Category Archives: Garden Design

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
Annuals, Garden Design

Container Gardening Basics

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By Carol Anderson, Master Gardener in Training

Whether you have found yourself in a small space with limited capacity for planting garden beds or enjoy the opportunity to be creative, container planting can brighten any spot in the garden. Containers add dimension, interest and instant colour to a patio, deck, or garden. Containers can be grouped together at different heights and can be used alone in the garden to add height and/or colour in an area where this is needed. Container gardening, however, is both a science and an art. Understanding and providing the right conditions (e.g. light, moisture and nutrition) for your plants is just as important as building an esthetically appealing container garden that can be enjoyed throughout the season. Understanding the basics will go a long way to ensuring a season of enjoyment and success.

Considerations to factor in:

  • What kind of conditions are present (e.g. How much sunlight and what time of day? Is there significant radiant heat from concrete/pavement, etc.? Is there protection from the afternoon summer heat?) Once this is understood, then plants which thrive in the same conditions can be grouped together.

Figure 1. Plants in this area must be heat and drought tolerant             
Figure 2. Any container or group of containers will do!                     
Figure 3. Monochromatic shade. Container can be calming.

  • What type of containers you should use depends a great deal on the local conditions and the effect you are trying to create (e.g. formal or rustic, etc.). While terracotta pots can be pleasing to the eye, they dry out faster than glazed or fiberglass pots, requiring more frequent watering. Keep in mind, any container that holds soil can be used as a planter if drainage holes are made in the bottom. Always select planter soil that meets the requirements of the plants and conditions; usually one with peat, perlite and organic matter.
  • What kind of effect am I trying to create? Opposite colours (like orange and purple) create drama and excitement, while corresponding colours create calm and harmony. A “punch” of white will catch the eye…something that can be stunning in a shade container.
  • Consider the basic design principles of colour, texture, and shape.  As with colour, texture can be used to create visual interest to a space. Fine texture of a leaf or flower can feel whimsical, and often needs to be observed up close. Large coarse textured leaves with contrasting venation can create a bold impact observed from a distance.
  • And finally shape. Consider constructing your container with 3 types of plants: Thrillers, fillers, and spillers. Plant your tallest plant first (and consider vantage point), then add your feature plant (thriller), then add some filler plants and lastly the trailing variety which spill out of the container. Or…consider a single plant in a container as a feature.

Remember that whatever you choose to do, the combinations of plants are endless. Large tropicals, perennials and annuals all have their place in containers. Some can be brought indoors at the end of the season to winter inside, some can be placed into the garden bed directly, and unfortunately some will only have one season in your garden. Regardless, experiment and take lots of notes so that the following year you can recreate an impact that you enjoyed or change up a container that didn’t have the effect you desired… 

Figure 4. Use of tropical Elephant Ear (Colocasia) adding a bold impact.
Figure 5. Monochromatic shade plants with similar leaf shape.
Figure 6. Large leaf perennial with texture (Siberian bugloss) adds drama.

Figure 7. A single ornamental grass can be combined with other containers adding height and texture.
Figure 8.  Striking colour combination for shade tolerant container planting

       

Bees & Pollinators, Birds, Dreams, Garden Design, Native Plants, Perennials, Planting, Shrubs & Trees

Creating a Wildlife Friendly Hedgerow in my Ontario Garden

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by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

Although I’ve lived in Canada for almost 50 years, I grew up in Bristol, England for some of my formative years, and always loved the traditional hedgerows that existed along rural roads and properties. Every time we return to the UK on a trip, I marvel at the diversity and intricacy of these functional garden/farm structures.

On our three quarter of an acre property in a small village north of Peterborough (Zone 4b/5a) I have a neighbour on one side who has a chain link fence and loves their golf green lawn. On the other side there is no fence at all, but I’ve been growing a few elderberries (Sambucus canadensis) and cup plants (Silphium perfoliatum) to hide a poorly maintained house – the first shrub suckers well and the second plant grows fast and tall.

So I’d love to have a traditional English-style hedgerow on both edges that would provide visual screening as well as animal and bird habitat…so I went looking to see how to adapt the traditional English hedgerow to Ontario.

Hedgerows can provide amazing bird habitat

The origins of hedgerows

It’s thought that hedgerows (or hedges) were first used by humans as ‘dead hedges’ to enclose livestock using thorny plants. Once agriculture began, clearing woodlands created fields with tree and shrub boundaries that were managed to create livestock-proof ‘living fences’.

Hedgerows have been planted since the time of the Romans and reached their peak in Britain during the Enclosure Acts of the 1700s when an estimated 200,000 miles of mostly hawthorn (Crataegus spp) hedgerows were planted.

Credit: People’s Trust for Endangered Species, UK

Hedgerows have many purposes, as you can see from this graphic from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. They have an excellent video on how to manage a hedgerow here, but it’s not quite the same in Ontario, as we don’t have the same hedgerow species or coppicing techniques.

In their best form I think hedgerows can be a mini-ecosystem with key ingredients that animals and birds need to survive — food, shelter, nesting and denning sites. Hedgerows also function as corridors, connecting one habitat to another and offering a safe passage for wildlife. They help muffle sound, create privacy, and act as windbreaks.

Definitely not a short term project

According to the Ottawa Field Naturalists Club (OFNC), the ideal hedgerow is

  • Planted with a variety of berry- and seed-bearing shrubs for food
  • Interspersed with cedar for added cover
  • Thick, bushy, largely unpruned and entangled with vines

The Ontario Rural Skills Network suggests that hedgerows can be single species but are best if they comprise a diversity of plants. Planting should be very dense, with a double line spaced 40cm (16in) apart with plants in a staggered pattern at 30cm (12in), giving 5 plants per metre.

Because they’re comprised of living shrubs, hedgerows grow and require management. It’s all about creating a balance between growth and avoiding them becoming gapped and unmanageable. A hedgerow may take seven to 10 years to establish, depending on the species composition.

This young hedgerow bordering a field features native plants that provide habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators. Photo: Janet Donnelly, © Oregon State University

Making a plan

I’m just at the beginning of my plan for hedgerows on our property, but winter is a great time to do research. Both sites are sunny and have well drained soil, and I want to focus on using Ontario native plants as much as possible. I’m looking at a combination of seed- or nut-bearing shrubs (like speckled alder and hazel) and berry producers (serviceberry, chokecherry, red osier dogwood). Thorny shrubs (native roses, wild raspberry, hawthorns) will give added wildlife protection. The design will probably be different for each one, but that’s the fun of it.

The OFNC has excellent lists of plants you can consider for an Ontario hedgerow. I’m thinking about using

  • Speckled alder (Alnus incana)
  • Beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)
  • Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.)
  • Common elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
  • Flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus)
  • Willow spp. (Salix spp.) – native if I can find them – there is an amazing group in
  • Choke cherry (Prunus virginiana)
  • Red osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera or C. sericea)
  • Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
  • Wild (riverbank) grape (Vitis riparia)

Next steps

I’m just at the beginning of my journey. In my next blog post on March 25th, I’ll give you an update on my research and my plans for my spring hedgerow projects. Until then, here’s some interesting sites to look at if you are thinking about something similar. And, by all means, if you have created a hedgerow in your Ontario garden, I would love to hear about it.

More resources

Creating a hedgerow for wildlife (Canada)

Hedgelink (UK)

National Hedgelaying Society (UK)

The traditional farm hedgerow (Canada)

Surrey Wildlife Trust – how to lay a hedge (UK)

1000 Islands Master Gardeners – Wildscaping with hedgerows (Canada)

How to plant a hedgerow in the home landscape (Ohio, US)

How to Start a Hedgerow (5 Steps) (Washington State, US)

A Guide to Hedgerows: Plantings That Enhance Biodiversity, Sustainability and Functionality (Oregon State U Extension)

Healthy hedgerows on your land (UK)

What have hedgerows ever done for us? how hedges benefit us (UK)

Advice, Garden Design, Seeds, Vegetable Gardening

Bolting, Botanically Speaking

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By Lois Scott, Master Gardener

Bolting? Run to seed? Wait, my plants are going to pull up roots and escape?! No! These terms are used when vegetable crops prematurely flower and go to seed, very likely making the plant unpalatable and possibly unusable. https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/bolting

According to https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/bolting-in-spring-vegetables, ‘flowering in most annual vegetables (ex. lettuce, arugula, spinach) or biennial vegetables (ex. kale, onions, carrots) is influenced by complex interactions between temperature, daylength and stresses of various kinds. Among these, periods of cool temperature during early growth followed by long daylight hours are often the most important determinant of unwanted bolting in vegetables’. Sounds complicated!

Can a gardener prevent bolting? From my research there does not seem to be a general rule of thumb for all vegetable crops. Suggestions include timing your sowing of seed or planting out of seedlings until temperatures are relatively stable. One could employ succession planting such as planting cool weather crops like arugula in the spring and then again in August to have a more consistently available crop. Providing good growing conditions so that your crop will mature enough to provide a usable portion before flowering, is another suggestion. Dry soil is also reported as a cause of bolting so careful watering may help. Careful watering is never a bad thing. Lastly, using bolt-resistant cultivars is on most lists as a way to ‘control’ bolting.

So why am I talking about vegetable crops going to seed in January? At this time of year, we have the wonderful opportunity to peruse seed catalogues and there you will see specially bred plant cultivars being described as ‘slow to bolt’ or ‘bolt resistant’. They may not always be what I choose when ordering seed but they are an option to potentially extend and improve the vegetable harvest.

Garden Design, Native Plants, New Gardens, Shrubs & Trees

Meadowscaping for Beginners

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By Laura Gardner, Master Gardener

Book Review: Tiny + Wild: Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere by Graham Laird Gardner (Cool Springs Press, 2023).

More and more, gardeners are looking to transform their spaces with an ecological focus in mind. The goal may be to provide food and habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, or to reduce or eliminate traditional high-maintenance and less environmentally friendly practices (e.g., mowing, watering, fertilizing, tilling, weeding, pesticide use). There is a treasure-trove of how-to guidance on the web but sometimes it is nice to pick up a book that also contains photos of ecological gardens that are practical as well as beautiful. I recently picked-up such a book called Tiny + Wild: Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere by Graham Laird Gardner (no relation, lol). A meadow-styled garden on a small scale can be both aesthetically pleasing as well as have high ecological impact. Gardner provides step-by-step guidance on how to evaluate your property, how to select the best location, learn basic design principles, determine how best to prepare your site, as well as how to choose, install, and maintain the plants for your project.

Some people have eliminated their lawns entirely and have converted them to gardens. However, it may be daunting to think about a whole-scale lawn conversion project. What I like about this book is that it encourages beginners that starting small is ok. Gardner advises selecting a small area to experiment with first and then look at expansion later (p. 51). Some examples of starting small include creating a “micro meadow” on a balcony, stoop, patio, or rooftop using containers; or creatively incorporating flowering plants in raised beds or a vegetable garden that are both edible to humans and are attractive to pollinators. Other possible interesting small-scale projects include developing a meadow in a rain garden, a drainage swale, a boulevard, or even a gravel garden.


The book is full of great tips. For example, when considering adopting a meadow-styled garden, it is important for the design to emphasize grasses and sedges over flowering plants. Incorporating too many of the latter can make it disjointed and unnatural. The former serve as the foundation that brings everything together. Aim for 1/4 tall, structural species, 1/2 medium-height species, and 1/4 ground cover species (p. 69).

Another suggestion that did not occur to me is to use annuals in the first couple of years after installing the native plants (p. 150). The reason for this is because it usually takes three years for native plants to become established and annuals can be used for a short time to fill in the initial gap. The only disadvantage I can see with using annuals is that most are not native species and they do have a tendency to self-seed. The latter can be managed with some dead-heading maintenance, however.

This book in some areas is only a starting point and the reader still needs to do more research. In the last chapter, there are some suggested plants in lists grouped by height, bloom colour, bloom time, lighting, and moisture; however, some of these are not native to our area or may be difficult to acquire. In some cases, you can select a plant from the same genus that is listed in the book. For example, the listed Erigeron compositus (Cutleaf Fleabane) is not native to Ontario but Erigeron pulchellus (Robin’s-Plantain Fleabane) is. They both are comparable in size (height).

Geum triflorum: a great native selection for a meadow

There are just a few parts of the book where I have suggestions:

1) Although there is a warning to the reader to verify that the plants listed in the book are not invasive in their area (p. 139), I think that there are a couple known to be widely problematic that should have been left out: Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed) and Scilla siberica (Siberian Squill).

2) In the section on shade meadows (p. 50), I would point out that gardeners should be careful when planting in the vicinity of trees. Some species are more sensitive than others. Planting under trees should be a gradual process that is staggered over the course of a few seasons. In addition, small plugs are more appropriate than larger potted plants. These practices can minimize disturbances to tree roots. Gardeners should think of the tree’s health first.

3) The section on removing the existing vegetation (e.g., sod) suggests that you can forgo using layers of organic matter and cardboard and simply top dress with topsoil. After applying the topsoil, you can plant and at the same time; the vegetation below is smothered and decomposes (p. 88). It is not clear how thick a layer of topsoil is needed as I suspect grass and other weeds will poke through. While Gardner is generally opposed to using wood mulch in a meadow garden (p. 89), I think that a very thick layer can be used initially to eliminate the grass and it will break down over time quickly enough and does not need to be replenished—allowing for the plantings to expand.

All in all, this is an exciting and inspirational book and I recommend it to beginners who want to create naturalistic gardens. I know that I will be going back to my copy over and over. A great complementary title for this would be A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators: Ontario and Great Lakes Edition by Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla.

Advice, Disease, Garden Design, Shrubs & Trees

Love Your Trees

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By Christine Freeburn, Master Gardener

As gardeners, we are aware of the importance of trees. In our yards they give us shade from the hot sun, dropping the temperature beneath them and cooling the air. They give habitat to birds and insects. They purify the air and help reduce greenhouse gases. They anchor the soil and
help with soil erosion. They give us privacy. Studies have shown that trees also help our mental health. In the past few years, ice storms, spongy moths, wind storms, and the recent derecho have damaged many trees in our area. Around every neighbourhood, you hear the buzz of chainsaws throughout the year. Last week, we had one of our lovely big sugar maples cut down because it became diseased. Heartbreaking but necessary to have it taken down.

Fungal diseases are often the culprit of the decline and death of many species of trees. Trees that are planted where their roots have no good earth to grow in become stressed. A stressed plant is easier for pests and diseases to invade. Our sugar maple was close to our driveway and although it is not paved, the ground is compacted.

Years of drought also affect a tree’s health. Wind storms can damage branches and leave open wounds where disease can find its way in. We are all familiar with Dutch Elm disease which has been in Ontario since 1946. It is a highly contagious fungal disease that has almost wiped out elm trees. Many of the dead trees you see along roadsides are elms.

Anthracnose is a common disease in maple and oak trees. It often appears after a damp cool spring. Brown blotches appear on leaves, they dry up and fall off. When combating this disease, you need to rake up and dispose of infected leaves. Tar Spot is common on norway maples. Although it may not kill your tree, it is a fungal disease and will continue to spread. It is recommended to rake up leaves and dispose of them rather than mulching them.

Spruce trees were stressed by the spongy moths and drought and we are seeing them suffering with Cytospora Canker. Signs of this disease are needles turning purple, then brown, then dropping off leaving branches bare but covered with a white resin. Cankers appear on the branches near the trunk.

Last week’s post was on Oak Wilt, a recent fungal disease which has no chemical control yet. Pests are also a huge problem with our trees. Emerald Ash Borer has been in Ontario since 2002. The metallic green beetle emerges in late June, laying eggs in crevices of bark. Larvae overwinter under bark and tunnel under the bark leaving “S” shaped marks which cuts off the trees ability to draw food and water. There is an insecticide that a professional can inject into the tree.

Spruce budworm is native to North America. It attacks balsam fir (Abies balsamea), white and black spruce (Picea), hemlock (Tsuga), jack and eastern white pine (Pinus) and Larch (Larix). BTK has been used to control, however if you have a mature tree this option is overwhelming. We all need to be aware of the health of the mature trees on our property. Ensure they are getting enough water, watch for small leaves or broken branches and pest infestations. Call an expert arborist to give advice on an ailing trees. They can also help with any pruning issues that might need to be addressed.

If you are investing in a tree for your property, be sure to do some research and find the right tree for the right spot. Take into consideration how big the tree will get, where the sun will shine on it, how much ground it will have to absorb moisture and what competition it might have. Young trees need lots of water to get established and grow. What’s that old saying? Hug a tree? Well, after you hug your tree, check out the references below for more information on diseases and pests and ways to help your trees.

References


https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/trees/forest-management/threats-to-trees-diseases/
https://www.ontario.ca/page/dutch-elm-disease
https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/cytospora-canker
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/black_polka_dots_on_maple_tar_spot

Garden Design, Soil

The Dark Side of Landscape Fabric

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By Carol Anderson, Master Gardener in Training

Over the years I have worked in many gardens with challenging microclimates, as well as those with challenging conditions such as poor drainage, drought, lack of sunlight, windy and excessively dry, and gardens with poor soil structure. However, the most challenging situation I have personally had to contend with was a garden that was “smothered” in landscape fabric. Although well-intentioned gardeners often utilize landscape fabric to control excessive weed growth in garden beds … the end result is most often the creation of a “garden catastrophe”.

Don’t get me wrong — landscape fabric has some applications that can make the garden more esthetically appealing and easier to manage, however its use should be largely limited to acting as a barrier under rock formations and/or stone installations where plants and weeds will never call home! In any other application, the result is hard packed, poor soil, unmanageable weed infestations and ultimately limitations in the natural growth and health of plants. Understanding the natural composition of soil and the cycle of life that occurs in the dirt and how this creates a natural environment conducive to plant growth will perhaps aid in understanding why landscape fabric is an enemy. 

Soil … the essence of life for plants. Soil is a mixture of mineral and organic material that is capable of supporting plant life. The ideal soil composition is 45-48% minerals, 2-5% organic matter and 50% pore spaces (filled with ~25% air and 25% water). As plant matter decomposes, it is worked into the soil by insects and other organisms. Through this process, the soil is continuously fed the nutrients needed to sustain plant life and air spaces are created which ensure water and nutrient availability to plant roots. Microorganisms in the soil contribute as well to ensuring nutrient availability and uptake for plants.

Landscape fabric halts this process by preventing the natural mixing of decomposing organic matter into the soil, resulting in hard-packed or poor quality soil. Good soil looks soft and crumbly. Poor soil looks either compacted and hard or very loose (such as sandy soil). Both of these soil conditions prevent plants from accessing water and nutrients in the soil. This picture depicts the poor soil structure and composition discovered in a garden after years of landscape fabric use. The was no evidence of organic matter and a lack of insects and worms that would be normally found in garden soil. As a result, the plants were weak, small, and nutritionally deprived.

If you are not yet convinced, let me also dispel the myth that weed growth is halted by the use of landscape fabric. While it may reduce the number of weeds in your garden initially, the ones that do thrive become entangled in and under the fabric. The removal of the weed bed that is embedded in the fabric becomes a nightmare to try and accomplish without destroying the rest of the garden. In addition, the organic matter and mulch used on top of the fabric facilitates weed growth, the roots of which ultimately penetrate the landscape fabric. Often the plants that you love also become embedded in the fabric as they try to grow and reproduce without the space to allow them to spread naturally.  

Garden Design, Perennials, Websites

Low Maintenance Gardening

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By Marilyn Homewood, Master Gardener

Sound too good to be true??  Years of trial and error on a property with a (shallow) dug well has taught me the value of adequate bed preparation for long term success of the landscape garden that consists primarily of perennials, shrubs and bulbs (with the odd annual and biennial tossed in).  I have large landscape beds and could not keep up without some kind of strategy. 

It may seem somewhat discordant to be discussing bed preparation in July but a little planning and preparation can go a long way towards achieving a garden that requires less maintenance, is easier to work in, requires little to no supplemental water or feeding all while looking attractive. The solution lies under our feet. 

My beds have all been dug to a depth of 18 inches.  This one time initial dig allows for loosening of compacted earth, removal of rocks (or boulders) and generous amendment of the soil with organic matter such as rotted manure or leaf or mushroom compost. This preparation will allow plant roots to reach deeper into the earth (especially those with large fibrous roots or tap roots) where residual moisture is still available during drought. Plants will become more resilient and able to survive on the rainfall alone.  In my garden, I have not watered the landscape beds since they were begun with the exception for first year plants that are getting established.  In dry spells, the blooms may be somewhat smaller but are still found in abundance.   

Coneflowers blooming well despite drought

The loosening of the soil also creates a better-draining soil makes it less likely that plants become water-logged or oxygen-deprived in those times when water is abundant.  This also minimizes loss of plants/bulbs to rot.   

The use of organic matter amendments helps the soil to retain the water that is provided by the rainfall by increasing the porosity of the soil.  And finally, an application of a thick layer of mulch (I use shredded bark) on the surface of the soil helps prevent evaporation of moisture from the ground and well as inhibiting the greedy weeds that will compete for moisture.

Second year delphiniums are 6-7 feet despite no water

Organic matter (OM) amendments provide a number of other benefits which ultimately gives healthy plants while saving us labour.  It enhances soil structure which increases the porosity of the soil leading to improved water infiltration, better drainage/aeration and help soils to resist compaction.  This makes soil more friable and easier for the gardener to work in as well as easing root penetration in the soil profile.  

OM helps to store and supply macronutrients (ex. nitrogen) and makes micronutrients (calcium, magnesium and potassium) available to the plant by increasing the soils’ ability to hold onto these elements (prevents leeching).  Also binds metal micronutrients (iron, aluminum, zinc, copper, manganese) and increases their availability to the plant.  All this means that your need for chemical fertilizers will be reduced or not required. 

Despite my best efforts, I had to make a succulent only garden in a difficult spot

OM also enhances soil microbial diversity that assists in the suppression of disease so plants are healthier. 

Deep beds mean deep roots; improved soil structure means better drainage and water holding capacity; increased biological activity mean more nutrients released for plant use and microbial diversity means less disease.  The result is healthy, vigorous plants that need less watering, less additional feeding/supplementation and less treatment for disease. 

Resources: 

Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Agronomy Factsheet 41, “Soil Organic Matter”, http://franklin.cce.cornell.edu/resources/soil-organic-matter-fact-sheet 

Leslie Cooperband (2002), “Building Soil Organic Matter with Organic Amendments” University of Wisconsin-Madison, 

Lois Berg Stack (2016), “Soil and Plant Nutrition: A Gardener’s Perspective” University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Garden & Yard, https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/manual/soils/soil-and-plant-nutrition/ 

Annuals, Dreams, Garden Design, Garden rejuvenation, New Gardens, Perennials, Research

Gardening in July

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by Cheryl Harrison, Master Gardener

July is the month that I tend to really enjoy the garden….most of the work is done! The planting of seeds, and plants into pots and garden beds, dividing and thinning and garden creating is behind me for now. However, there are still a few garden tasks.

I try to keep up with weeding because weeds can quickly overrun your garden as they begin to set seed. Weeds take nutrients from the soil which your plants need and can smother out young plants. And I am one of those gardeners who enjoys weeding. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I finish weeding a garden bed and when I pull out a weed and get the root….well that is simply thrilling.

Early July is a good time to trim back your annuals in order to encourage bushier growth and to trim off the spent blooms of your perennials to prevent seed production and allow the plant to put its energy into its roots. You may want to start fertilizing your potted plants because any fertilizer that was contained in the potting soil has probably been used up by now. There are lots of choices when it comes to fertilizers so talk to the staff of your favorite local nursery. They will be able to advise you and will likely carry the best products.

July is also the month when that garlic that you planted last fall is ready to harvest. We grow hard neck garlic that a kind neighbor started us on a few years ago. I removed the curled scapes last week and froze them for future use. I will keep an eye on the leaves on the garlic because when a few leaves have started to turn brown then the garlic is ready to harvest.

The rest of your vegetable garden may be starting to produce now as well. We have harvested some tomatoes already which is a bit earlier than usual for us. It is a good idea to check your vegetable garden daily so that you harvest and enjoy the results at their peak and to respond quickly to any issues that may arise.

I evaluate the appearance of my ornamental gardens in July. It is interesting to see if the garden looks the way that I had planned. I do not mean, “is it perfect” but how close is it this year to the feeling that I would like to achieve when someone walks through the gardens for the first time. I look at how the colours and textures work together. I ask myself if there are any bare spots or areas that I will need to renovate soon (eg. crowded and/or overgrown plants).

I am starting to plan my fall and next spring projects now. This year, two smaller gardens were joined and planted with mainly annuals for quick impact. I know that I plan to fill this garden with perennials and native woodland plants. This means keeping this garden in mind when I am shopping at the local nurseries.

Spring, and early summer, gardening can be a very busy time. July is the month to really enjoy your gardens and dream about what you might like to do next!

Advice, Garden Design, Vegetable Gardening

How to Make Your Vegetable Garden Beautiful

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By Cheryl Harrison, Master Gardener

I was recently browsing through a hard copy April, 2009 issue of the “Fine Gardening” magazine.  I came across an article, “Who Says Your Kitchen Garden Can’t Be Beautiful”… to see the full article check the link here.   The author, Jennifer Bartley,  planted her raised vegetable garden for the edibles that it produced but in such a way that the garden was also beautiful! 

This appeals to me because vegetable gardens are definitely not my passion.  However, I do love to eat my own fresh veggies and so I have a vegetable garden.

I have raised vegetable beds where I have intermittently practiced square foot gardening (see square foot gardening for more information).  I have also planted marigolds and nasturtiums amongst my vegetables which are pretty but also serve a purpose….the marigolds for insect control and the nasturtiums because they are edible.  For more information on flowers for your vegetable garden check the link here. I have been inching towards trying to make my vegetable garden more visually appealing without realizing it.

Ms. Bartley talks about using “four simple design tips” including:

  • Arrange bunches of bold colour.
  • Plant snug beds.
  • Smooth out the edges.
  • Define your space.

Arrange bunches of bold colour – I do a planting plan ahead of time every year.  Try grouping your vegetables, flowers, fruits and herbs together so that you have lots of colour and texture (different leaf shapes).  For example, you may edge the bed with the leafy fronds of carrot followed by beets and parsnip, maybe you plant some asparagus in the centre for the height or an obelisk in the centre and plant runner beans to climb it.  You could use yellow, green or purple bush beans to fill in the blanks.  I grew some purple Brussel sprouts last year and the leaves were spectacular!

Plant snug beds – This tip works well with raised beds.  There is no need to plant your vegies in rows.  Instead, group the vegetables together close enough to cover the soil when they are grown but not so close that they will crowd each other to prevent proper maturity.  Covering the soil helps with moisture retention and weed suppression.  Thinning your carrots allows them to mature properly and provides the delicious “thinnings” for your salad.

Smooth out the edges – Just like your flower beds, vegetable gardens are at their best when they are clean and pathways are clear.  I use straw in my pathways because it is available and my garden is wet in the spring so the straw covers the mud between the raised beds.  You could use bark mulch, gravel, brick or whatever you have. 

Define your space – We humans like a certain amount of order and proportion in our world.  If a space is too big, or too small, it can make us feel uncomfortable.  The edges of a raised bed help to define the space.  In our garden, we have several raised beds so have a defined entry to the garden and a wooden cedar fence to further define the space.  You might choose to use a pot filled with herbs at your entry, a rock or cedar stump on either side or a berry producing shrub.

It is also a great idea to have a bench in the garden where you may rest and admire your work.  Also, don’t stop with just a scarecrow … you may choose to add other garden ornaments in order to make your own beautiful vegetable garden!