THERE’S AN ELEPHANT IN MY GARDEN – Part Two
If We Have HMAs Do We Need Synthetic Fertilizers? By Drs. David Boyle and Elizabeth Spence In Part One we saw that HMAs carry out a huge number of processes that allow plants to grow successfully. But what happens when we try to “help” plants over and above the natural systems? Gardening and agriculture in […]
A-Mulching We will Go
Imitating Nature – But Should We Really Be Doing It? By Elizabeth Spence First of all, thank you very much indeed to our readers who responded to our questions about what they use as mulch and what they think about the topic in general. Your comments and information, plus our own experience and independent research […]
July 1st: It’s Not Too Late to Sow Carrots and Other Root Crops!!
By Jennifer Langille A short time ago we posted on our Facebook page a picture of a pathetic little carrot with the observation that things don’t always work out as they should. One of our subscribers commented that this often happens to her, and that the problem was probably her soil. On reading this, Jennifer […]
Annual, Perennial or Biennial Plants. What are They?
We stole – we mean – asked permission from Michael Ashton of Ashton’s Garden Centre if we could use his explanation of annual, perennials and biennials on our site. He agreed. So here it is!
How to Plant a Tree
Charlie the Tree Guy tells us how to plant a tree: Thanks Charlie!
Last Frost Date for the North Shore
by Elizabeth Spence WHEN IS THE LAST FROST DATE ON THE NORTH SHORE? The only answer to this question is: it depends. We need to know the last frost date so that we can sow seeds and transplant into the garden what we have started inside, knowing that they will not be killed by the […]
Zoning
By Elizabeth Spence What zone are we in? What is a zone anyway? Why do we need zones? These are some of the questions we have been asked over the years. And good questions they are. Simply put, a “zone” in gardening is the rating system for tree, shrub and perennial plant hardiness. You can […]
Keeping Deer Out of the Garden
Photo Courtesy Wallace River Photography Oh Deer! What Can the Matter Be? The Deer Ate My Plants! That’s What the Matter Is!!! By Elizabeth Spence with contributions from local gardeners Oh, Deer indeed! All gardeners on the North Shore have to deal with deer. No question. We asked gardeners here to tell us what they do […]
Snakes – How Wonderful They Are In the Garden!
These pictures were published on Facebook in March 2021, and are appearing again this year. The “snake” man is Pete Freckelton from the Annapolis Valley. Here’s what he has to say about our five native snakes and their usefulness in the garden: “As our native snakes emerge from their winter dens to bask & mate over […]
The Many Uses Of Row Cover In The Garden
By Magi Nams What is row cover? Row cover is the name given to a material designed to cover garden plants and create a cozy microclimate for them. It allows light, air and rain to pass through and can easily be cut with scissors to the length you need. Also known as agricultural fabric or […]