Have you ever wondered what happens if you don’t cut off your garlic scapes? If you let them grow and mature they will make tiny bulbils, each of which is a tiny garlic clove that will grow if you plant it. Read this fascinating article from Seeds of Diversity, Canada about growing garlic from garlic bulbils which are genetically identical to the parent plant.
Tomatoes are one of the most popular plants to grow in a vegetable garden. There are many varieties of tomatoes, ranging from red to yellow, orange, and purple in colour and from very small tomatoes to very large ones that can weigh up to 2 lbs each. Is the VARIETY Determinate (Bush Tomatoes) or Indeterminate …
Tomatoes are popular and rewarding vegetables to grow in a vegetable garden. Following are a few points to ensure a bountiful harvest. When Can I Plant My Transplants? Tomatoes can be planted out once the nighttime temperatures are consistently over 10º C. Is There a Specific Way to Plant My Tomato Starts into the Garden? …
As seeds age, they lose their viability. Commercial packages generally indicate the germination rate for the year for which the seeds were sold (eg. 80%) meaning that, under good conditions, 8 of 10 seeds will germinate. Tables are readily available to indicate average seed life expectancy. For instance, corn has a life expectancy of 2 …
When you pour your seeds (home-saved or commercial) out of the package, you rarely think of what structures are inside the seed coat you see. Parts of a Seed Cotyledons are embryonic leaves providing water and energy for young plants until true leaves photosynthesize. There may be one (monocot) or two (dicot) cotyledons. Water absorption …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonOctober 18, 2026 With the very warm fall weather, thanks to an unusually strong El Niño, even vegetables that were planted late have been able to grow to a good size. I still have zucchini flowers setting fruit in my garden, which is a month later than usual, and with the ideal …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonSeptember 10, 2026 As planting winds down and harvesting continues, here are some things to do this month: Tomato pruning: It is time to prune off new shoots and flower clusters on indeterminate (vining) varieties of tomatoes in the garden. Late flowers will set fruit too late to become mature tomatoes and …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonAugust 13, 2026 With harvesting and preserving vegetables and fruit in full swing now, don’t forget to sow more seeds to keep the harvest going all winter. And also remember that seedbeds need careful attention to watering and shading at this time of year as well as protection from birds scratching up …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonJuly 19, 2026 A higher than usual population of Purple Finches this year, at least in the Gulf Islands and Victoria area, is making the birds unpopular with gardeners. These finches have a taste for tender vegetable leaves, especially of Brassicas, and they also peck at broccoli heads, fruit tree flowers, pods …
Gardening Newsletterby Linda GilkesonJune 22, 2026 We are moving into the season when we start planting in earnest for winter harvests. If you are growing your own winter broccoli and winter cauliflower from seed, sow this week if you haven’t already done so. I went into varieties and sources in detail last year so I …
