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May is not the typical time to start a garden in Northern Ontario. However, there’s not much typical about this year. Gardening is one of my favorite things to do during the summer months. Not only does it provide my family with food, but it gets me outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Gardening is also a fantastic way to keep in shape, especially during the early stages when prepping the area and planting time. The May 2020 garden is an unusual but welcome sight. Spring is a good opportunity to spend some time in the garden, admiring the plants coming out of theirRead More →

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Not all gardening occurs outside. Adding some indoor plants to your home is a great way to include some extra life and a pop of color in any room. It can also help to keep your green thumb going during the cooler months of the year. Whether you live in a warm or cooler climate, indoor gardening is a great option. Even if you don’t have a green thumb these easy to grow indoor plants are something you can add to your home. In fact, this is a great way to grow that green thumb of yours. With a little research, finding low maintenance plantsRead More →

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The garden season is over. It always seems to sneak up on me. One moment, it’s June and the seeds are going into the ground. Then in the blink of an eye fall has arrived and the last of the plants are clinging to life.  The final weeks of the gardening season are always a blur of frantic harvests, steady weeding and then prepping everything for winter. This garden overview will cover my struggles, triumphs and general thoughts on the 2019 gardening season. 2019 garden overview This was by far the most unusual year for the garden. Normally, we have fairly wet and cool weatherRead More →

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Just like that, the garden season has ended. As quickly as it started, it has finished. That is all part of gardening in Northern Ontario. The season is short and generally speaking, on the cool side weather-wise. Yes even with these factors to contend with, it is possible to have a garden. It merely takes some work and dealing with a bit of a learning curve. Even a beginner gardener can manage if they put in the effort. The October garden doesn’t have much to offer in Northern Ontario. The growing season has ended, though a few stragglers still grow. October garden update What’s leftRead More →

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September is coming to a close. It’s crazy to think that the month is nearly over. I feel like it only just began and suddenly it’s almost done. This month saw several shifts in the weather. First, it was fall weather, then summer returned for a week, and then fall was back! While I love fall, it does signify the end of the growing season for us. The weather this month had a strange effect on the garden, as many plants started to die off and then rejuvenated with the warmer weather returning. In the end, the garden is coming to an end. This gardenRead More →

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With August coming to an end, it means that the garden is that much closer to being done. It seems early, however, where I live it’s simply a fact of life. Our gardening season is fairly short, especially given that we live in a cool climate. However, this year seems to be the exact opposite of that which has created a number of challenges over the past few months. That being said, while some parts of the garden are struggling, others are doing phenomenally. Gardening can be such an unpredictable hobby, but I thoroughly enjoy the challenge. This garden update August 2019 will cover howRead More →

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July is coming to an end, which brings us further into the gardening season. This year has been quite different from previous years. Though the gardening season was a bit late due to cool weather, now we have the opposite problem. Most of July was unseasonably warm and dry, which really stunted the growth of a lot of things. It also meant a lot more watering to keep the garden going in the initial crucial growth period. This garden update July 2019 covers what has been happening in the garden over the last month. Garden update July 2019 What’s growing well Of all the thingsRead More →

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When it comes to vegetable gardening, there are so many different types of food to grow. The time needed to grow certain vegetables varies quite a bit. A good garden should have a mix of fast and slow-growing crops. This means that there is a regular occurrence of plants to be harvested throughout the growing season. When it comes to quick-growing vegetables, radishes are by far the most prolific. Whether you live in a warm or cold climate, radishes can have multiple sowings and harvests. This makes them an excellent crop to grow, especially for beginner gardeners. This guide will teach you how to growRead More →

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The garden season has finally arrived up here in the North! This has been a long time coming and after such a long and cold winter, I am so excited. Finally, I can get my hands in the dirt and start growing things. Of course, the weather played its tricks on us. The first half of the month was unusually cold – even for up here. And then it turned abnormally warm. On top of this, we had almost no rain this month. Needless to say, thanks to that, the garden was planted a bit late.  This garden update June 2019 covers all that IRead More →

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Every gardener has challenges that they need to overcome in order to be successful. Some areas get hot quickly and can limit what can be grown. Other areas are more ideal for nearly year-round gardening, however, they may encounter more pests or diseases. Then there are places where the growing season is not only short but also includes a cool climate. I fall into the latter category. Though it can be a struggle to achieve a successful garden, these 6 tips for cold climate gardening will help those in cooler climates to reach their gardening potential. When I first started gardening here, I honestly wasn’tRead More →