As the Garden Grows

What's blooming today?


You are here: Home / Archives for In The Garden

All season tires or Snow tires

by

Usually at this time of year here in Toronto we’d be seeing huge snow storms at least once a week. We’ve been quite fortunate so far though and haven’t had any snow. That’s unbelievable. I’m sure our luck won’t hold and that it will suddenly turn very cold and we’ll have a major storm, but until that time I’m quite happy to enjoy the weather.

When it does snow though I’ll have to drive in it and I don’t like driving around without a good set of tires on my car in the winter. This article about winter snow tires that I read on Caroom.us brings up some important information as to why having a set of real winter tires is important.

Many people buy All Season Tires year in and year out, and while this is ok in some places, it’s not suitable in others. I’ve seen far too many cars wipe out near and in front of my house that have all season tires on – old and usually balding to not believe that everyone living in cold weather areas that get a fair amount of snow should use winter tires. Read Caroom.us article to get even more information as to why winter tires are important and economical. Actually, the site appears to have a number of good auto related articles that are easy to read and not just for the automotive buff.

I think one of the reasons why people in Toronto use all season tires most of the time is because our winters have become quite mild in the last 10 years or so. We do get snow most years but it melts for the most part within a day or two. So people try to “get by” on all season tires. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if some “got by” using summer tires year round. Not safe, but when you can’t count on snow and frequent snow storms I guess you do that.






Amazing weather!

by

Well I’m certainly glad that we’ve had mild weather so far this winter.

It’s 7 Celsius right now. That’s almost unheard of here in Toronto for January. It’s usually at least -10 during the day, and -15 or more at night. There’s been no snow either. Luckily we did have a fair amount of rain on New Years Eve otherwise I’d be worried that my plants would get too dry and despite the mild weather end up die due to lack of moisture.

I haven’t taken a close look but I would not be the least bit surprised if my roses have tiny little red bumps on their branches- new twig growth.

Are others having mild weather where they would normally expect lots of snow and freezing temps?

Of course now that I wrote this temps will drop and we’ll get a huge snow storm. Just you watch.

New Years Resolutions for Gardeners

by

Happy New year everyone! I hope that you all have a fantastic year!

When we thinking of making New Years resolutions it’s usually something about ourselves, such as, to be a better person, to lose weight, to quit smoking and so on, but do we ever resolve to take better care of our gardens? I don’t think so.

Since I wasn’t feeling very well this past year I wasn’t out in my garden as much as I was in past years. Usually I’m out there every day – dead heading, trimming, adding organics to the soil and so on. I really fell off this fall when I didn’t even put my garden to bed for the winter. Yes, this year it is totally without winter protection. It should be interesting to see what happens come Spring time.

So in the New Year, I’ve decided to try to follow these great tips from the Plant Doctors at The American Phytopathological Society – perhaps you will too:

  • Mulch my perennials after the ground freezes to help them overwinter comfortably even though temperatures may fluctuate.
  • When studying plant catalogs, look for pest- and disease-resistant plants, such as mildew-resistant phlox, Fusarium-resistant tomatoes and disease-resistant crabapples that will make my gardening job easier and keep my plants healthier.
  • Send a soil sample to a laboratory to learn what my lime and fertilizer needs are, rather than guessing.
  • Set plants in the ground only at the proper depth-deep planting harms roots and kills plants!
  • Use only the well-drained areas of my garden for plants-unless I purchase some swamp-loving species!
  • Inspect plants carefully before purchasing to find evidence of invaders such as spider mites, scale insects or mealybugs, or root swellings that might mean crown gall disease on plants such as flowering cherries or roses.
  • Spread a circle of mulch around young trees to keep lawn mowers from damaging the bark, leading to canker diseases later on.
  • Use only a few inches depth of mulch and keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems of plants to discourage crown rot.
  • Scout regularly for symptoms in the garden, so that I can pick off the occasional spotted leaf before problems escalate.
  • Irrigate new trees and shrubs the first two years especially during dry weather to help them establish good root systems.
  • Use a soaker hose or some type of irrigation system for the flower beds and vegetable garden that won’t wet the foliage and encourage leaf spots.
  • Obtain a diagnosis when the cause of a problem is unclear or needs identification.
  • Prune only in dry weather, especially when pruning plants prone to fire blight, such as pears, crabapples and hawthorns.
  • Encourage beneficial insects and mites by minimizing use of broad- spectrum insecticides.
  • Join a Master Gardener class to learn more about the fun of growing and maintaining plants.

To the New Year and better gardens for all.

Meta