Did you know that you can bring your old flower pots to any Loblaws or Great Canadian Superstore garden centre for recycling? They don’t have to have originated from those stores, either. You can bring any plastic pots or containers or plant trays to the centre for recycling. I am inspired to clean out my shed!

One of the perks of being a Master Gardener in Training is that we often have speakers come to our monthly meetings to teach us more about some aspect of gardening. Since January, we’ve had speakers come in to discuss insects, trees and most recently, “Plant Nerd at Large” Gavin Trevelyan came to talk to us about how to create a naturalized garden that your neighbours won’t hate.

Of course I am not at liberty to completely replicate Gavin’s entire presentation here on Playing in the Dirt. I can, however, share a few tidbits that I learned.

What exactly is an urban naturalized garden?

A naturalized garden occurring in an urban area incorporates native plants and plantings into the conventionally pleasing garden design ideals of the urban gardener. For example, a perennial garden may be planted heavily with native species of echinacea, rudbeckia, grasses and asters, just to name a few. (Visit Acorus Restoration, the Ontario Native Plant Nursery to browse through an extensive list of native plants for Ontario gardens.) In my own garden I have several plants that are native to this area of Ontario, such as Green-Headed Coneflower, and although I have not set out to create a naturalized garden, my perennial garden does display some features of a naturalized garden.

What are the Benefits of Naturalized Gardens?

• Because native plants are well adapted to the area, they are often low-maintenance and require less water than more exotic species.
• Naturalized gardens are beautiful to look at and add interest to neighbourhoods.
• Naturalized gardens provide a way to engage children in nature and to teach them about wildlife habitats.
• Adding native plants to your garden is beneficial to wildlife such as birds and small mammals (if you welcome these critters into your green space) and also attracts bees and butterflies to the garden.

Adding Food to the Naturalized Garden

Think about integrating the production of food for both humans and animals into naturalized garden projects. The roots of this idea can be found in the writings of Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who coined the term, “permaculture” back in the 1970′s. Their definition of permaculture is:

‘Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for provision of local needs. People, their buildings and the ways in which they organise themselves are central to permaculture. Thus the permaculture vision of permanent or sustainable agriculture has evolved to one of permanent or sustainable culture.

—Permaculture One, by David Holmgren and Bill Mollison

Growing food in spaces traditionally reserved for flowers is a real trend in gardening right now. Tuck a tomato plant into your perennial border, or grow salad greens right along your front walk way in among the other flowers there. This year I’ve planted dark opal basil with petunias and coleus in the pots on my front porch.

Some Things to Consider When Planning a Naturalized Garden in an Urban Setting

• Some folks always need to see at least some lawn. If you replace your entire lawn with naturalized plantings, you might have some explaining to do in your neighbourhood.
• Naturalized gardens can enhance land value, but if they are not maintained, the opposite may occur.
• As usual, keep the tall plants in the back of your naturalized border, and shorter plants down front.
• Plan a garden that blooms or provides similar interest throughout the year, even in winter. Leave the heads of seed-bearing flowers intact as food for birds and for winter beauty.

For more information about introducing native plants to your garden space, read: The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s “How Does Your Garden Grow? Protect native biodiversity by greening your garden”

I received this message today about an event celebrating Seeds of Survival‘s 20th anniversary and thought I’d pass the message along!

August 17, 8:30pm – Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W.

Canadian songsmith James Keelaghan, a steadfast supporter of USC Canada’s Seeds of Survival (SoS) program, is teaming up with fellow folk musicians for a historic concert to benefit farming communities in Africa and Asia.

Join James at Hugh’s Room on August 17th for an inspiring evening of soulful song and music. We’ll enjoy the artistry of stellar singer-songwriters including Peggy Seeger, Rob & Steve Richie (of Tanglefoot), Vance Gilbert, and Sheena Grobb. The musicians have generously agreed to donate all proceeds from the concert to benefit Seeds of Survival – USC Canada’s flagship food sovereignty program – and the mountain farmers of Ethiopia and Nepal.

From the African Highlands to the Himalayas, mountain farmers face challenging conditions. Though mountains are biodiversity hot spots and the source for as much as 80% of the world’s fresh water, it’s hard to grow food and make a living on steep mountain slopes. The SoS program continues a 20-year tradition of working with farmers to grow healthy food in harsh mountain landscapes, without damaging these fragile ecosystems.

The concert takes place August 17th at Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W. Tickets cost $20 in advance ($22 at the door) and are available at Hugh’s Room in person, by phone (416-531-6604), or online at Hugh’s Room. For more information contact Sarah at or 613-234-6827 x230.

And visit USC Canada’s website now to hear Moving Forward, Looking Back, the song James composed for a documentary about Seeds of Survival work in Ethiopia.

Please forward this message to anyone you know who might enjoy this event.

We hope to see you there!

A Senior Engineer/Scientist/Tech Officer for Ontario Power Generation recently sent out a call for participants in what I think is a very cool program:

Do You Grow Fruits, Vegetables or Use Well Water?

If you live within 10 km of the Darlington or Pickering sites and grow fruits, vegetables or use well water as a drinking source, then our Environment Programs Department is looking for your support.

As part of the Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program (REMP), samples of air, rain water, drinking water, soil, fruits, vegetables and fish are taken in the communities around the Pickering and Darlington stations. These samples and their analyses are used to assess the dose impact to the public resulting from operations of our stations (which is quite low and well below regulatory limits).

Since the inception of this program, we have relied on the support of local residents to provide the above mentioned samples. Over the years, there have been new subdivisions built in previously uninhabited areas and therefore additional sample locations are desired to better represent these areas. Also, due to the mobility of local community members we are always looking for new participants to replace those who have moved out of the areas.

To that end, we are seeking participants who live within 10 km of Darlington or Pickering Station and can provide us with:

• Annual samples of fruits and/or vegetables grown from their own garden, and/or
• Monthly samples of well water that are used as a drinking source—sample bottle will be provided.

All samples will be collected by an OPG Health Physics Laboratory technologist during working hours with advanced arrangement of pick-up times.

The results are published every April 30 in an annual REMP report to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). All names, addresses and contact information are confidential and will not be published. Participants will receive a letter every June summarizing the public dose impact in your area and a small token of appreciation.

I contacted the name provided, indicating an interest in participating, since I live within the desired radius at about 6 km from the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. I haven’t really thought too much about the impact living near a nuclear generating station has on the food that is grown and eaten in this region, but participating in this program is likely to bring about some awareness on that front. I’ll be sure to share my findings here!

This week at BlogHers ACT Canada, we’re talking about compost (our focus this month is on greener gardening), and that got me thinking that I’d like to share my own compost set-up with you.

I keep this plastic bowl on my kitchen counter. I bought it at IKEA, and it has a non-slip bottom and a fitted lid. I throw my coffee grinds, egg shells, tomato stems and other bits of food scraps (other than dairy, oils or meat, which are composting no-nos) right in there.

When the countertop bowl is full, I take it out to the compost bin at the side of our house and dump its contents into the bin.

Take a peek inside! It needs some water, and I should rip up that egg carton.

At the back of the yard, we have this larger crate-style compost bin where I throw our yard waste, potting soil, weeds, and grass clippings. There is probably some good stuff in the middle of the pile.

Today my husband Graham and I (well, mostly Graham) installed our rain barrels, which we purchased at a local shop called Envirosponsible.

Graham went to the hardware store and bought four concrete blocks to sit the barrels on top of. They would be fine on the ground, but raising them up a bit makes it easier to use the tap at the base, and allows space for setting a watering can down beneath and filling it up. He also picked up a couple of ready-made plastic downspout extensions. These are usually used to extend the downspout or to direct water away from your foundation. In our case, they’re going to direct water into our rain barrels.

First Graham cut some of the length from the downspout. He placed the barrel nearby to get a rough idea where he should cut.

Next I leveled out the ground beneath the downspout (I had moved a perennial plant out of the way while he was at the hardware store), and then Graham placed the heavy concrete blocks in place.

Then we positioned the barrel on top of the blocks.

You’ll notice that the blocks were too close to the foundation, so we had to adjust their positioning a little bit.

Next Graham placed the downspout extension over the piece of downspout at the side of the house. If he looks a little annoyed, it’s because he really wants me to put down the damn camera and give him a hand, already.

Graham then cut a hole in the lid of the barrel to fit the end of the fitted downspout piece into the barrel itself. He did this with a utility knife with a curved blade, but a jigsaw would work, too.

Ta-daaaa! Done. The rain barrel was installed.

And, as if on cue, the rain started to fall…

Happy Earth Day!

Last summer I was disappointed to find that our next-door neighbour had hired a non-organic company to take care of their lawn. Graham and I would sit out back, drinking our coffee in the morning, and then suddenly the powerful, sickening smell of the pesticide/herbicide cocktail would waft into our yard. Annoyed, disgusted, we’d head back indoors to finish our coffee.

I put a little sign in our garden in the hopes it would start a dialogue between us and our neighbour, but it didn’t seem to phase them at all, which I just can’t understand because he grows FOOD in their yard.

I was pleased this morning to discover an article in the paper (Pesticide ban set to grow, The Toronto Star, April 22, 2008) detailing our provincial government’s plan to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides and herbicides, to be enforced beginning in the spring of 2009. The City of Toronto’s ban took effect on September 1, 2007, but in the smaller cities and town around Ontario, it’s been legal to spray lawns and yards with toxic chemicals. It’s hard to believe that with all of the information available about the health effects of these kinds of sprays, people continue to use them in the very space their children play.

The new ban will mean that my next-door neighbour won’t legally be allowed to spray their yard with pesticides and herbicides. The ban won’t affect farmers, golf courses or managed forests, and the legislation will also force the manufacturers of pesticides and herbicides to reduce the level of toxins they produce.

I’ll be pushing this information on my neighbour this year…they might as well get started with organic methods this year, since next year they’ll be out of luck!

(Cross-posted at BlogHers ACT Canada and Moms Speak Up!)

Don’t forget to visit BlogHers ACT Canada to participate in the Official BlogHers ACT Canada Earth Day Kids Gardening Photo Contest!

I got these rain barrels from a local business called Envirosponsible. They used to hold stuffed olives, but now that they’ve been cleaned and a tap installed on the side, they will hold rain water that runs off from our roof. Canadian Tire sells something similar, for a whopping $99.99, and the only customer review posted to their site so far indicates that it leaked right away. These barrels are better because they’re being recycled, and only cost $40 for the first one, and $35 for each subsequent barrel. We’re keeping these barrels from being thrown into landfill!

Granted these aren’t the most beautiful addition to the yard, but I’m considering adding some mesh or wire to the outside and growing a vine to cover the sides.

Right now there are four of these barrels in the yard, but only two of them are staying. One will be installed at the front of the house and one at the back. While I don’t expect to be able to avoid using the hose entirely this summer, I hope to at least make a significant reduction in our water consumption. The other two barrels are for the community garden, where we’ll be collecting water from the shed’s roof.

Yesterday as Graham and I were standing outside, discussing how we’ll install the barrel. I turned to him and said, “I’m really glad we’re doing a few things like this to be more eco-friendly.” He agreed.

A private member’s bill supporting mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food in Canada was selected randomly for debate in our House of Commons this month.

Bill C-517 went to second reading on April 3, and a second hour of parliamentary debate could take place in as early as two weeks, as per the House of Commons calendar. After a second debate, the House will be called upon to vote on the bill. If you are concerned about feeding your children genetically engineered foods, it’s important to make sure that a majority of Members of Parliament vote in favour of Bill C-517. If the Bill passes second reading, it will be returned for a third and final reading, followed by a vote by all of Canada’s 301 Members of Parliament.

Right now you may be asking yourself, “What is so bad about genetically engineered food?

• Genetically engineered food destroys biodiversity. It promotes mono-agriculture and mass corporate farms while destroying soil nutrients.
• Genetically engineered food only benefits rich, large agri-businesses, not small farmers who will be forced to buy their seeds, and more fertilizer and chemicals.
• Genetically engineered food destroys millions of small family farms who can’t afford the annual additional cost of seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and equipment.
• The long-term health effects of genetically engineered foods on humans have yet to be discovered.
• Genetically engineered foods are not sustainable!

Mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods will allow you, as a parent and a consumer, to have access to information about the food you and your family are eating. It will also pave the way for a gradual withdrawal of genetically engineered foods from the food chain, reducing the dissemination of genetically engineered seeds in the environment.

If you’d like to help spread the word, here’s how you can help:

• Identify your federal Member of Parliament online.
• Locate the contact information for the MP in your riding.
• E-mail your MP’s riding office with the following message:

Dear Sir/Madam,

We all have the right to know what we are eating and the right to not eat genetically engineered foods. I support mandatory labelling of genetically engineered food, which is already practiced in over 40 countries in Europe and elsewhere. Bill C-517 would allow implementation of mandatory labelling in Canada. I am asking you to vote in favour of Bill C-517. Please confirm your intention to support this important bill.

Spread the word!

(Cross-posted at BlogHers ACT Canada.)

]]> http://playinginthedirt.ca/2008/04/19/support-bill-c-517/feed/ 1 http://playinginthedirt.ca/2007/10/03/pesticide-free/ http://playinginthedirt.ca/2007/10/03/pesticide-free/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:47:20 +0000 Amy http://playinginthedirt.ca/?p=327




Are you an organic gardener?

Is your garden pesticide free?

If so, why not tell the world? Or at least, your next-door neighbour.



Get yourself a handy-dandy little sign like this one and stick it in your garden where visitors will see it. Hopefully someone will ask you what it’s all about, and you can share all your wisdom about growing without chemicals with that person. Then that person will be convinced, and tell some of their friends, and so on, and so on, until there are NO MORE PESTICIDES allowed.

This sign was provided by the Hamilton Coalition on Pesticide Issues, but you could just as easily make one yourself. Then you could send a photograph of it to me! And I would post it here!

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