Posts

Hosta trimming times: 3 options based on your goals You may be surprised to hear that there are three main pruning times for hostas: Fall, Spring, and Summer. There are different reasons why gardeners may want to prune during each of these times. In this article, I’ll address the main reasons for pruning, and the pros and cons of each of these pruning times. The good news is that hostas, also known as plantain lilies, are tough and forgiving plants....

Niki’s 6 vegetable gardening tips: Let there be light – Most veggies, especially those that bear fruit (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers, for example) need sun, and a lot of it. Ideally, you want a site with at least 8 hours of direct sun per day. In less light, you can still grow some edibles; mainly leafy crops and herbs. Check out my shady crop suggestions here. Soil is everything – Healthy, rich soil is the key to a successful and productive vegetable garden, so don’t skip this step!...

Introduction to elevated raised bed gardening Gardening in elevated raised beds is basically a hybrid gardening technique. It’s half container gardening and half raised bed gardening. Traditional raised beds lack a bottom and are fairly large in size, while containers have a base to contain the soil and are far smaller than a raised bed. Elevated raised bed gardening combines the best of both worlds. With this method, the soil is completely contained and the growing area is substantially sized....

Row cover hoops are one of my secrets of a healthy, long-producing vegetable garden. Plus, they’re quick and easy to set up which is very handy if an unexpected frost or bad weather is in the forecast. In my online course, How to Build & Use Mini Hoop Tunnels in the Vegetable Garden I talk about how they’ve been a game changer in my food garden. Read on to learn more about the various ways you can use hoop tunnels, as well as the various materials I use to make my structures....

Beyond Your Basic Gardening Books: Our Favorites From Niki Jabbour – Savvy’s expert on growing edibles year-round High-Yield Vegetable Gardening: I’m a huge fan of Colin McCrate and Brad Halm, the founders of The Seattle Urban Farm Company, a business that designs and builds urban farms and teaches people how to grow food. When I heard they were writing a book, I knew it would be awesome. And it is! High-Yield Vegetable Gardening shows home gardeners how to think like farmers and dramatically increase their yields....

What are perennial sunflowers? These members of the daisy family (Asteraceae) are types of sunflowers that live for many years. Most species are native to North America where they live in wild plant communities such as prairies and woodlands, depending on the specific species. They look so lovely growing in partnership with native meadow grasses and other flowering plants. Like all members of the Asteraceae family, perennial sunflowers have daisy-like flowers with a central core of multiple tiny blooms surrounded by brightly colored petals....

Planting your moody fall container The plants I used in the urn include, clockwise from the ornamental purple kale: a ‘Blue Vates’ kale I grew from seed and dug out of one of my raised beds, a pinky-purple chrysanthemum, ajuga that I pulled out of my lawn (it’s spread in one particular patch), a black ornamental pepper and a delightful heuchera with purple on the underside of the leaves. When I took apart this urn to make way for my winter design, I planted the ‘Blue Vates’ kale in one of my raised beds where it came back the next spring....

And no, I didn’t install a rice paddy. Instead, I chose to grow an upland variety of rice called Duborskian. Rice is typically divided into two categories; lowland or upland. Lowland rice varieties are paddy types that are grown in flooded areas. Upland rice, as the name suggests, is a type of rice that is grown in higher terrain and adapted to drier conditions. They grow well in regular garden soil....

Choosing a container for your hosta All the growing conditions you provide, from the pots to the soil, to regular care, will help contribute to your plant’s success. When choosing a container, make sure the pot can accommodate the eventual full size of your hosta. Your plant won’t grow to its full size during that first season in a container. You also want to make sure there are holes in the bottom of the pot, so the soil drains well....

I practice high-yield gardening in my own raised bed garden and here are a few of my favourite crops that give the best bang for your buck: 6 High-yield vegetables: Pole Beans. Pole beans are vigorous climbers, and can grow 10 feet or more to ramble over fences, teepees, trellises, or netting. As well, they consistently out-yield bush beans when grown in the same amount of space. My favourite varieties include ‘French Gold’, ‘Emerite’, ‘Rattlesnake’, and ‘Purple Podded Pole’....

What is bokashi composting? Bokashi composting is a two-step process that ferments organic matter and then mixes the resulting product with existing soil or compost in order to complete its transformation. “Bokashi” is a Japanese word which, directly translated, means “to blur”. After the bokashi fermentation process takes place, kitchen scraps feel softer and look less distinct—in this sense, they are blurred or fading. We have bokashi composting thanks to Dr....

I’ve long since learned the value of milkweed plants to monarch populations. They are the only larval host plant where monarch butterflies will lay eggs, and a food source for those hungry monarch caterpillars. The variety I’d stumble across as a child would have been Common milkweed, ubiquitous in sunny areas at the edge of forests, throughout hydro corridors, and along roadsides. For many years, those growing locales were in decline....

There are so many reasons to find space for brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var gemmifera) in your garden. First, this is a vegetable, with a long ‘days to maturity’, whose harvest begins in late autumn, long after most other crops are finished for the season. And, once they’re ready to pick, they hold their quality for about two months so you can harvest the crop gradually. Brussels sprout plants also very ornamental, growing two to four feet with large bright green or purple leaves, depending which variety you’re growing....

Even though they produce a rather short-lived bloom, irises remain one of my favourite ornamental plants. And I’ve found them to be pretty hardy and drought tolerant. Years ago, when I divided my first bunch, I was in the middle of overhauling my whole front yard, so they sat in buckets of water, as recommended by my neighbour (some for a few weeks!), before I was able to replant them. Once nestled safely in their new garden home, the irises all survived the winter....

Members of this family have separate male and female flowers and in order to yield fruits, cross pollination needs to take place. This is when the pollen from a male flower is transferred to a female flower. It’s easy to tell the two types of flowers apart; male flowers have a straight stem beneath the bloom, while the female flowers have an immature fruit under the bloom. Only the female flowers will develop into a fruit....

The thing is, you don’t have to be relegated to the lettuce section of the seed catalogue. There are so many other greens you can also grow. Here are a few of my favourites. Growing different salad greens Parsley: I absolutely love parsley. I know it’s often considered pure garnish, but I really enjoy the flavour and it’s great added to salads. If I’m out in the garden, I’ll pick a sprig (or three!...

Why corn mache is a staple the winter vegetable garden Corn mache, also called corn salad and lamb’s lettuce, is one of the most cold-tolerant vegetables you can grow, making it a perfect choice for the winter vegetable garden. It’s tough as nails but delivers a sweet, nutty flavor to the salad bowl. How to grow corn mache To grow it, I sow seeds directly into the garden twice a year; first in the very early spring and then again in the fall....

Why identifying different kinds of bees is important While you might not think identifying and learning about common backyard bees is important, nothing could be further from the truth. These native pollinators are critical for pollinating both wild and cultivated plants, and sadly, many of them are facing dramatic population declines due to loss of foraging and nesting habitats, pesticide exposure, and various pathogens and parasites. We need wild bees not only because in many cases they’re more efficient pollinators than imported European honey bees, but also because they’ve co-evolved with our native plants....

This curated list of the best gifts for garden lovers is featured thanks to the sponsorship of Gardener’s Supply Company (GSC), an employee-owned company that designs many of the products they sell. Some advice when choosing gifts for garden lovers When you’re trying to narrow down gift ideas for a gardening enthusiast, consider the following advice: Look for quality. You want a product that is going to stand the test of time and not break, rip, or fall apart after just a couple of uses....

What is a cattle panel trellis? Commercially made garden arches constructed of wood or metal are attractive, but they’re also expensive. If you’re looking for a great way to increase the growing space in your garden, a simple cattle panel trellis does the job just as effectively as these more costly options. While it’s not quite as elegant as some manufactured garden arches, it certainly makes up for this shortcoming by being extremely effective, affordable, and easy to install....