Showing posts with label gardening myths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening myths. Show all posts
Feb 17, 2015
Let's face it, not everyone is born a natural green thumb - but it's never too late to improve your skills in the garden. Look to landscape designer Joanne Dafoe, owner of Dafoe Design and Home + Garden Stage presenter at this year's Calgary Home + Garden Show, for some insight on how to become the best green thumb you can possibly be.
Catch her on stage on Friday, February 27th at 5pm and Saturday, February 28th at 5pm, at the Calgary Home + Garden Show, and get a sneak preview of her favourite garden tips below! Whether you're looking for easy garden maintenance tips, edible garden ideas, or secrets to the lushest garden on the block, she's got you covered.
Shady Secret
Aside from what everyone thinks, shady areas in the backyard are not always a bad thing. Some vegetables and herbs actually thrive in cooler conditions, including swiss chard, lettuce, parsley, and arugula. Try planting these healthy greens in cool corners as opposed to sunny spots in your garden - trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Winter Pruning
Winter is not a time to ignore the garden, especially when it comes to pruning your trees and shrubs. If you have multiple trees in your yard, late winter is the optimal time to prune them, as the leaves are long gone and the branches are easy to trim. Pruning your trees will help support new growth on remaining branches, preparing them for the spring months. Most trees can be pruned in the winter, with the exception of Birch and Maple, which can wait to be pruned in the summer months.
Go Organic
Going organic does not have to be restricted to your diet. Do your garden a favour by using natural fertilizers rather than harmful chemicals, found in most fertilizers. A prime example is seaweed - not only will it support the plant, but it will also feed the soil surrounding it, making it an optimal natural stimulant.
For more tips on how to achieve a lush, healthy garden, don't miss my presentations on the Home + Garden Stage at the Calgary Home + Garden Show on February 27th and 28th at 5pm. Remember to buy your tickets early for the best deal. Right now, get 2-for-1 tickets on our Facebook Ticket Deals.
Happy gardening!
- Joanne Dafoe
Catch her on stage on Friday, February 27th at 5pm and Saturday, February 28th at 5pm, at the Calgary Home + Garden Show, and get a sneak preview of her favourite garden tips below! Whether you're looking for easy garden maintenance tips, edible garden ideas, or secrets to the lushest garden on the block, she's got you covered.
Shady Secret
Aside from what everyone thinks, shady areas in the backyard are not always a bad thing. Some vegetables and herbs actually thrive in cooler conditions, including swiss chard, lettuce, parsley, and arugula. Try planting these healthy greens in cool corners as opposed to sunny spots in your garden - trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Image via Garden Bytes
Winter Pruning
Winter is not a time to ignore the garden, especially when it comes to pruning your trees and shrubs. If you have multiple trees in your yard, late winter is the optimal time to prune them, as the leaves are long gone and the branches are easy to trim. Pruning your trees will help support new growth on remaining branches, preparing them for the spring months. Most trees can be pruned in the winter, with the exception of Birch and Maple, which can wait to be pruned in the summer months.
Image via Better Homes and Gardens
Go Organic
Going organic does not have to be restricted to your diet. Do your garden a favour by using natural fertilizers rather than harmful chemicals, found in most fertilizers. A prime example is seaweed - not only will it support the plant, but it will also feed the soil surrounding it, making it an optimal natural stimulant.
Image via WikiHow
For more tips on how to achieve a lush, healthy garden, don't miss my presentations on the Home + Garden Stage at the Calgary Home + Garden Show on February 27th and 28th at 5pm. Remember to buy your tickets early for the best deal. Right now, get 2-for-1 tickets on our Facebook Ticket Deals.
Happy gardening!
- Joanne Dafoe
Jan 13, 2015
Even gardening enthusiasts can fall into the trap of common gardening myths, which can make even the most well-intentioned gardening efforts counterproductive. Don Engebretson, The Renegade Gardener™, is a popular speaker and nationally recognized authority on gardening and landscape design. Don shares his top 3 gardening myths below.
1. Shredded Wood Mulch Attracts Termites & Carpenter Ants - Myth.
Carpenter ants don’t eat wood, a simple fact that surprises many (do carpenters eat wood?). Carpenter ants can bore through solid wood, however, and do so for the sole purpose of building a nest. They will nest in live and dead trees and fresh or rotting logs and stumps. And since a telephone pole, fence or porch post or the wood frame of your house look and act a lot like dead trees to them, they will sometimes build their nests in these man-made structures.
2. Weed Barrier Fabric Is Good To Install Because You Won't Have Any Weeds - Myth.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Few products foisted on homeowners by landscapers and the gardening industry are as worthless as weed barrier fabric. The barrier can mask the weeds growing underneath, but eventually, the weeds make their way through.
3. Organic Gardening Products Are Good Because You Aren't Using Harmful Chemicals - Myth.
Just because you are using an organic gardening product doesn’t mean you aren’t using chemicals. It may just be an organic chemical rather than a synthetic one. "Organic" means the chemical is derived from the earth, its deposits or its plants. "Synthetic" means the chemical is made by someone in a lab coat. Either way, the product is still a chemical used to kills bugs. However, Don believes organic fertilizers are superior and uses them exclusively on his plants because they are gentler on the soil and plant root systems. Using organic fertilizers also means you are adding organic matter to the soil.
The Renegade Gardener™ will be appearing live at the Oklahoma City Home + Garden Show, January 16-18 at the Oklahoma State Fair Park. Homeowners can learn the latest trends, innovative ides, and expert remodeling and gardening tips. Don's presentations include "Common Gardening Myths - and the Mayhem they Cause" and "Top 10 Gardening Blunders - and How to Avoid Them". Don't have tickets to the show yet? Right now you can get 2-for-1 tickets as part of our Facebook Ticket Deals. Treat a friend to the show - we can't wait to see you there!
JANUARY 16- 18, 2015
1. Shredded Wood Mulch Attracts Termites & Carpenter Ants - Myth.
Carpenter ants don’t eat wood, a simple fact that surprises many (do carpenters eat wood?). Carpenter ants can bore through solid wood, however, and do so for the sole purpose of building a nest. They will nest in live and dead trees and fresh or rotting logs and stumps. And since a telephone pole, fence or porch post or the wood frame of your house look and act a lot like dead trees to them, they will sometimes build their nests in these man-made structures.
2. Weed Barrier Fabric Is Good To Install Because You Won't Have Any Weeds - Myth.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Few products foisted on homeowners by landscapers and the gardening industry are as worthless as weed barrier fabric. The barrier can mask the weeds growing underneath, but eventually, the weeds make their way through.
3. Organic Gardening Products Are Good Because You Aren't Using Harmful Chemicals - Myth.
Just because you are using an organic gardening product doesn’t mean you aren’t using chemicals. It may just be an organic chemical rather than a synthetic one. "Organic" means the chemical is derived from the earth, its deposits or its plants. "Synthetic" means the chemical is made by someone in a lab coat. Either way, the product is still a chemical used to kills bugs. However, Don believes organic fertilizers are superior and uses them exclusively on his plants because they are gentler on the soil and plant root systems. Using organic fertilizers also means you are adding organic matter to the soil.
The Renegade Gardener™ will be appearing live at the Oklahoma City Home + Garden Show, January 16-18 at the Oklahoma State Fair Park. Homeowners can learn the latest trends, innovative ides, and expert remodeling and gardening tips. Don's presentations include "Common Gardening Myths - and the Mayhem they Cause" and "Top 10 Gardening Blunders - and How to Avoid Them". Don't have tickets to the show yet? Right now you can get 2-for-1 tickets as part of our Facebook Ticket Deals. Treat a friend to the show - we can't wait to see you there!
JANUARY 16- 18, 2015
OKLAHOMA STATE FAIR PARK
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