Leave grass clippings on your lawn as they are a natural source of nitrogen for the grass.  If your clippings are unusually heavy, spread them out rather than leaving them in a pile or windrow.…

To create sturdier plants that need less staking and to delay or extend the flowering period, cut some of your perennials back at the end of May (when the Chelsea Flower Show happens). Simply cut the plants back by half.…

Do some of your grasses have an empty, dead centre? That tells you it’s time to divide them, before they start to grow vigorously. Cut the foliage back to 10 to 15 centimetres, then dig up the entire clump. Use…

Plant two crops in the same space. Consider each plant’s growth period, growth pattern, preferred season, and light, nutrient and water requirements. Long-season and short-season vegetables can be planted together, such as radishes with carrots. Small plants can planted close…

Like you, houseplants enjoy a summer vacation outdoors … but don’t rush to take them out. Wait until night time temperatures are consistently above 10°C. You can begin exposing your plants to higher light levels while waiting, moving them from…

All plants – vegetable seedlings, perennials, annuals – coming from an indoor environment (home, garden centre, greenhouse) must be gradually acclimatized to the outdoor environment. Put them outdoors in a sheltered area for an hour the first day. Each day,…

If your compost pile has thawed by the beginning of the month, now’s the time to give it a good stirring.At the end of the month, when the weather has improved and the garden is dry enough to work in, …

If you mulch your gardens with shredded bark or leaves, you will find that the winter snow and rains have caused them to become compacted.   Once the soil has dried out somewhat, use a long handled cultivator to loosen or…

As you plan your vegetable garden, include some flowering herbs and annuals in it to encourage the beneficial bugs to visit your garden.  This is especially important if you plan to grow vegetables such as zucchini and cucumbers which have…

A trap crop is one that you plant to attract pests away from a crop that you want to protect.  For example, you could sow a row of white turnip in advance of sowing your lettuce crop.  The flea beetle…