General growing and maintenance guidelines. Your plants and how to care for them…
I don’t typically write about tomato varieties that I am growing for the first time, especially when they are tiny seedlings in the first few weeks of growth. However, these two are visually unique and I thought it would be fun to share them with you now. Both are compact plants (a dwarf and a …
This is a problem that occurs with a few seedlings every year even when the soil or the air inside the humidity dome is moist. It seems to occur most frequently with hot peppers and occasionally with older tomato seed, which leads me to believe that it is related to a loss of vigor. [See …
‘Golden Nugget’ is a favourite “hot” pepper variety going way back to when I was a rooftop gardener. It’s a fruity flavoured little pepper with a bit of heat that can be used fresh or dried. I’ve found it to be very good infused in vinegar or tossed into a mixed vegetable pickle for a …
You’d be surprised by what can qualify as a decent, if not great, seed starting pot and perhaps surprised even more to discover that many can be found in the recycling bin. Toilet rolls are free and accessible, but have their downside. I can get a second use from the paper cups and cartons that …
Just as I was once again pulled under by winter’s worst, the ‘Chico’ amaryllis that I received as a Holiday gift delivered its bright and cheerful promise, proving once again that anything that blooms in the drab winter months is worth having around. The best amaryllis flowers have a painterly quality about them, as if …
Fiskars Project Orange Thumb awards grants to 30 community gardens in the US and Canada. At the beginning of this year I accepted a position with Project Orange Thumb® as a member of the editorial board to help select the winning applicants and bring attention to the project. Applications were due at the end of …
I have found it! I have found an almost perfect seed storage container. I recently went into Target to pick up replacement filters for my humidifier, and while searching for them happened upon the storage container aisle. I’ve been on the lookout for something to replace a bunch of my current seed storage bins that …
Until last week I had not been thinking much about my garden plans for the coming growing season. It’s difficult to suspend the reality of -26C (feels like -40C with the windchill) when you’re in the middle of it. After awhile, you start to believe that spring will never come again. Over the last few …
How and when to get seeds started differs with each crop. Some plants do best when sown outdoors directly into the ground or container where they will live out their lives. This is called direct sowing. Crops like basil, tomatoes, and peppers have a very long growing season that can’t be met in colder climates …
My garden here in Toronto is currently chilling on ice and will be for some time yet; however, in other parts of the world a brand new growing season has already begun. Questions about how to start a garden from scratch have already been pouring in and I’ve realized it is high time that I …
My heart fluttered when I peeled back the holiday wrapping and revealed its contents. I have been coveting this particular amaryllis variety — ‘Chico’ (Hippeastrum cybister) — for years. I saw it once in person at a spring bulb show and it is every bit as cool as it looks in photos. The flowers are …
I had these seeds for some time, a gift from a tomato-loving friend that I was finally able to grow just this year. I generally prefer to withhold my judgement of tomato varieties until I have had the opportunity to grow them multiple times over a range of different seasons. I recently posted about ‘Snow …