Thinking about getting a garden started in your yard?  Maybe a vegetable patch, or just growing some annuals or perennials to add to your flower gardens.  Last year we had several Gardening Tips on these topics so while its cold and the winter’s snow is on the ground, why not take a read through those articles and consider what you might grow this winter for spring planting in your 2022 garden. Here’s some of the articles you may find interesting.

Crop Rotation  is the practice of planting specific crops in a given area each year and then rotating those crops to another area the next and the next.  This can help improve your soil as different crops give off some nutrients and others absorb specific nutrients from the soil. So the goal of rotating crops it to optimize nutrients in the soil. It is a good practice to do crop rotation in the vegetable garden every year to avoid crop diseases and/or pests from previous years coming back the next year.  Many crops produce a by-product that can help other plants. Yet they can deplete a nutrient they need to grow the next year.  Read the full story.

Growing Vegetables in Your Garden. This article starts with growing your vegetable seeds indoors in containers you already have. It discusses watering requirements and transplanting crowded seedlings.  Then it moves on with step-by-step instructions on planting your garden.  Read the full story 

Growing plants from Seeds. This article focuses on adding Milkweed to your native garden to attract monarch butterflies. It also discusses growing annuals and getting them to self-seed.  Then it moves on to Marigolds. Their seeds are easy to harvest and store and then plant the next year for a new batch of flowers! I plant a lot of marigolds using seeds as I find they are not only pretty but have a scent that deters most garden pests.  And l can’t smell that scent so even better! The information in this article applies to other flowers as well. Read the full story.

Hints and Tips when Growing Seedlings
This article focuses on 3 things: 1) Containers for seedlings, 2) Growing flowers in jugs, and 3) Blossom End Rot.  Read the full story.

Growing Potatoes In this article, the author gives the full story on how to grow potatoes to get a great harvest.  Read the full story.

Create some joy for yourself and others!  Start planning your garden. So sit back, have a coffee or tea, and start to think about, and plan, your garden.

Submitted by Doreen Coyne, a member of Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society