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Tomatoes

May 10th, 2021

Taste the flavour of homegrown Tomatoes!

The weather is almost warm enough to start thinking about putting tomatoes outside in the garden. If the night time temperatures are below 10 degrees Celcius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) you must provide some protection from the cold. You can do this by covering your tomatoes with plastic or a white cloth like our “Crop Cover” or “Frost Blanket”. When the night time low is above 10 degrees Celsius you can leave them uncovered.

Whether you are a seasoned tomato growing veteran or a new gardener here are a few tips to help you grow better tomatoes:

1. Tomatoes are heavy feeder, they are the teenage boys of the plant world. You should add manure and fertilizer to the soil before you plant.
2. When you plant the tomatoes, plant them deeper as new roots will develop along the stem helping your plants grow faster and stronger. (Except ‘Mighty Mato’ grafted Tomatoes, do not plant them below the graft)
3. Water regularly all summer, twice a week early in the season and daily during the summer months. Tomatoes that do not get regular water are more likely to develop diseases and are less likely to produce as much fruit. They also develop thicker skin if not watered properly.
4. Fertilize weekly with a water-soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro Tomato Food 18-18-21 or monthly with a granular fertilizer like Evegro’s Vegetable and Tomato Food 10-15-19.
5. Add Lime to your soil before you plant and every month during the growing season. Lime helps balance the pH and provides Calcium and Magnesium to the plants.

With so many varieties of Tomatoes to choose from here are a few varieties that perform well in our climate:

• Ball Extra Early – a medium-sized tomato that produces early
• Beefsteak – one of the largest tomatoes with lots of meaty flesh
• Early Girl – a medium-sized early producing variety
• Sungold – a golden cherry tomato
• Sweet 100 – an excellent small cherry tomato
• Sweet Million – a smaller version of the sweet 100 that produces an abundant crop
• Tumbler – a great cherry tomato for hanging baskets that produces all summer until frost
• Tomaccio – a super sweet grape type tomato that is great for making Sun-Dried Tomatoes

In addition to these varieties, you can choose from a selection of Heirloom Tomato varieties including:

• Brandywine – a large heirloom tomato
• Rainbow – a large beefsteak variety

Be sure to stake your tomatoes as they grow to give them support as the fruit matures. You can stake them up with a basic bamboo or cedar stake or buy a “Tomato Cage” that supports the leaves.

Click here to download our information brochure on Tomatoes.

Lilac

May 4th, 2021

Enjoy the Sweet Fragrance of Lilacs!

Aside from Roses, there are few flowers as beautiful and aromatic as Lilacs. Lilacs have a strong fragrance that you can enjoy throughout your garden. Unfortunately, Lilacs bloom for only a few weeks in the spring.

Weather conditions have a lot to do with how long your blooms last. Cool dry weather helps your flowers last longer. Once the blooms have finished, you still have a nice shade bush, but you have to wait until next year to enjoy the blooms again.

You can choose from a variety of Lilacs including:

• Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ (Korean Lilac)
• Syringa vulgaris ‘Katherine Havemeyer’
• Syringa vulgaris ‘Charles Joly’

Hanging Baskets

April 26, 2021

Hanging Baskets are here!

A beautiful hanging basket will add a striking accent to your balcony, terrace, or backyard.

These hanging baskets are dripping with vibrant blooms and lush foliage. Our mixed baskets are available for any light situation; available in full sun, partial shade or shade. These will have a mix of Geraniums, Petunias, Lobelia, Fuchsia, Calibrachoa, and many other great trailing plants. They start at $29.99 for a 10-inch pot and go up to $119.99 for the large Moss baskets.

Both of our stores carry a great selection of hanging baskets available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and price.

Peony

April 19, 2021

Grow the “Perfect Peony”

Peonies (Paeonia sp.) feature lush and delicate petals but are extremely hardy, require little maintenance, and love the sun. As a perennial, they’ll come back every year to steal the show in your garden or as fresh cut flowers in your home. They do their best when grown near the middle or back of full sun borders or beds. There are two main types of Peonies, herbaceous peonies and tree peonies. The more common herbaceous type die back to the ground every fall and come up again every spring. The tree type peonies leave a woody stem exposed during the winter months.

There are many beautiful varieties to choose from with a rainbow of colour choices. Come in today to see these beautiful plants in bloom.

Strawberries

March 24th, 2021

Grow your own fresh fruit, start your Strawberries for Summer!

If you enjoy the taste of fresh Strawberries in the summer now is the time to plant them. Strawberries are very easy to grow. Strawberries can grow and produce for many years in your garden. They multiply themselves so you can continue to expand your strawberry patch every year. The hardest part about growing them is right after you plant them, you have to force yourself to remove their blooms so that the plant can become established before growing fruit.

For more information about growing Strawberries or to download our information brochure here.