Apple pests/diseases

I have 1 Honeycrisp and 1 Empire Apple tree in my backyard. I’ve had trouble in the past with codling moth – they are a problem every year. I put out molasses and cider traps in the spring along with…

Tomato leaf disease

This summer, as with many years past, I nurtured three tomato plants on my south-facing balcony. Two were Roma tomatoes, and, for the first time, I experimented with growing an heirloom tomato (featured in the bottom left picture). Around mid-summer,…

Winter Sowing seeds

Hi. I intended to winter sow earlier this year (as my older, colder, darker house and I tend to produce leggy and sometimes deady seedlings), but here we are already! What plants would be suitable for winter sowing now (Apr…

Growing Bell Peppers – Insect infestation

Hi, I have an allotment garden and last season had success growing pepper plants and getting them to flower and fruit but a black bug seemed to burrow into my plants and destroy much of the fruit. Other gardeners at…

Garlic Stem and Bulb Nematode

Hello, I am hoping to sort out whether or not my crop has been infected with the aforementioned nematode. My plot is in the west end of Toronto(zone 6a), in a community garden. I have been growing garlic there for…

Siberian Crabapple branch die-off every summer

Hi, We live the Bloor Dufferin area of downtown Toronto and have a 20 year old siberian crabapple in our back yard. Each spring, it looks very healthy with new growth, lots of flowers, and very happy looking leaves. Then…

Scarlet Runner Beans being eaten on the vine

Climate: Hot and sunny through Summer (a little bit north of Toronto). Beans usually thrive. Soil is amended triple mix. Two beans are in pots, others are in a raised bed which is at least 40ft away from the pots.…

earliest date to plant tomato seedlings outside

Greetings: I live in inner Toronto (Ossington/Bloor). I am preparing Tomato seedlings right now (late March). Question: When is the earliest safe date to plant the seedlings outside (backyard)? Thank you,…

Powdery Mildew on potted indoor Rosemary plant

Good morning. I live in Toronto and have a 3-4 year old potted rosemary that I have been successfully overwintering indoors. Right now though, it is rapidly getting overcome by powdery mildew- worse at the top- and it needs immediate…

Cucumber leaves

I was wondering what went wrong with my cucumber leafs? Could this be viral infection? Thanks.…