Garden Wisdom Blog

To lime, or not to lime? Most homeowners ponder this question at some point without understanding: 1. What is dolomite lime? Lime is an important alkaline source of calcium and magnesium for your lawn and garden, mainly composed of ground limestone. Dolomite is most often used limestone as it contains equal parts of magnesium and calcium. Lime is used to increase the soil’s pH and decrease acidity. By neutralizing acidic soil, plants can easily absorb nutrients from the soil. Lime also improves soil texture and helps convert other soil nutrients into usable forms. Vegetables such as peas, beans, corn, cabbage,...

Flowers are pretty, but beauty is only one reason to plant them. While leaves allow plants to make food and grow, flowers are a plant’s way of advertising for pollinators. Adding a flower bed beside your vegetable patch or planting flowers amongst the vegetables attracts helpful insects to your garden. These little beauties also make an excellent meal for many species, including us. Eating your flowers isn’t heresy, it’s delicious. So now we’ll talk about munching the flowers.               Calendula and nasturtiums have a delightfully spicy flavour and brilliant colours that will spice up...

Back in the 1600’s, Tulip Bulbs were more more valuable than GOLD! Dandelions might seem like weeds, but the flowers and leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and potassium. One cup of dandelion greens provides 7,000-13,000 I.U. of vitamin A. Burning aster was believed and to ward off evil spirits and used in rituals to do as such in ancient civilizations. Chrysanthemums are associated with funerals in Malta and are considered unlucky. The very expensive spice, saffron, comes from a type of crocus flower. The largest flower in the world is the titan arums,...

Garlic is an excellent herb to grow in your garden. It is a relatively carefree plant and has few pests or diseases. Because the bulb is located so close to the surface, only shallow cultivation can be practiced. So plant in an area as free of weeds as possible. A mulch of leaves or other material free of weeds seeds will help garlic to grow hassle free. Most planting is done in October and even in September in early winter areas. Garlic planted too late in the fall will not have good root growth and will get off to a...

There’s nothing quite as perfect as a ripe tomato – that distinctive fresh, green smell of a sun-warmed fruit that bursts in your mouth. It speaks of the summer’s heat like nothing else in the garden, but it does require starting tomatoes indoors. If you’re yearning for that fresh tomato taste, you have a few months to go. But there’s something you can do to prepare. By planting your tomato seeds indoors, you’ll give them a head start on growth, helping them become big, vigorous summer tomato plants. While you can often buy tomato plants at the garden store in...