{"id":5757,"date":"2024-04-23T16:25:54","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T20:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/?page_id=5757"},"modified":"2024-04-23T16:25:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T20:25:54","slug":"embracing-change-in-the-garden","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing Change in the Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5757\" class=\"elementor elementor-5757\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-50b5e20 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"50b5e20\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c4a0eb3\" data-id=\"c4a0eb3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9feb541 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9feb541\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>The DTE Notebook for the Urban Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Gardener. <\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Embracing Change in the Garden.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p><p><em>Article and photos by Rob Danforth <\/em><\/p><p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p><p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5760 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p><p><strong>Caution:\u00a0 if you are a gardener happy with what you have always done, don\u2019t read this article!\u00a0 You may find it unsettling \u2026<\/strong> After all, gardening is a seasonal gamble, with nature as the croupier for the house:\u00a0 in every growing season there are both plusses and minuses, and every solution to a problem has a cost.\u00a0 Happily, gardeners lose a little at some stationary slots, but win a lot in garden roulette.<\/p><p><strong><u>Recommendation<\/u><\/strong><strong>:\u00a0\u00a0 Urban organic food and flower gardeners should experiment every season!<\/strong>\u00a0 Don\u2019t settle for the same again!\u00a0 That can be boring for all involved, and it also removes the guesswork that keeps the harmful diseases, insects, and critters in line.\u00a0 They really like the same thing again, and lots of it.\u00a0 Monocultures are a particular favorite! \u00a0True, we like what we like (e.g., tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes!) but there are a number of reasons to shake up your gardening practices and try something new every season (e.g., new plants, new spaces, new practices):<\/p><ol><li><u>Rotation of plants from<\/u> season to season in soils that are used year after year is well advised and that invites experimentation. What grew so well last season may not perform as well in the same place this season. Maybe you are tired of it, or tired of battling the same problems season after season.<\/li><li>Gardeners are faced with many <u>variables<\/u> that can change every year and which will affect the success of the growing season:<ul><li>the<strong> quality<\/strong> of soil, seed, water, fertilizer, or weather &#8211; or combinations of these.<\/li><li><strong>infestations<\/strong> of insects, slugs &amp; snails, viruses, fungi, or bacteria.<\/li><li><strong>critter<\/strong> <strong>visits<\/strong>: squirrels, groundhogs, mice, voles, rats, rabbits, raccoons, or deer.<\/li><li><strong>growth<\/strong> of trees and shrubs near the garden, which now provide unwanted shade and hungry, thirsty roots that invade both the garden and the compost.\u00a0<\/li><li><strong>a change in the amount of space<\/strong> available or the amount of space that you are willing to work.<\/li><li>the amount of<strong> time and effort<\/strong> a gardener can spare to tend the plants.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5758 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Marigolds-tomatoes-pole-bush-beans-cucumbers-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Marigolds-tomatoes-pole-bush-beans-cucumbers-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Marigolds-tomatoes-pole-bush-beans-cucumbers-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Marigolds-tomatoes-pole-bush-beans-cucumbers-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Marigolds-tomatoes-pole-bush-beans-cucumbers-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Marigolds-tomatoes-pole-bush-beans-cucumbers.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p><p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Advice<\/span><u> columns<\/u> (like this one!!) can vary greatly on recommendations depending on which gardener, website, book, magazine article, TV show, or video you encounter.\u00a0 I encountered many contradictions over the years.\u00a0 For example:<\/p><ul><li>you must till the soil to make it friable and plant friendly &lt; \u2013 &gt;\u00a0 no-tilling is best for the soil and the life in the soil.<\/li><li>use leaves as mulch to feed the life in the soil &lt; \u2013 &gt;\u00a0 avoid using leaves as they harbor harmful insects.<\/li><li>clean up all plant debris in the fall to get rid of bad bug habitat and diseases <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong>\u00a0 leave disease free plant debris on the soil surface to feed the life in the soil, resist erosion, and shelter the helpful insects.<\/li><li>apply compost in the spring and rake it under <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 apply compost in the fall and leave it atop the soil for nature to have its way, and to save you labor.<\/li><li>mulch with compost <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong>\u00a0 compost is not a mulch so put a real mulch over the compost.<\/li><li>put wood ashes in your compost to sweeten the soil <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 don\u2019t add ashes because of heavy metals and increased alkalinity.<\/li><li>Be sure to use this companion plant <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt; <\/strong>no, choose a companion plant for what it provides in a given situation. Some attract helpful insects, some distract harmful insects, some encourage growth, some discourage growth (allelopathic), some provide physical supports, \u2026\u00a0<\/li><\/ul><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5762 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Veg-flowers-1024x708.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Veg-flowers-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Veg-flowers-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Veg-flowers-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Veg-flowers-1536x1061.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Veg-flowers-2048x1415.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><ul><li>use rhubarb leaf tea as an insect deterrent <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong>\u00a0 use tomato leaf tea or garlic scapes tea but definitely not rhubarb and don\u2019t put rhubarb leaves in the compost (I have composted them for years).<\/li><li>water in the morning <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt; <\/strong>\u00a0water on a schedule\u00a0 <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;\u00a0 <\/strong>water on demand!<\/li><li>dwarf vegetables are best for containers <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt; <\/strong>\u00a0any vegetable can be grown in a container if you are willing to work for it.<\/li><li>Use Japanese Beetle traps to draw beetles away from your plants <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong>\u00a0 avoid these expensive traps because they attract even more beetles to your garden.<\/li><li>use the layer method in your composter and leave it be <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt; <\/strong>\u00a0stir the compost regularly to aerate and redistribute the composting agents.<\/li><li>Live critter traps are an humane and a good way to remove unwanted critters <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt; <\/strong>\u00a0Live traps catch indiscriminately (you want a groundhog but caught the neighborhood skunk) and can lead to\u00a0 orphaned animals and critter death in unfamiliar locations, so use barriers instead\u00a0 <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt; <\/strong>\u00a0learn to get along, not to eradicate.<\/li><li>these sun-loving plants do not grow in the shade <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong> some of mine actually do!<\/li><li>If at first you do not succeed, try and try again\u00a0 <strong>&lt; \u2013 &gt;<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 don\u2019t waste your time re-trying unless you have some significant changes in the variables.<\/li><li><strong>and the list goes on!<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a04.\u00a0 Since every garden has successes and setbacks, <u>variety<\/u> can add to your successes and eclipse the setbacks. You may discover that your garden and your gardening methods are much better suited to plants you have not yet tried!\u00a0<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Do not underestimate the variables. Over the years, my wife and I have dealt with all of the items listed above.\u00a0 We had to learn what grew best in each of the 4 gardens we managed and of course we rotated plants within the gardens and between gardens to see where they grew best. Failure to change and failure to listen to what nature tells us through the gardening challenges we face yearly, leads to many problems, disappointments, and gardener stress (e.g., a dependable variety of tomatoes did very well in one plot for 3 years, and then suddenly they didn&#8217;t, and we lost the tomatoes).<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5761 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pansies-squash-corn-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pansies-squash-corn-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pansies-squash-corn-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pansies-squash-corn-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pansies-squash-corn-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pansies-squash-corn-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p><p>Over the years, I have been very thankful for the advice I have encountered, but no advice was good advice until I had actually tried it out.\u00a0 After talking to many gardeners in various provinces, and reading accounts from various countries, I have found the following to be true:\u00a0 put 5 experienced gardeners in a room and ask one question.\u00a0 It is possible you will get 5 different answers \u2013 all of them correct, but only 2 of the answers might actually work for you in your situation with your gardening variables.\u00a0 I use advice as a starting point, look for other corroborating sources, try some of it in a controlled situation, and then reject it or adapt it to my situation.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Have you tried square foot gardening?\u00a0 Vertical gardening?\u00a0 Biodiversity (plant veg with the flowers or flowers with the veg)?<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5759 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kale-asperge-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kale-asperge-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kale-asperge-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kale-asperge-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kale-asperge-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kale-asperge-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p><p>Why not try Asian vegetables like okra, Chinese broccoli, and bok choy?\u00a0 Three sisters?\u00a0 Heirloom vegetables?\u00a0 Potatoes from chitted potatoes that were too long in your pantry? Cut the root and some stem from harvested or from store-bought living lettuce and plant it in your garden?\u00a0 Try different companion plants to see what works?\u00a0 Test some claims (e.g., chamomile is like a doctor plant; it promotes plant health in all plants near it!)? Save seed from your garden?<\/p><p>Below, I list the advice this column has offered over the past eight years.\u00a0 You may find some ideas worthy of experimentation, some ideas supporting your current practices, some ideas that lead you to tangents, and to newer ideas, and some ideas you think are just dead wrong!<\/p><p><strong>Articles <\/strong>(39) in <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/down-to-earth-newsletter\/\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/down-to-earth-newsletter\/\"><strong>Newsletter<\/strong><\/a> :\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>Colorado Potato Beetle<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DtE_summer16.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Summer 2016<\/a>, page 7<\/p><p><strong>Box Beds<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DtE-winter17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Winter 2017<\/a>, page 7<\/p><p><strong>In-door Germination<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DtE-spring17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spring 2017<\/a>, page 4<\/p><p><strong>Composting<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DtE-fall17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fall 2017<\/a>, page 8<\/p><p><strong>Bug Hotels &amp; Restaurants<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/558168b9df4a\/hot-off-the-press-1151013\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dec 2017<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Weed Wisdom<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/138568579ed6\/march-2018-down-to-earth-1240221\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 2018<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Mulch, pluses<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>and minuses<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/b9305cf5c8fc\/june-2018-down-to-earth?e=21b082c4f4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 2018<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Cutworms<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/417cd4da60f2\/december-2018-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dec. 2018<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Self-watering Containers<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/b63c97131594\/march-2019-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 2019<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Eco-friendly watering<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/07d3ac4e9592\/june-2019-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 2019<\/a><\/p><p><strong>The Cold Frame, a<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Gardening Advantage \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/1d79e0fa11e9\/september-2019-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sept 2019<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Garden Tools<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/b907f2178cbd\/december-2019-down-to-earth?e=21b082c4f4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dec 2019<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Planning for no-till gardening<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/0a4ff322212a\/march-2020-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 2020<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Beetle Battles (Japanese, cucumber, &amp; flea)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/05b281bd0666\/june-2020-down-to-earth?e=21b082c4f4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 2020<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Putting the Gardens to Bed<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/18da04e65fae\/september-2020-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sept 2020<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Plant Stress and Disease Management<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/fb63ffa33c4f\/december-2020-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dec 2020<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Urban Spaces Suitable for Gardening<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/5df756f32cd4\/march-2021-down-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 2021<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Fertilizing &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/fertilizing\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Pollinators and Pollination: Attracting and Keeping Pollinators &#8211;<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/pollinators-and-pollination-attracting-and-keeping-pollinators\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Succession Planting to get the Most Out of Your Garden &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/succession-planting-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-garden\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Potatoes: the good, the bad, and the ugly &#8211;<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/potatoes-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Tomato series, Part 4 \u2013 Seed Saving and Tomato Salvage &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/tomato-series-part-4-seed-saving-and-tomato-salvage\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Tomato series, Part 3 \u2013 Stress and Disease Management &#8211;<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/tomato-series-part-3-stress-and-disease-management\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Tomato Series Part 2 \u2013 Maintenance &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/tomato-series-part-2-maintenance\/\">Full Article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Tomato series \u2013 Part 1: Starting &amp; Transplanting in bag, pot, or plot<\/strong><strong> &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/tomato-series-part-1-starting-transplanting-in-bag-pot-or-plot\/\">Full Article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Squash Vine Bore<\/strong><strong> &#8211;<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/squash-vine-bore\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Garden Plant Rotation<\/strong><strong> &#8211; <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/garden-plant-rotation\/\">Full Article Here<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Reducing the use of plastic in gardening<\/strong><strong> &#8211; <\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><a style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/reducing-the-use-of-plastic-in-gardening\/\">Full Article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Do-it-Yourself: Paper Seed Pots <\/strong><strong>\u00a0 \u2013\u00a0<\/strong><a style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/do-it-yourself-paper-seed-pots\/\">Full Article here<\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Seed Saving Your Favourite Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers!<\/strong><strong> &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/saving-seeds-from-your-favourite-vegetables-herbs-and-flowers\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Do-it-yourself Seed Viability Test<\/strong><strong> &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/seed-viability\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Labour Saving Techniques (part 6) &#8211; <\/strong>\u00a0<a style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/labour-saving-techniques-part-6\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Labour Saving Techniques (part 5) &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/labour-saving-techniques-part-5\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Labour Saving Techniques (part 4)<\/strong><strong> &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/labour-saving-techniques-part-4\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Labour Saving Techniques (part 3)<\/strong><strong> &#8211; <\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/labour-saving-techniques-part-3\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Labour Saving Techniques (part 2)<\/strong><strong> &#8211;<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/labour-saving-techniques-part-2\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Labour-Saving Techniques (part 1) &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/labour-saving-techniques-part-1\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Critter Management in the Garden &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/critter-management-in-the-garden\/\">Full article here<\/a><\/p><p>You can also check the<strong> videos <\/strong>on the Just Food Web site: <a href=\"https:\/\/justfood.ca\/gardening-workshops\/\">https:\/\/justfood.ca\/gardening-workshops\/<\/a> <u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p><p><u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p><p><strong>New learning:\u00a0 if you read it, hear it, or see it and then do it, you got it!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p><p><strong>If you want to keep it, teach it to another!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Once again, a happy garden makes a gardener happy!<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The DTE Notebook for the Urban Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Gardener. Embracing Change in the Garden.\u00a0 Article and photos by Rob Danforth \u00a0 Caution:\u00a0 if you are a gardener happy with what you have always done, don\u2019t read this<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5760,"parent":2606,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Embracing Change in the Garden - Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Embracing Change in the Garden - Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The DTE Notebook for the Urban Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Gardener. Embracing Change in the Garden.\u00a0 Article and photos by Rob Danforth \u00a0 Caution:\u00a0 if you are a gardener happy with what you have always done, don\u2019t read this\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cogosochapter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@COGOSOCH\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/\",\"name\":\"Embracing Change in the Garden - Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-23T20:25:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-23T20:25:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Seasonal Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Embracing Change in the Garden\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/\",\"name\":\"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais\",\"description\":\"Canadian Organic Growers\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d'Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/logo.jpg\",\"width\":200,\"height\":115,\"caption\":\"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d'Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cogosochapter\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/COGOSOCH\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Embracing Change in the Garden - Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Embracing Change in the Garden - Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais","og_description":"The DTE Notebook for the Urban Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Gardener. Embracing Change in the Garden.\u00a0 Article and photos by Rob Danforth \u00a0 Caution:\u00a0 if you are a gardener happy with what you have always done, don\u2019t read this","og_url":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/","og_site_name":"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cogosochapter\/","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@COGOSOCH","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/","url":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/","name":"Embracing Change in the Garden - Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-23T20:25:54+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-23T20:25:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Chard-petunia-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/embracing-change-in-the-garden\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Seasonal Resources","item":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/seasonal-resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Embracing Change in the Garden"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/","name":"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d&#039;Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais","description":"Canadian Organic Growers","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#organization","name":"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d'Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais","url":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/logo.jpg","width":200,"height":115,"caption":"Ottawa-St. Lawrence-Outaouais Chapter \/ Section d'Ottawa-Saint-Laurent-Outaouais"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cogosochapter\/","https:\/\/x.com\/COGOSOCH"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5757"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5768,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5757\/revisions\/5768"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa.cog.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}