February: Top-dressing Large Houseplants
Houseplants that are too large to transplant will greatly benefit from a top-dressing of compost. Remove 2 cm of existing soil or compost and add some fresh compost.…
February: Is Your Houseplant Pot-Bound?
Your plant will give you clues if it is feeling pot-bound. Roots will be growing out of the bottom of the pot and growth will be very slow despite good light and regular feeding. Turn the pot upside down and…
February: Clean Your Houseplants
Dust and oils can build up on the leaves of your plants, blocking light, making it difficult for them to “breathe” and increasing the risk of disease. For large, smooth-leaved plants, a wipe-down with a moist cloth works wonders. Plants…
February: Growing Medium for Starting Seeds Indoors
When starting seeds indoors, always select a growing medium that has been especially mixed for starting seeds. It should not contain a slow-release fertilizer. If you want to mix your own growing medium, combine 4 parts of very fine, screened…
January: Composting in the Winter
Continue to add vegetable scraps and other compostable household waste to your compost pile throughout the winter. To keep your ‘greens and browns’ in balance, cover your kitchen waste periodically with leaves that you have saved or shredded newspaper. Decomposition…
January: Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is a good gardening practice to care for your soil and to reduce the risk of pests and diseases affecting your vegetable crops. It means that you do not grow the same vegetable in the same place in…
January: Check On Stored Bulbs, Rhizomes and Tubers
Once a month throughout the winter, check to make sure that your stored dahlias, cannas and the like are not rotting or drying out,.…
January: Make a Seed Starting Calendar
As you pore over the seed catalogues that are fast arriving now, note the time required for your choices to germinate and then grow to harvest or bloom. Then make up a calendar to make sure you get your seeds…
January: Plan Ahead
January is the perfect month to review your garden catalogues and consider what you want to grow this spring. Place your seed order as some plants need to be started indoors many weeks before their outdoor planting date.
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January: Propagating Succulents
Many succulents produce baby plants (pups) around the mother plant. To grow plants from these pups, pull the soil back from the plant to cut the pup off where it joins the mother plant. Leave the pup exposed to the…