Advice

Master Gardener Responses to Questions About Vegetables

Following the publication of our August newsletter, we had two excellent questions about 2 vegetables that are common to most backyard gardens. We want to share the responses with you. The first question is regarding pole beans that have reached … Continue reading

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Raised Vegetable Garden Beds

For years I have grown vegetables in raised garden beds, this was initially done to improve  the soil quality, make weed control easier and guard against a very active pest population. I worked with my father to build nine raised … Continue reading

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A Garden For The Rusty-Patched Bumblebee

  A few months ago, we published an article about the decline of the rusty-patched bumblebee and how we can help to improve the situaion for bumblebees in general. I mentioned that a book by Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla … Continue reading

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A Question About Lavender

One of our readers sent us a question asking about the best lavender to grow in our climate. The most hardy lavender for Ontario gardens is Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender),  hardy to zone 5. Lavender Hidcote is one of the … Continue reading

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Viola sororia (common blue violet)

What you have is Viola sororia, common blue violet. It is native to eastern North America. It is known by many names, meadow violet, purple violet, wooly blue violet, hooded violet, dog violet, and wood violet. As you know, the … Continue reading

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Types of Mulch

  We had a recent question about what type of mulch to use in perennial beds. We thought that others might be interested in the response:   First of all, good for you for deciding to mulch. It is a great … Continue reading

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