Senior Organic Gardeners
Notebook for the Urban Organic Vegetable and Herb Gardener
Why Bother with Organics
Organic gardening is an attitude and a methodology applied to food and flower gardens, and even to your lawn..
Toxins in the Garden
…some plants can actually kill, depending on one’s physical sensitivities.
Embracing Change in the Garden
Caution: if you are a gardener happy with what you have always done, don’t read this article! You may find it unsettling …
Fertilizing
All gardens need fertilizing: this includes in-ground plots, raised beds, box beds, cold frames, and large and small containers.
Pollinators and Pollination: Attracting and Keeping Pollinators
Wind, vibration, and a great many different insects act as pollinators, and all are essential to successful gardening! To attract and keep pollinators, imitate nature by promoting biodiversity in vegetables, herbs, flowers, & flowering weeds.
Succession Planting to get the Most Out of Your Garden
Succession planting simply means one planting follows another. Garden space is left unplanted and available for these subsequent plantings.
Potatoes: the good, the bad, and the ugly
The “Good”
You can buy organic seed potatoes or you can salvage that forgotten potato in your pantry – the one that has gone soft and is “chitting” (aka “sprouting”).
Tomato series, Part 4 – Seed Saving and Tomato Salvage
If you have found a tomato or a selection of cultivars that you like to eat and that have been successful in your garden, consider saving seed so you can enjoy them all again next season.
Tomato series, Part 3 – Stress and Disease Management
We keep tomatoes up, off the ground, to avoid problems, we keep the plants free from competition from weeds and bad companions, we make sure their soil is continually moist…
Tomato Series Part 2 – Maintenance
Tomato series – Part 1: Starting & Transplanting in bag, pot, or plot
Cherry, grape, pear, plum, early maturing, beefsteak, heritage, heirloom … once thought to be poisonous, tomatoes are now a gardener favourite. Full Article here
Squash Vine Bore
If you do not take some preventative measures, the result will be a very ugly looking rot at the plant’s base and you may lose the plant. Full Article Here
Garden Plant Rotation
Planting the same plant in the same spot year after year invites problems with insects and diseases. Full Article Here
Reducing the use of plastic in gardening
Transitioning to reduced plastic gardening might take few growing seasons! In addition to reusing and recycling plastic, here are a few ideas for substitutions: Full Article here
Do-it-Yourself: Paper Seed Pots
These “Paper Seedling Pots” are like wrapping your soil in wood! – Full Article here
Seed Saving Your Favourite Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers!
Anyone who grows food plants and flowers, can also easily save some seeds! – Full article here
Do-it-yourself Seed Viability Test
A simple technique that will allow you to plant and nurture only viable seed – Full article here
Labour Saving Techniques (part 6)
Odds and ends… Full article here.
Labour Saving Techniques (part 5)
Vertical food gardening saves space & time and maybe your knees and back! Full article here.
Labour Saving Techniques (part 4)
Tools and techniques for keeping your plants watered. Full article here.
Labour Saving Techniques (part 3)
Mulch to cover exposed soil, retain moisture and suppress weeds. Full article here.
Labour Saving Techniques (part 2)
No-till gardening with raised beds or permanent earth rows and walkways saves time on heavy soil work, preserves soil organisms, and reduces erosion, fertilizing, watering, and weeding. Full article here.
Labour-Saving Techniques (part 1)
Let’s consider the “labour to yield ratio” or “labour to personal enrichment ratio”… Full article here.
Critter Management in the Garden
Helpful and harmful fauna in the urban garden and best strategies for humanely minimizing damage. Full article here.
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Past articles can be found in issues of the Down to Earth newsletter by clicking on the links below.
Colorado Potato Beetle – Summer 2016, page 7
Box Beds – Winter 2017, page 7
In-door Germination – Spring 2017, page 4
Composting – Fall 2017, page 8
Bug Hotels & Restaurants – Dec 2017
Weed Wisdom – March 2018
Mulch, pluses and minuses – June 2018
Cutworms – Dec. 2018
Self-watering Containers – March 2019
Eco-friendly watering – June 2019
The Cold Frame, a Gardening Advantage – Sept 2019
Garden Tools – Dec 2019
Planning for no-till gardening – March 2020
Beetle Battles (Japanese, cucumber, & flea) – June 2020
Putting the Gardens to Bed – Sept 2020
Plant Stress and Disease Management – Dec 2020
Urban Spaces Suitable for Gardening – March 2021