Spring is in the air

Spring is definitely in the air, especially in South Western Ontario. This recent spring-like weather can be a motivator to get you into your garden. Although it’s a great time to take advantage of the weather, it’s still a little early to do anything significant in the garden. Never the less, it’s a great time to get a jump on the season and your curb appeal. Especially if you are listing your home this spring, curb appeal is the most crucial thing you have to lure home buyers to your home.  Here are a couple of stylicious tips that can give you a head start:

1. Clean Up Your Garden – This is a great time to clean up any debris in garden, cut down any dead growth to allow new growth to come through, rake out your grass, and trim back any dead branches on shrubs and trees.
2. Pull Out Your Gardening Journal – It’s a great time to remind yourself of the goals you set last season for this coming season. This will allow you to schedule your time over the next couple of months to provide adequate time to complete these projects. Also, doing these projects early in the season will allow you to enjoy it throughout the gardening season. Your journal will remind you of any to-do items that you have recorded for March/April. Finally, if you don’t currently have a gardening journal, we encourage getting one now so you can record your tasks to do each month, and future hopes and dreams you have for your garden.
3. Sowing Seeds Indoors – With the new 100 mile diet trend encouraging everyone to eat locally grown, what better than having veggies and herbs at your finger tips, right outside your back door? This is the time of year to start planning and preparing your seeds. Most seeds require 6-12 weeks germination/growth before you can transplant them outdoors. Check your local weather trends for the average last frost date. For most of South Western Ontario, it is usually May 15-24.

Household Items to Improve Your Garden

Improving your garden can be easier than one thought by using everyday household items.  The following items are not just great for the garden but they are items we use daily and, best of all, eco-friendly:

• Coffee Grounds - Sprinkle your used coffee grounds around the base of your plants to add valuable nutrients into the soil.  They are rich in nitrogen and tannic acids and acid loving plants like Rhododendrons respond the best to coffee grounds.
• Egg Shells - Place crushed eggs shells at the base of your plants to add valuable nutrients into the soil.  They are rich in calcium which aids in cell development in all plants.
• Vinegar - Spray on weeds especially on areas that are difficult to weed e.g. between interlocking bricks.  It will kill anything it touches so do not spray on grass or plants.
• Nylons - Use to tie back or support trees and bushes.
• Food scraps - Add to compost for rich nutritious soil.
• Dish soap - mix with water and wash the interior and exterior of your windows for a spotless view into your garden.
• Corn Gluten Meal - prevents the germination of weeds. Sprinkle around problem areas to prevent weeds.

Happy Gardening!

Eco-Friendly Ways to Eliminate Pesky Summer Pests From Your Garden & Home

Garden:

• Mosquitoes: Rub a dryer sheet all over clothing and place additional dryer sheets in pockets of clothing.
• Snails: Use copper around your plants and at the bottom of your pots.
• Ants: Sprinkle cornmeal at the base of plants and on flower buds.
• Red Lily Beetle: If you are noticing holes in your lily’s (any variety) you probably have these beetles. Remove the red lily beetles when you see them and spray plants with neem oil (read directions on the bottle for proper usage).
• Squirrels & Rabbits: Do not use chili peppers and/or cayenne pepper even though many suggest. It can cause blindness if the animal rubs it into their eyes. We recommend one or all of the following:
• Human/Pet Hair
• Ferment chopped garlic in luke warm water for 1-2 days and pour around plants.
• Sprinkle Bone Meal at the base of your plants which will also act as a fertilizer.

Home:

• Fruit Flies: Pour ½ a cup of apple cider vinegar + dish soap into a bowl and place near fruit & near your green bin.
• Fungus Gnats: Place Sticky Stiks® in your indoor plants. If you have a large Fungus Gnat infestation check out our blog on “Organic and Safe Ways to Eliminate Fungus Gnats”

Garlic Scapes

If you have garlic growing in your garden, this is the time of year that 'garlic scapes' are in season if you are in south western Ontario or in a similar climate.  Garlic scapes are the flower shoots coming out of the garlic foliage   They are very flavourful, nutritious, and a great addition to any stir fry.  Garlic scapes have a sharp onion flavour with a hint of garlic.  As with garlic and onions, the sharpness will decrease towards sweetness the longer they are cooked.  Here is a simple, nutritious, organic side dish for you and your family to enjoy these in-season treats:

Ingredients:

1) 8 garlic scapes (discard flower head and cut into 2" pieces)
2) 1 cup of Brown Rice (or Quinoa or Couscous)
3) 5 thin stalks of Rhubarb (Cut into 2" pieces)
4) 20 asparagus (Cut into 2" pieces)
5) 1 small onion (minced)
6) 1 tsp. of lemon zest
7) 2 tsp. of lemon juice
8) 2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
9) 2 tbsp of agave (or honey)
10) A pinch of salt and pepper
11) 1 tsp of thyme
12) 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts

Directions:

1) Prepare rice as per directions
2) In a mixing bowl - combine garlic scapes, rhubarb, asparagus, onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, agave, salt & pepper, and thyme.  Saute for 6-8 minutes.
3) Toast pine nuts
4) Combine all ingredients with brown rice and top with toasted pine nuts.

Services 4

How to plan & plant a veggie garden

This is the time of year to get your veggies planted.  Normally I would have planted mine a couple weeks earlier however, I wanted to plan the harvest time for when my fruit trees are bearing fruit so everything is ready at one time for my preserves this fall.  Here are a couple of tips to get your veggie garden planned and planted:

1) Start with good organic soil.  You can even use the soil from your compost.
2) Mound the soil up to ensure proper drainage.
3) Veggies need a minimum of 6 hours of day light so plan your garden accordingly.
4) Plant larger plants to the east and/or to the back of your garden so they don't block the smaller plants from the sunlight.
5) Plant smaller plants to the west and/or to the front of your garden.
6) Plant veggies at least 12" apart for proper growth and the ability to weed throughout the growing season.
7) Put a tomato cage over your tomato plants early so they can grow comfortably within the cage.  It's a lot easier to do early on vs. when the tomato plants are larger.
8) Water every 2-3 days.
9) Be sure to pinch your tomato suckers as they grow to ensure all the energy heads to the fruit and look out for our future blog on "tomato suckers".
10) Break up egg shells at the base of veggies, especially your tomato plants for nutrients through the growing season.

With these steps you will be well on your way to a healthy veggie garden and within months, you will have numerous/organic veggies at your finger tips.
Happy Gardening!

How to attract Hummingbirds into your garden?

Attracting and having frequent visits from hummingbirds in your garden is not only an art but a hobby as well. Here are some tips for you to follow to not only attract hummingbirds but to keep them coming back:

Hang your feeder on a pole/post as an accessory in your garden and near flowers that attract hummingbirds, such as bee balm, catawba rhododendron, delphinium, fuchsia, hibiscus, hollyhocks, lantana, red columbine, red impatiens, red or pink petunias, trumpet wines, sage, or zinnias. The colour red is by far their favourite. Once established, you can relocate the feeder to a better location for viewing. If you have multiple feeders, hang them far enough apart that you cannot see one from the other.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe:

1) Bring 4 cups of water to a boil
2) Remove from heat
3) Add 1 cup of granulated sugar and stir until dissolved
4) Let cool and fill feeder
5) Store any unused mixture in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days

There are a variety of hummingbird feeders out there and we recommend blown glass ones since they do the trick by feeding the hummingbirds but are also a great décor item to add to your outdoor living space.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

This week in South Western Ontario has been quite rainy but our gardens need the watering to bring us beautiful flowers come May. After the rainy period, it’s a great time to get into the garden and continue the clean up. The moisture in the soil makes it easier to remove unwanted items in the garden. Here are some weekly stylicious tips that you can do to continue preparing your garden for an enjoyable summer:

1) Many of us treated ourselves to an Easter Lily this past weekend. Be sure to enjoy it inside until the last frost date in your area and then transplant it outdoors to enjoy next year.

2) Remove any maple saplings, grass, and weeds from within you perennials before their root structure has time to develop. This allows the perennials more breathing room and as well, makes it much easier to remove the growth before your garden is in full bloom.

3) Fruit trees and bushes (e.g. raspberries) only grow fruit on second year growth and will not produce fruit on branches that produced fruit last year, so prune back any non-fruit bearing branches.

4) Turn over your compost – take good soil from your compost and top up the gardens after you have weeded them well. Bury remaining soil with new garden clippings and start adding food scraps on top. Be sure to continue to turn over your compost throughout the spring/summer. Layering your deposits (small branches/food scraps/soil) will help produce a healthy, nutritious compost.

5) Fertilize your lawn – Since grass is coming out of dormancy, it’s time to feed your grass. We recommend fertilizing with a corn gluten fertilizer at this time of the year since it will coat any seeds from weeds and prevent them from germinating. However, do not seed your grass for several weeks after application since the corn gluten will coat those seeds as well and prevent them from germinating.

Happy Gardening!

Sowing Seeds Indoors

Sowing seeds is a gratifying way to be more eco-conscience. With the new 100 mile diet trend encouraging us to eat locally grown, it’s a perfect way to have homegrown herbs and veggies at your finger tips. Follow these stylicious tips on how to sow seeds indoors and you will be well on your way to your own veggie garden:

1) Visit your local gardening centre – There are a wide variety of seeds out there so be creative and select some different/new varieties. Try to select seeds that are staples in your family’s diet. As well, select some herb varieties that will allow you to spice up cooking and BBQ’s this summer. Plant herbs in a beautiful pot near your BBQ for easy access while cooking and to give your patio a splash of colour and scent. If you are in a small space or condo, grow herbs/veggies on a south facing window sill or balcony.
2) Check the back of the seed package for each variety’s specific directions. Some require longer growth time before transplanting outdoors. Depth and spacing can also vary.
3) You will need a tray for the peat pods or seed starting kits to be placed on. If you don’t have a seed starting kit, you can simply use egg cartons. Be sure to punch a couple holes in each to allow water to drain.
4) Plant the seeds in a seed starting potting mix. The are many varieties available. We recommend Miracle Grow Seed Starting Potting Mix.
5) Label each pod with the chosen seed variety.
6) Water gently with cool to luke-warm water.
7) Slip container (pods) into plastic bag to conserve the moisture. If it’s too large to put into a plastic bag, you can cover with plastic wrap. Be sure to tent to allow for ventilation.
8) Store at the recommended temperature. (Refer to back of package)
9) Keep in a room with ample sunlight but keep out of direct sunlight. South or west facing rooms will work best.
10) Check seeds daily.
11) Once seeds germinate, remove plastic and expose seedlings to as much sunlight as possible.
12) Check the soil daily to see if watering is required. If the soil is dry, it is time to water. If it’s moist, don’t water the seedlings. Seedlings are delicate, so be careful when watering.
13) After a couple weeks, pull out any small seedlings to allow room for the largest and healthiest seedling in each pod.
14) After 6-12 weeks (refer to pack of package), the seedlings are ready to transplant outdoors.

Now you are well on your way to eating healthy, organic, home-grown vegetables. 

Spring Forward

Spring is definitely in the air, especially in South Western Ontario. This recent spring-like weather can be a motivator to get you into your 2012 garden. Although it’s a great time to take advantage of the weather, it’s still a little early to do anything significant in the garden. Never the less, it’s a great time to get a jump on the season. Here are a couple of stylicious tips that can give you a head start:

Clean Up Your Garden – This is a great time to clean up any debris in garden, cut down any dead growth to allow new growth to come through, rake out your grass, and trim back any dead branches on shrubs and trees.

Pull Out Your Gardening Journal – It’s a great time to remind yourself of the goals you set last season for this coming season. This will allow you to schedule your time over the next couple of months to provide adequate time to complete these projects. Also, doing these projects early in the season will allow you to enjoy it throughout the gardening season. Your journal will remind you of any to-do items that you have recorded for March/April. Finally, if you don’t currently have a gardening journal, we encourage getting one now so you can record your tasks to do each month, and future hopes and dreams you have for your garden.

Sowing Seeds Indoors – With the new 100 mile diet trend encouraging everyone to eat locally grown, what better than having veggies and herbs at your finger tips, right outside your back door? This is the time of year to start planning and preparing your seeds. Most seeds require 6-12 weeks germination/growth before you can transplant them outdoors. Check your local weather trends for the average last frost date. For most of South Western Ontario, it is usually May 15-24.

Check for our next entry on How to Sow Seeds Indoors. An easy way to get ahead this season!