Gardening tips
Getting the most out of your vegetable garden
Planting calendar for your community garden
Starting community gardens
How to start a community garden
The return on investment of community gardens
The health benefits of gardening
Inspiration from the multitude of allotments in Birmingham, UK
Here are some handy tips from Lee Valley: click here.
There is nothing nicer than heading out into the garden about an hour before the planned supper hour and digging up a batch of potatoes.
TO FIND OUT HOW TO GROW POTATOES, CLICK HERE.
Tomatoes are by far the most popular vegetable to grow in the garden. The taste of a home-grown, freshly-picked tomato is a driving force behind the passion for vegetable gardening. How can we successfully grow a tasty tomato which is pleasing to the eye, the taste buds and not too hard on the back?
There are three different types of tomatoes that you can grow. Cherry tomatoes are ideal for containers or small gardens. They are virtually indestructible, from my experience, and will reward you and most of your friends with bite size tomatoes for a fairly lengthy part of late summer. Of the regular tomatoes there are determinate types and indeterminate types. …
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Soil is the foundation for plant growth and the source of the essential elements. Minerals, air and water are all provided to plants as a gift from the soil. Soils will vary in the degree in which they can provide each of the essential elements and this variance alters the selection of plants which thrive in each particular case. Good quality soil will promote strong plant growth, substantial vegetables, robust blooms and healthy turf. Ensuring that your soil is nutritious and has a good texture will make your goal of a beautiful garden that much easier.
In most cases, the ideal soil for the plants we wish to grow is a rich loamy soil that is well drained. Loam is a soil classification or textural type meaning that the soil has a moderate amount of sand, silt and clay. Of these three components…
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The mid-summer vegetable garden may be a source of pride or despair. The well tended garden will have provided early vegetables for the table and freezer with many vegetables yet to come. On the other hand, if weeds, drought and pests have gotten ahead of you, the garden will be an untidy reminder of a project gone wrong.
Weeding, watering and pest control are the primary requirements for vegetable gardening during the summer months. By managing these three elements, you can have a healthy crop of vegetables, make a pleasant looking vegetable plot (most important in my view) and be able to re-plant in areas where early vegetables have been harvested.
Weeding is the most important job which should be done weekly from the time the seeds have germinated until harvest. Weeds have the uncanny ability to grow ten times faster than the desirable plants and…
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Here’s a link to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs information on climate zones (we’re in Zone E in Centre Wellington) and when to plant what in your community garden. Click here.
Composting is a great way to enrich your garden’s soil. The Composting Council of Canada says these are the benefits of composting and applying compost to your garden:
Adds slow release macronutrients and organic matter
• Supports and enhances the soil’s community of beneficial micro-organisms
• Improves drainage and aeration in dense, clay soil
• Enables light soil to retain nutrients and moisture
• Attracts earthworms and other beneficial organisms
• Enhances the soil’s ability to clean the water that passes through it on the way to our streams and rivers
• Results in a darker soil colour, which better holds the sun’s warmth
Click here for some tips on how to apply compost from the Composting Council of Canada.
The Centre Wellington Community Garden Network has helped several of the community gardens start up. We can help. Reach out!
See below for the evolution of some of the community gardens in Centre Wellington – from grassy ground to harvest!
To prepare you for some of the challenges – and the rewards! – here is a link to some great information from the Waterloo Region Community Garden Network – link.
You might also be interested in The Toronto Community Garden Network’s Community Garden Handbook.
If you’re interested in growing garlic, read this article.
