November. November is usually not the month people think about gardening. The gardens have been cleaned up, leaves have been raked on the beds and the garden is now resting under a thick layer of mulch. Our perennials have time to rest and lie dormant until the sun’s warmth tickles them awake come springtime. Most of the vegetable gardens are empty though and only some gardeners might still grow under hoops or in greenhouses, but for the most part we have the feeling gardening season is over. We gardeners do the same as our plants. We draw inwards, stay mostly indoors, start to prepare for Ch ..read more

Why a fall garden is totally worth growing It might sound strange for a gardener, but fall is my favorite season. I know, I know it's not exactly high growing time anymore and most of our beloved warm season crops have done their job and need to be removed from the northern garden. And yet, I still love it and not only because of the cooler and fresher air outside... These are my reasons why I LOVE FALL GARDENS: much reduced pest and disease pressure less maintenance (watering, weeding..) no danger of bolting due to heat greens are growing like mad fresh produce right into the winter months ..read more

A story of challenging weather patterns and resilient plants The summer of 2023 was a season of contrasts for gardeners across our Eastern Ontarian region. As the growing season began, wildfires cast a shadow of uncertainty, shrouding the sun in smog and introducing a cool, overcast start to the summer. However, despite these challenges, we gardeners persevered. We planted and sowed as usual and were over the season presented with beautiful surprises. One of the most significant challenges gardeners faced in early summer was the persistent smog caused by wildfires which was an unusual event t ..read more

We don't know what the future holds, but gardening means believing in tomorrow. Good old Audrey Hepburn already knew about that and perpetuated it in her well-known quote. Starting a garden means you have hope that you will be able to see these seeds germinate, the seedlings establish and grow into a beautiful plant. After a couple of weeks, you will hopefully be able to harvest the crop and enjoy turning it into a nutritious meal for your family. For many people gardening means joy, relaxation and keeping control over an important aspect of their lives: nourishment. Especially when we have t ..read more

It's November, almost all vegetables have been harvested, all leaves have been blown off the trees and we think that the growing season is over. It might feel like a relief for some, because there's one thing less to take care of. But for many people it feels like a loss. Now the time will come that we'll have to spend most of our days inside, most garden plants die or at least lay dormant for the winter and our happy place outdoors rests under a thick layer of snow. Gardening season seems to be over. Someone told us that the growing season is limited, nurseries and garden centers are closed f ..read more

If you’ve ever seen pictures of our garden or gardens we’ve planted, you’ll have noticed that there are lots of flowers and herbs mixed within the vegetables. This so-called ‘companion planting’ is a big part of our natural and organic gardening concept. Besides making vegetable beds look all pretty when interplanted with flowers and herbs, this beautification serves more important purposes: attracting and supporting wildlife. Attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects is the key to natural gardening. By growing flowers, we’re providing food sources for solitary bees, honeybees, bumb ..read more

For most vegetable gardeners August (and July) is the time to focus on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. These three warm-season crops surely are the ones we get asked about the most when discussing planting plants with our clients. Oftentimes people get extremely surprised during our consultations, when they learn that they are missing out on so many nutritious and healthy harvests, if they only focus on the most common warm season crops. The way we garden is intensive and successive. That means we plant three times a year for a successive harvest from May till October. We plant the crops acco ..read more

You can feel it now on clear days - the sun’s strength is increasing. We can literally watch the snow melt and the raised beds reappear from their wintery blanket. Spring is approaching tenderly and soon life will take place in the garden once again. In about one month we can sow the first seeds and transplant the first seedlings right into the beds. Mid-April is when our gardening season starts with the first planting of cool and cold season crops. The name suggests it already, these plants are hardy. They can deal with some degrees Celsius below zero and actually thrive in cool conditions ..read more

Live the garden life! I know it is probably a little bit weird to hear this statement at this time of the year. But it is not only going to be the new name for the ‘Year of the Garden 2022’ program for the years to come, organized by the Canadian Garden Council, but it’s also our own motto. You might want to say ‘But it's midwinter and not really time to garden.' I know, everything outside is covered in a thick blanket of snow and ice and the only vegetable gardeners that have something to do right now seem to be the ones that grow indoors or have a greenhouse and grow cold season crops under ..read more

Christmas crafting for gardeners December is the time when two things come together: Christmas and the first new seed catalogues for next season. Every year I feel kind of sad to throw away the seed catalogues of the past season and wonder what to do with them. Sometimes the kids and I created some colorful art, decorated seed storage boxes or crafted garden post cards. This year, we got our hands on some vintage cookie cutters and created gardening ornaments. It's very easy and lots of fun for the whole family. You need: cookie cutters, old seed catalogues/ garden magazines/ empty seed pac ..read more