blog
tips and tricks for greenhouse gardening success
How To Start And Maintain Strong Seedlings
If you’re keen to start your own seedlings for the season, there are a few tricks of the trade that will set you up for success. Keeping your seedlings healthy until they are safe to transplant is fraught with danger. There is no shame in buying seedlings from your...
Winter Red Sauce Recipe
When I was doing my graduate studies on the Mediterranean Diet, I lived in southern Italy and, of course, fell in love with the flavours of the region. Finding a recipe to give me that same flavour back home in Alberta was remarkably challenging, but after a few years...
Using A Seed Starting Mix
It’s the little things that matter, like starting your seeds in the right mix. The miracle of your newly sprouted seed is happening below the surface of the soil. The first root (radicle) comes out and then a gossamer web of delicate new roots form as the first leaves...
Find Your Last Frost Date With Ease
Common advice is to start your seeds several weeks before “last frost.” Even experienced gardeners are left head-scratching over exactly what that means. Here are some easy steps to help guide your indoor seeding plans. You'll Need: A year-at-a-glance calendar...
How To Perform A Simple Test For Seed Viability & Germination Rate
Every gardener I know finds partially-used seed packets and wonders if these seeds are still good. Ditto with seeds harvested from last year’s garden. Here’s how you can find out if those seeds are viable and you can expect a plant to emerge, or if they are dead and...
Grow Your 2024 Grocery Budget
In light of Canada’s Food Report 2023, which forecasts a concerning increase in food prices for 2024, now is the time to find ways to soften these ongoing budget - and health - pressures. The report predicts a 6%-8% rise in vegetable prices and a 3%-5% increase in...
Fungus Gnats: The F** Word
Winter means gardeners shift to houseplants. Houseplant gardening means fungus gnat frustration. My house is no exception. Knowing as much as we can about the enemy gives us the upper hand; knowing the life cycle and habits of fungus gnats is key to controlling...
Winter Injury In Plants
While we are hunkered down in our warm homes and many, many layers of wool and fleece, the plant world is left outside to face the long fury of Old Man Winter. As the season goes on, you may see some changes in your plants as the winter wind and sun causes damage....
Six Things To Winterize In Your Backyard
Frosty temperatures and short days remind us that winter is here and that outdoor gardening is done for a while. Here are a few practices you should develop to end this growing season and ready your garden for the next season. Greenhouse: Remove all old plant...
Amending Soil: Put Down The Peat Moss
Growing up in west central Alberta, I believed peat moss was the solution to all my garden issues. Are your plants limp? Peat moss! Are they stunted and yellow? Add peat! Nothing germinating? Must need more peat! Boy, was I ever wrong. Today, after 40+ years of...
Sugar-Pumpkin Pie Recipe
I started making this family favourite when I was 9 years old. Thanksgiving and Christmas just aren’t the same without this from-scratch pie on our family’s table. Yes, I grow pumpkins specifically for this treat. You can, too. Next spring, find a 10x10’ spot out in...
Gardening For Your Life: Haskap Berries
Siberian honey berries—also called Haskap berries—are a delightful addition to any prairie garden. They are among the first berries to ripen in spring. I usually eat a few handfuls before my strawberries and Saskatoon berries are ready! The plant has been around for...
Tomato Versus The Volcano
Harvesting a healthy tomato crop in the fall is the Holy Grail for Prairie Gardeners. To get to that end, we have to navigate all the great obstacles that nature puts in our way, including extreme heat! Extended periods of high heat (above 30C) and sun can wreak havoc...
Getting Your Greenhouse Ready for Summer Vacation
Summertime on the prairies usually includes a vacation away from home, whether it’s a weekend of camping or a longer road trip. If you are taking that vacation, here are a few tips you should follow to make sure your plants are ok while you are away. Protect your...
The Secret to Strawberries
Being a summer baby, I always associate strawberries with birthday celebrations and languid, warm days. They are one of my favourite fruits, and fill me with yumminess and happiness. Strawberries are fascinating from a botanical standpoint. The berry we eat and enjoy...
How to Prevent Fungal Disease
Humidity can lead to fungal diseases like gray mould botrytis or powdery mildew on your greenhouse plants. The ideal relative humidity (RH) for your greenhouse is 50-70%, but in a hobby greenhouse–without all the machinery and environmental controls of a...
Blossom End Rot Q&A
When is the right time to start adding calcium/magnesium to your watering regime? Start using it every 7-10 days once your plants start flowering. I was really good about watering my tomatoes after the fruit appeared, so why did I get blossom end rot? Blossom End Rot...
Spring Greenhouse Maintenance
Spring is the ideal time to prepare yourself—and your equipment—for a new growing season. Here are five things to do before the outdoor season hits. Sterilize equipment Sterilize your shears and secateurs in a 10% bleach solution. I use a 500ml measuring cup with 50ml...
Using Beans And Peas To Enrich Your Soil
Nitrogen is one of the most vital nutrients plants need to grow. You can make sure plants have enough by either using compost or adding fertilizer to your feeding practice. A third, simple and delicious way is to grow nitrogen-fixing plants. Nitrogen fixers⸺beans and...
5 Tips For Cold Weather Seeding
One of the best things about having a greenhouse in your backyard is you can get a head start on your garden, soak up some of that beautiful sunshine, and shake off some of that cabin fever from a long winter. Over this late March weekend, I did just that, getting in...
