawn, with a little bit of work and a good management plan, you can achieve this. If your lawn is suffering from a significant weed infestation, or poor soil, you may require a full “renovation” – stay tuned for my next in the series to learn about what to do!

Advice, Perennials

Please don’t eat the Daisies: Rabbit and Deer Resistant Plants

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By Christine Freeburn, Master Gardener

For many gardeners, deer are a constant problem in the garden. They can destroy a hosta display or your treasured roses in an afternoon. In my neighbourhood rabbits are plentiful and they eat many kinds of plants from tulips to hosta. I have chicken wire around the base of most of my clematis. I fence off my euonymus, willow and Rose of Sharon in the winter with fencing high enough to be well above the snow line. I have my vegetable garden fenced and try to remember to keep the gates closed. (although, this spring a determined female rabbit  learned how to jump into my fenced compost pile and then into the vegetable garden where she decided to make a nest).  I spray my tulips, roses and anything else that the critters start munching on with a product that repels deer and rabbits. It is stinky and washes off if there is heavy rain so needs to be resprayed for best results. I also use a product called Hen Manure to deter squirrels and chipmunks. Sprinkling hen manure in your freshly planted annual containers, will keep these creatures from digging. And it is an organic fertilizer too. I also cover a raised vegetable garden bed with a row cover which looks and feels like a bridal veil. It allows sun and rain in, but keeps squirrels, chipmunks and pests like beetles out and can be good for light frosts. Doesn’t look pretty but it works.

Rabbits & deer generally don’t like plants that have a fragrance. Think of mints, marigolds, sages and monardas.  Rough or fuzzy leaf textures are also characteristics that deer and rabbits don’t enjoy.

There are some lovely perennials available that fit in those categories. Check plant tags as many growers are now listing if the plant is resistant to deer and rabbits.

Below, I have listed some plants that are generally resistant.

Perennials for Sun

  • Monkshood     Aconitum carmichaelii
  • Geranium        Geranium macrorrhizum
  • Peony               Paeonia officinalis
  • False Indigo    Baptisia australis
  • Salvia               Salvis x sylvestris
  • Yarrow            Achillea millefolium
  • Lavender        Lavandula augustifolia
  • Catmint           Nepeta
  • BeeBalm         Monarda
  • Russian Sage  Perovskia atriplicifolia
  • Amsonia          Amsonia
  • Grasses – Karl Foerster, Big Bluestem, Northern Sea Oats, Blue Fescue, Blue Oat Grass

[Above, clockwise from left: Astilbe, yarrow, sage, monarda]

Perennials for Shade

  • Bleeding Heart     Dicentra eximia
  • Hellebore               Helleborus orientalis
  • Lady’s Mantle         Alchemilla mollis
  • Snakeroot               Actaea racemosa
  • Spurge                     Euphorbia polychroma
  • Astilbe                     Astilbe x arendsii
  • Japanese Spurge   Pachysandra terminalis
  • Barrenwort             Epimedium graniflorum
  • Bugloss                    Brunnera macrophylla
  • Hakone Grass         Hakonechloa macra
  • Lungwort                Pulmonaria
  • Sedge                       Carex morrowii
  • Ferns – Christmas, Cinnamon, Ostrich, Autumn, Japanese Painted

[Above, clockwise from left: Rabbit, geranium, Japanese painted fern, bleeding heart]

There are some shrubs that deer and rabbits usually don’t bother with. They include Weigela (Weigela florida), Spirea (Spiraea japonica) and Potentilla (Potentilla fruticosa).

Bulbs like Daffodils (Narcissus), Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis),  Ornamental Onion (Allium) and Autumn Crocus (Colchicum) are not favourites for deer.

Annuals like Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria),  Licorice (Helichrysum petiolare), Caster Bean (Ricinus communis) and Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia) have rough or fuzzy leaves or a strong smell that deer or rabbits don’t like.

Herbs like Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage & Basil have a fragrance creatures stay away from also.

The plants listed above are generally resistant, but are not guaranteed to be deer and rabbit proof. If food is scarce or the creature is adventurous, they will try anything. Sometimes, rabbits just nip the flowers and leave them (grrrrr!)

Having wildlife in the garden is lovely and we enjoy watching our rabbits. But it is nice to have enough of the right plants that will survive and give a nice display of flowers. Balance in nature.

Advice, Drought, Sun Gardening, Waterwise

Preparing your garden NOW for the summer heat

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By Mary-Jane Pilgrim, Master Gardener

As the summer heat ramps up in Ontario, it’s time to get your garden ready to thrive in the hotter summer months. Here are some essential tips to ensure your garden stays healthy and vibrant despite the scorching temperatures that are most likely to hit us by the end of the month.

First, make sure to water your perennial plants deeply but less frequently now to get them used to what’s ahead. Early morning is the best time to water as it allows the moisture to penetrate the soil before the sun evaporates it. Consider investing in a drip or spray irrigation system to deliver water directly to the roots or lower portions of the plants, minimizing water loss through evaporation. Collect water in rain barrels for hand watering.

Newly planted trees, natives and other plants will begin to need extra support to make it through our harsh summer, and it is often a time that gardeners also struggle. Gardening seems so much easier in the spring, when everything is new and fresh, but do not give up when the temperature climbs and climbs! Summer gardening is so important to having a good garden year-round and working outside in the summer has its rewards too.

Native and non-native plants that have been planted this spring are probably not well enough established to be on their own this first summer, so they will need supplemental water this summer. For this purpose, I’ve purchased a couple dozen “pop bottle watering spikes” that screw onto a 2L pop bottle. Cut the bottom off of the bottle, put the spike on the threaded end and invert into the soil. The spike delivers water at a drip pace — I place these bottle waterers at the base of every new addition each year. By next summer, they can usually handle the dry conditions in our area a little better.

Version 1.0.0

Newly planted trees and shrubs get the “holey pail” treatment. Source a small pail like the ones that kitty litter comes in, and drill about 5 holes in the base. Place a pail beside each new tree or shrub. When temperatures soar and rain is scarce, drop a couple of litres of water into the pail. It will trickle out into the soil around the tree at a slow speed that will allow the tree to utilize the water.

Mulching is another crucial step in preparing your garden for the summer heat. Apply a layer of organic mulch on your flower beds and possibly a cheaper alternative such as straw or wood chips around your veggie beds to help retain moisture in the soil, regulate soil temperature, and suppress weed growth.

Don’t forget your trees! Apply 2 to 3 inches (5-7cm) of mulch around your trees, keeping it at least a few inches away from the trunk, avoiding mulch that has been artificially dyed.

Lastly, keep an eye out for pests and diseases, which tend to thrive in warm, humid conditions. Regularly inspect your plants for any signs of trouble and take appropriate measures to prevent infestations.

By following these simple tips, you can ensure your garden stays as lush and thriving as possible throughout the hot summer months which are just around the corner!

Advice

Stopping the Slide

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By Lois Scott, Master Gardener

After reclaiming the full width of a garden path, I realized I needed to deal with the erosion of soil from the adjacent garden area. Erosion is a problem for me in a few other areas such as the public sidewalk which has garden sloping down to it. Not only soil goes sliding but after a heavy rain I find myself in the neighbour’s driveway apron sweeping up my mulch.

So, I have two goals. The first goal is the need for additional plants to better hold the soil and the second goal is for these plants to be a green mulch reducing the need for wood mulch in these sloped areas. MG Laura Gardner discusses the idea of green mulch in her blog from May 2023 https://peterboroughmastergardeners.com/2023/05/08/mulling-about-mulches/ . In Laura’s blog, green mulch is described by Benjamin Vogt as being a lower plant layer that covers 90% of the ground. To meet my first goal, I need to expand my plantings of fibrous rooted plants. Fibrous roots are the opposite of tap roots (like a carrot) and are most effective at binding the soil. When looking for fibrous rooted plants good choices are native grasses, native sedges (Carex), and most colonizing native wild flowers. For this blog I am referring to herbaceous plants but there are many native shrubs and trees that are excellent at preventing erosion. https://watersheds.ca/how-native-plants-help-with-erosion-control/

Some parts of these sloped areas are working well for me with plant material effectively holding soil and effectively mulching the soil. For other areas I need denser plantings for both sunny and dry, semi-shade and moist. Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) and Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) are two favourite native plants I have that may get used together in a spot that is sunny and dry. I am expanding my use of the native grass Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepsis) along the sidewalk and a sedge (Carex), yet to be chosen, will underplant my Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum). Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) and Foamflower (Tiarella stolonifera) will be expanded to cover and hold soil in a shadier, moist area. These native plant choices will all work to hold the soil and act as a green mulch.

Pussytoes

If you are interested in learning more about how to stabilize a slope, please check out this post from the Halton Master Gardeners. https://haltonmastergardeners.com/2021/12/18/stabilizing-slopes/

Prairie Dropseed stabilizing the side of a swale.

Advice, Annuals, Propagation, Seeds

‘Garden Jeopardy’ Seed Starting Edition

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by Lois Scott, Master Gardener

I don’t know about you but when I am listening to people talk about specialized topics it can seem like they are speaking a different language. 

Gardeners and gardening can be like that! 
So welcome to the first edition of Garden Jeopardy.

Image by pch.vector on Freepik

You can learn about or review a few terms and definitions and then “dazzle” your friends and family with your seed starting knowledge and vocabulary!

The process by which a plant grows from a seed into a seedling. 
What is germination?

Optimal water, oxygen and proper temperature. 
What are the conditions a seed needs for germination?

The absorption of water by a seed.  
What is imbibition?

The part of a seed which acts as a food source for the developing plant embryo. 
What is the endosperm?

The first leaf or one of the first pair of leaves developed by the embryo of a seed. 
What is a cotyledon?

The part of a plant embryo that develops into the primary root.  
What is a radicle?

The process by which plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar. 
What is photosynthesis?

A sterile, lightweight, free from weed seed product that is usually composed of vermiculite and peat or coir with no true soil in it. 
What is a soil-less seed starting mixture?

The process in which seedlings/plants grow leggy (long), pale and yellowed due to insufficient light. 
What is etiolation?

A disease of young seedlings caused by certain fungi and water mold that thrive in cool, wet conditions.  Providing constant warmth under seedlings can help prevent this. 
What is damping off? 
Learn how to prevent damping off!

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Advice, Garden Design, Vegetable Gardening

Make a planting plan now to grow your best vegetable garden yet!

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By Silvia Strobl, Master Gardener in Training

True confession: In 30 years of growing a vegetable garden I’ve never made a planting plan. I only make a sketch noting what was grown in each planting bed so that I rotate crops over a 3-year cycle to minimize pest build-up.

Recently, I was introduced to the idea of making a planting plan to both optimize garden space for vegetables to be grown and ensure timely harvests and succession sowing/planting–of particular importance in our short growing season! Now is a great time to plan. To illustrate how, here are the steps to grow 6 crops in a hypothetical garden plot 12 feet x 12 feet in size.

Step 1: Identify the Average Date of Last Spring Frost and Average Date of First Fall Frost for your garden location. By consulting this Ontario map, we see that Peterborough is in Zone E with a May 17 last frost and a September 26 first frost, giving a 19-week or 133-day growing season.

Step 2: Identify the vegetables you want to grow, and note the weeks to maturity (i.e., estimated time before you can harvest edible vegetables) on the seed packet. Decide whether you will direct sow or plant seedling transplants that have either been purchased or sown indoors. In short growing seasons, transplants can give you a head start and are recommended for crops that take more than 100 days to mature.

Step 3: Make a schedule either on paper or in digital format, by creating a table with the months of the growing season as columns and the 4 weeks in each month as rows (see Table 1 or this more detailed worksheet). Identify in which weeks the following events for each crop will occur:

  • Direct sowing of cool season crops like lettuce, spinach, kale and snow peas (second week of April in Peterborough)
  • Either direct sowing or planting of seedling transplants of warm season crops like carrots, beans, squashes, melons, tomatoes (third week of May, or later)
  • Count the weeks to maturity and identify when harvest will occur for each crop
  • Identify if there will be enough weeks in the growing season to sow or plant the space with a second crop of after the first crop is harvested
  • If you can sow or plant a second crop, add these actions to the schedule, ensure the second crop in any planting bed is from another vegetable family
  • Finally, add in other key dates, like when seedling transplants need to be sown indoors in spring and hardened off, or in mid-summer (for a second crop), if growing these yourself

Table 1 shows a schedule for 6 crops and identifies that the growing season in this hypothetical garden can accommodate harvests of two kale, lettuce, and bush bean crops, and one carrot crop.

Step 4: Identify where each crop will be planted by sketching a map to approximate scale of your planting beds. Refer to the recommended spacing on the seed packet, to identify how many plants will be sown or planted. Refer to notes about the past 2 years of planting to ensure you don’t grow the same crop in the same location as the years before.

Figure 1 shows the 12-foot square hypothetical garden divided into 6 beds, each 3 feet by 5 feet. We immediately notice that nothing is planted in beds 4 and 5 until the last week of May and the first week of June, respectively. Could radishes (3 to 5 weeks to maturity) and spinach (5 to 6 weeks) have been planted in mid-April in beds 4 and 5, respectively, and mostly harvested just before planting the small tomato and zucchini seedlings?

Ft.= feet; in.=inches; W/in = within; Wk=week

You will likely grow more than 6 vegetable crops. For example, you could plant seedlings of a short-season broccoli instead of kale crop #1 and snow peas instead of bush bean crop #1. But, if you follow these steps to make a planting plan almost every inch of your garden space will be used from as soon as cool-season crops can be sown to when crops such as kale, cabbages, carrots, and parsnips are touched by the first frosts that concentrate sugar content and improve their taste. You might also include annual flowers like marigolds, calendula and alyssum that not only add beauty to the vegetable garden but attract pollinators.

By recording yields in your garden over the years, the planting plan can be fine-tuned so that the number of plants of each crop grown is as much as your family can eat. Nobody wants to be overwhelmed by too many zucchinis!

It is a bit of work upfront to make a planting plan, but it will save time over the growing season because you will know exactly when and where each crop will be planted, at what spacing, and which crop will succeed the one just harvested. You will also save money by only buying seeds for crops that will be grown!

I am going to try this for my vegetable garden this year, how about you?

For more info on growing veggies in Ontario check here.  Also check the Peterborough & Area Master Gardeners resources page here for fact sheets on growing lots of different kinds of vegetables.

Related:

ARE YOU IN THE ZONE?

Are You in the Zone?

METHODS OF GROWING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES EFFICIENTLY IN SMALL SPACES

Growing Food

HOW TO MAKE YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL

How to Make Your Vegetable Garden Beautiful

GROWING VEGETABLES

Growing Vegetables

 

PREPARING YOUR GARDEN BEDS FOR PLANTING VEGETABLES AND ANNUALS

Preparing your garden beds for planting vegetables and annuals