Providing Expert Advice
For the Home Gardener
“My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view ”
Notes from my Garden - February
A few months ago, I wrote about wanting good winter snow cover. My advice now is to be careful what you wish for!
I really like Fred Dale's quote about looking at your garden from the plant's perspective. Most of my gardening mistakes have been about the wrong plant in the wrong place or the right plant but also in the wrong place. If we pay closer attention to the plant's needs for light, moisture, soil conditions, hardiness zones, etc., we are more likely to experience success.
To help you with this task, I suggest you download the Grey County Master Gardeners Garden Journal found in our Resources pages. One of the challenges of gardening is keeping track of various things such as plants, planting times, tasks, what worked well, what didn't, etc. A garden journal can be of great assistance in helping you to organize your thoughts, your purchases and to plan your activities during the year. Further, a garden journal works well not only for outside gardens but also container gardens and houseplants.
Garden journals are year round companions.
In the winter, they provide the opportunity to dream and plan - what to you plant and where; what seeds do you have left over and what do you need to purchase (and where); what are your goals this year; what experiments do you want to try, etc. By reviewing the previous year (or years), you will have a better sense of what works well in your garden and what doesn't - perhaps considering this from the plant's perspective! You can also include pictures, diagrams, etc., in your journal as well as inspirational pictures or quotes!
In spring and summer, a garden journal helps to make you more efficient and keep you on track with the garden tasks. Your planting decisions have already been made as part of your plan, so you just need to put the plants or seeds in the ground. You have already purchased the seeds you need (before they are sold out) and you know exactly what plants you want at the nursery. As well, during the summer, you can make note of what is doing well and what isn't. In the fall, a garden journal provides an opportunity to review your successes as well as things that may not have worked as well.
In addition to the Garden Journal, I also encourage you to attend our next Winter Seminar (free on Zoom) on February 21st presented by Ryan Godfrey entitled “Gardeners are Climate (and Biodiversity) Champions”. We're experiencing the impact of climate change and our winter seminar series is exploring how climate change is impacting the home gardener. Click here for more information and to go to the registration page.
Happy Gardening!
Susan Cox, Group Coordinator
(Image shows a number of gardening books and implements.)Grey County Master Gardeners
Part of an international non-profit community service network, Grey County Master Gardeners is a group of approximately 20 trained horticulturists who volunteer their time to provide advice to home gardeners in the Grey and Bruce area. This is accomplished by providing info to the public in various forms, including in person or virtual, through presentations, clinics and workshops, or through written work such as articles, posts, blogs or social media.
All Master Gardeners have successfully completed university horticultural studies and must meet ongoing continuing education requirements to make sure that our advice to gardeners is based on current horticultural knowledge.
There are over 25 local Master Gardener groups in Ontario, focusing on sustainable gardening information for the public. There are also Master Gardener groups in many provinces, most states and in some international locations. More information about the Provincial organization can be found at (MGOI – Motivating and Inspiring Gardeners in Ontario).
Not in Grey County? Don’t despair. You can find your local MG groups, including Toronto, Guelph, Collingwood and others, at www.mgoi.ca.
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Established in 1996, Grey County Master Gardeners are part of the province-wide Master Gardeners of Ontario (MGOI). Grey County Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who offer non-biased, science-based horticultural information and advice to home gardeners and community groups in both Grey and Bruce Counties.
Our Vision
An Eco-Responsible focus in the garden
Our Values
We believe in the importance of having an eco-responsible focus when gardening. This means we encourage gardening practices that enhance biodiversity, mitigate against climate change, are healthy for the environment and support human health. As a group, we prefer consensus whenever possible, however there are times when a majority rules. We value inclusiveness, collaboration, engagement of community and cooperation.
