What to do this week Looking at some of the better seed catalogs can be a bit confusing for the uninitiated. A well-written catalog is full of useful technical information, but that’s not much use if you don’t know what any of it means. This week, we’ll take a tourRead More

Editor’s Note: It is making the Spectator a bit giddy to announce the return of the weekly gardening column! Don’t let the snow fool you — spring will come, and Michelle and Madeline will make sure you and your garden are ready for it.   What to do this weekRead More

I‘ve been writing regularly about poverty, especially child poverty and especially in the CBRM, for over a year now — looking at the possibility of a guaranteed annual income (GAI), the grim local statistics and creative solutions to problems like hunger and homelessness that might work here, among other aspectsRead More

What to do this week It is garlic-planting time again. In this part of the world, it is a good idea to plant your garlic before the end of October. It needs a bit of time for the roots to get established before the freeze-thaw cycles. One never knows howRead More

What to do this week Harvesting is really the point of it all. This week, I’d like to give you a few tips and tricks to make the harvest even more abundant. To get maximum production from some crops, you have to pick them. The plant senses it is notRead More

What to do this week This week is a good time to talk about spraying fruit trees because now is the time to do that. There are a couple of reasons that even an organic grower might want to spray. One would be to rid the trees of pests beforeRead More

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw, “Reinstatement of the Blossoming Program” on the agenda for the 27 March 2018 CBRM council meeting. Had Deputy Mayor Eldon MacDonald, who put the issue on the agenda, temporarily lost his mind? I think the short answer is, “Yes.” During the meeting,Read More

This time last year… What to do this week: This week I want to talk a bit more about days to maturity because it is a big factor in what you choose to grow in your garden. If you look at any single seed catalog, be aware that the daysRead More

This time last year… What to do this week: Gardeners are always happy to have a steady supply of vegetables throughout the growing season. One way to achieve this is to plant things in succession. You may plant a row of carrots, and then two weeks later you plant anotherRead More

Editor’s Note: Today, Michelle and Madeline mark the beginning of year two of their gardening column. The plan is to build on the advice given last year so, where applicable, the new columns will begin with links to the previous year’s, to allow you to refresh your memory. If you’veRead...