Gardening Glossary

This term is used to describe Heirloom seed varieties that boast a particular ethnic or cultural lineage. Some people use the two terms interchangeably, but “heritage” implies nationality, as in “Italian heritage tomato” or “French heritage squash.”

This describes any vegetable variety grown consistently for over 50 years, that is not under patent, and has particular qualities that make it desirable. An heirloom tomato variety grown today should produce fruits with all the characteristics of flavour, texture, and aroma as the same variety grown 50 or even 150 years ago.

Hardening off is the process of gradually allowing plants started indoors to adapt to conditions outdoors at transplant time. Conditions outside are relative harsh – temperatures fluctuate, sunlight is more intense and unfiltered, and wind causes increased air movement. It’s a good idea to introduce seedlings to this environment slowly, over several days, before transplanting them to their permanent growing spots. Bring your tray of seedlings outdoors, but maybe to a shady area on day one, and bring it back inside overnight. On day two, leave the tray in a protected, but sunnier location. On day three, leave the tray...

Some hybrid cucumbers are bred to be gynoecious – they bear predominantly female flowers. The purpose is to improve productivity earlier in the season, and for the plants to not “waste” energy producing male flowers. Gynoecious seeds are typically packed with a few seeds of a monoecious (plants with male and female flowers) variety included to ensure pollination. See also “parthenocarpic.”

Because of the definitions of both the Canadian (CFIA) and American (USDA) authorities, we make the distinction that genetic engineering is a specific kind of genetic modification. In Genetic Engineering, DNA are manipulated or recombined to select specific traits. Common uses of genetic engineering include the insertion of DNA from foreign organisms, such as bacteria or fish, into plant DNA to produce crops that are resistant to pests or herbicides. The primary crops produced through this kind of biotechnology include (but are not restricted to) corn, soy, alfalfa, cotton, oilseed, potatoes, and sugar beets. It is the position of West...