Calgary Gardener Jack Wootliff asked me earlier this summer how to get rid of his red aphids. I suggested he just spray them with water. He did that and he also sprayed them with soap and water. Well something was paying attention and this week he sent me this updated photo. He still has aphids, but he has added to his diner
I hate the thought of cooling nights and fall rains. I want summer to stay on a tiny bit longer. But the truth is it was almost too hot this summer to grow great greens. They perished in dry soil, intense heat and sloppy management (I always seemed to be away when they needed attention.)
Grow your own roses from seed by crossing your favourite blooms with a paint brush and then collecting seed in the fall in ziplock bags with peat moss and storing them in a cool spot until spring.
Eventually it was my turn (to speak). I went early to get a feel for the room. I started chatting with people in the front row as they arrived and sat down. Janet Endsley, the manager of the NWFG show, gave me a brilliant introduction. I opened my eyes, yes really opened them and looked out into a room….
So the moral of the story? Tell your plants how you feel and use worm castings to make it all better….. I am heading outside right now to tell my greenhouse plants how much I love them. I have also got seedlings growing indoors as micro greens for salads.
Gardening is all about playing and “experts” like Elliot Coleman, in his book “The Winter Harvest Handbook” stress plants won’t actually grow when there is less than 10 hours of sun per day (this happens at different latitudes but in Calgary and in most of Canada we are probably down to eight hours of sun a day right now and I am not sure when we crossed the 10 hour threshold.)
