The weather is starting to cool off and the leaves are changing colours, the end of the season is upon us and most gardens should be closed up by now. This means clean out any debris, add nutrients, plant garlic and cover your soil with a plastic sheet to protect your garden. See our previous newsletter for a step by step on how to close your garden.

We want to take this time to thank all of you for being a part of this fantastic season at Urban Seedling. It has been a very busy year!

This year was the first season our new garden coaching service. It was a big success and we will be offering it again next season. We have been coaching Montrealers across the city on how best to maximize their garden and yard. We have greatly increased the number of gardens in schools and daycares and at the workplace this year, and are thrilled with all this community gardening. Sharing the love!

We have been working on our garden planner app all season and we want to thank all of you who experimented with us in this process. We will have a new updated version ready for next season.  We have also improved on communication and workflow and have integrated new managements and communication tools to help us better serve all of you.

We love to hear from from you!  Urban Seedling would not be possible with all of you. Your feedback is essential to help us improve our services. Send us an email what enjoyed as well as any constructive criticism. Any reviews on our Google listing, Facebook page, or testimonials we can include on our website are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

We learned a lot this year about soil fertility in times of stress. We will be starting next year by adding lots of compost to all the replant gardens.  We learned a lot about our seedling flow and we tried out a new supplier this season with mixed results.  We will be producing more seedlings in house next season and have found a new supplier. We look forward to having greatly improved seedling stock for next year.

We want to thank all of you for supporting us and our business! We hope to see all of you next season for the 2017 gardening season. Stay tuned for our early bird special in February.

Tereska and Lia
And the whole Urban Seedling Team

Your fall greens should be coming along nicely. Leafy greens love the cool weather and this brings out their colours. The reds and the purples will deepen and the leaves will have more of a crunch to them a more robust flavour.

September has been very warm up until now, so some of the less heat-tolerant greens have started to bolt, especially the spinach and roquette in the sunnier gardens. Make sure to pinch back those flowers to refocus the energy of the plant into growing leaves.

If you have radish in your garden, the sprouts should be starting to come up. Don’t forget to thin them so that they have enough space to grow. See my video below on how to do this.

Continue to harvest your tomatoes, eggplants, and summer crops. This is a good time of year to do a garden clean up: weeding, removing dead leaves, cutting off branches. If you have some  beans that are too ripe (get have gotten big and no longer good to eat) you can add them to soups. They make a tasty addition any fall meal.

Some of you may of noticed some little brown mushrooms in your garden. You can simply remove them. This is a great indicator of good life and lots of organic matter in the soil. If you like the way they look, you can also leave them in. They are not dangerous to the garden, or to people.

If you have not yet planted leafy greens in your gardens there is still time! We encourage all of you to fill the empty squares in your garden with spinach, lettuces and asian greens.  These leafy greens need your love and attention. Cut back any branches from other plants that could be shading your leafy greens. They need lots of sunshine to grow. The well established plants in your garden and in the rest of your yard can create a lot of shade for your fresh new plants.

Slugs are also on the hunt for tender young things to eat. Your new leafy greens are especially susceptible. They can decimate your entire planting in one night. We havent had a lot of slug problems this year with the hot, dry weather, but now that the cooler weather and rain have returned, so have the slugs. If you notice slugs in your garden, a ferrous sulfate product like Sluggo or Slug-b-gon sprinkled among your seedlings can be a great way to protect your new plants.

At this time of year fruiting vegetables will start to focus their energy into ripening their fruits. Leaves may start to turn yellow, or some may start to wilt. Cucumber and squash may be taken over by powdery mildew. This a good time to do a garden clean up. Remove dead or diseased leaves and plants. Keeping the garden clean reduces pests and disease. Slugs love debris so keeping your yard and garden clean will help to control slug populations as well.

The gardening season is not over! The fall is an even better time to grow leafy greens than spring as they love the cool weather, and this cool weather keeps them from getting bitter and going to seed.

Enjoy your leafy greens!

Finally some rain! This is great news for the garden however, this also means that you need to be wary of slugs. They chew irregular holes in leafs and eat decaying matter in the garden. Your fall leafy green seedlings are particularly vulnerable to the slugs. Make sure to keep your garden clean and to remove any debris. The best way to deal with slugs is handpicking them or putting out traps. You can easily make handmade traps at home by burying a small yoghurt container in the garden and filling it 1/3 with beer. Make sure to empty and refresh daily.

If you have not planted your fall crop yet, it is not too late to come by our shopand buy some beautiful fall seedlings.

Upcoming September 17th: Fruit Tree and Berry Workshop! Like and share our facebook event and spread the word. This is unique opportunity to learn how to get fruit and berries into your garden. This is a great workshop to get you started, you don’t have to have fruit in your yard to enjoy! Buy your tickets by clicking here or reserve by replying to this email. This workshop will also be offered in french.

At this time of year, I like to harvest the coriander seeds from my coriander plants. The coriander should now be all brown as coriander has a very short life cycle. Harvest the seed on dry day, grind them to use in stews or keep them for planting next year. The harsh conditions this season, have been tough for our vegetables however, herbs have been thriving in gardens. This is a good time to cut back any herbs and dry them for the winter or use them to infuse a vinegar.

Happy Gardening!

The most common tomato problems are leaf spot or early blight, late blight, and bacterial wilt. The simplest organic treatment is – as always – your presence in the garden. Remove any affected leaves, practice good hygiene and keep the garden clean and weeded. You can also spray plants with 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill any spores.  To see more check out my video.  You want to also watch for blossom end rot. This is a big, leathery bruise at the bottom of the tomato that ruin the fruit. This is a sign of lack of calcium.  Simply apply some high calcium fertilizer like Chicken manure to fix. Simply apply just a little a the base of the plan making sure not to put any on the leaves. Some gardeners will also add lime to the garden or add eggshells to their compost, or grind them and place them around their tomatoes to add calcium to the garden.

Cucumber beetle is a current problem is some gardens. Adult cucumber beetles are 5 mm (¼”) in length, greenish yellow and are identified differently by their backs. Most of the cucumber beetles we see here are striped, although there are spotted ones as well. The cucumber beetle feeds on the nectar of cucumber, squash and melon flowers. The larvae suck the sap of the plants. The greatest damage comes from bacterial wilt which the cucumber beetles carry. It can wipe out an entire plant very quickly. It is important to control cucumber beetles early in the season. Once a population gets established in your garden, it is very difficult to get rid of them. Your presence is the garden is your best tool. You can remove them manually from the garden, and check under leaves squishing their egg with your nail. You can also place yellow sticky traps in the garden.

Japanese beetle has also been very present in the gardens. It is an invasive species without a lot of options and no natural predators. Fortunately they are slow and easily trapped by shaking the affected plants over a bucket of soapy water. To be effective, shake daily.  An application of nematodes in the spring and fall can help control population. However, it is recommended to do a second application in the spring.

Upcoming September 17th: Fruit tree workshop! We will also be discussing shrubs: learn how to care for your blueberries, raspberries and currants. Buy your tickets by clicking here or reserve by replying to this email. This workshop will also be offered in french.

We have started our fall planting! Lettuce is now available for sale in our greenhouse. Fill out your garden with some tasty leafy greens or get someradish seed for one last spicy crop harvest. If you have any plants that are not doing well, this is a great opportunity to remove them and plant something productive in their stead.

We hope to see you at the fruit tree workshop!

Sign up for our upcoming fruit tree and berry workshop. Learn about how to care for your fruit trees and their companions. Discover pruning techniques and biological ways of dealing with pest and disease. Our special guest lecturer Olivier Ross has the answers your are looking for! The workshop will be on September 17th and will be offered in french and english. Sign up now by clicking here.

With this heat it is hard to believe that cooler weather is around the corner. Late August and early September we will start planting leafy greens. This means harvesting onions and garlic to make space for your leafy greens. Leave the garlic out in the sun for about 1 week until the neck is dry. Store in a dark, cool, dry place (like the pantry). Watch my video for more details.

Also continue to harvest any beets and carrots that are ready. You can then fill in any empty spots in your garden with spinach, lettuce, arugula, asian green or plant some radish from seed. We have already started leafy green in our greenhouse and they will be  available for sale in our store. These crops do best with some cooler weather and are quick harvest crops.

For those Urban Seedling replant gardens that we will be visiting, we will be in touch 3 days in advance with instructions on how to prepare your garden for your fall planting.

Nematodes are still on sale for a limited time. Nematodes can help you get rid of those Japanese beetles in your yard. Reserve your nematodes by replying this email. You can pick them up at our garden centre or they can be shipped to you for a small fee.

At this time of year I like to prepare grated beets salads. A creative and easy way to eat beets! Check out this delicious quinoa and beet salad recipe. I also like to make this classic cucumber recipe, easy to make and even better the next day after the cucumbers have marinated.

The time for lettuces will come back in the fall. For now, make delicious summer salads with you kale, swiss chard and beets green. Add some carrot tops and some fresh herbs to complete the mix.

Tomatoes  in some gardens should be starting to ripen. Harvest them soon after they change colour. They should be slightly softer than when they are green, and should come easily off the vine with a gentle twist. If you don’t pop them in your mouth directly in the garden, chop and add to your summer salad.

When the time comes, you can harvest your cucumbers by snipping the stems. For field cucumbers, gentle run your fingers along the cucumber to remove the spikes before eating. Remember, that you can help your plants along by hand pollinating your plants.

To harvest peppers, hot or sweet, wait until they have turned colour and harvest by snipping the the stem with a pair of garden shears or scissors. Did you know that there is not such things as a green pepper? You can harvest them green if you prefer, but all peppers will change colour if you let them ripen. Harvest eggplants the same way, once they have reached the desired size, and become slightly less hard, snip the stem.  Your peppers and eggplants are sun loving crops so make sure to clear around them and cut back any tomato vines that may be shading them.

Remember to remove any diseased leaves from cucumbers, zucchini and tomato plants. As needed spray your affected plants with a baking soda solution every 3 to 4 days to keep disease under control. Powdery mildew  is present in many gardens and it is important to act quickly to keep it under control.

Your gardens best chance for success if your presence in our garden. You want to check the soil everyday and if it is dry water your garden. We have had a very dry season so far making it difficult to stay on top of the watering. Make sure to water deeply when you water to make sure that water is making is way below the surface of your garden.

In the next couples week, you can start to think about planting some fall seedlings in any empty spots in your garden. We will have some fall seedlings available in the greenhouse in 3 weeks time for those who wish to have a final planting of leafy greens.

Make a tasty pesto for your summer salad. You don’t just have to use basil in your best include other herbs from your garden like parsley.

We are having a blow out sale on Nematodes! Have you been seeing the Japanese beetle in your garden? Are they eating or bean plants or destroying your roses? Nematodes can help. Easy to use and apply. On sale for 20% off. Place your order now by answering this email.

Keep an eye our for our fruit tree workshop coming up Saturday, September 17th, 2016. Special guest lecturer Oliver Ross from Le Verger Pépinière du Bord-du-lac. Learn about how to care organically for your fruit trees and fruit bushes. Tickets will be on sale soon.

Tomatoes will slowly start to ripen. Tomatoes are ripe when their colours changes, they soften a bit to your touch and come easily off the vine. Give them a taste and see how you prefer them.  You can let them ripen on the window sill as long as they do not have nicks or bruises.

This hot summer weather and humidity means that while you enjoy your summer salads, you must be vigilant of potential pests and disease in the garden.Tomato diseases may appear in your garden and powdery mildew loves this hot weather. Remove affected leaves from both tomatoes and cucumbers or squash. To control powdery mildew spray with a solution of baking soda (per gallon of water 1 tablespoon of baking soda with some oil and dish soap) twice a week. Watch my video on caring for your tomatoes for more tips.

This summer heat calls for fresh light recipes that keep our ovens off and us outside savouring summer treats. Throw together a fresh buffalo mozzarella salad with your heirloom tomatoes, top if off with fresh chopped basil, splashed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar add some salt and pepper and enjoy.  As eggplants start to be ready, grill them with the same combinations on the barbecue. Use leftovers to make a delicious baba ganoush, great for dipping cucumbers and carrots or as an appetizer at your next dinner party. Use your dill, parsley or mint to create a antioxidant packed refreshing beet salad. Put together a kale or swiss chard summer salad. The key is to tenderizing the kale and swiss chard is to give it a massage!  Not only will it be tender and delicious but by massaging the dressing into the salad you break down the cell wall to release all those rich nutrients. With Ontario’s peaches hitting the store soon try this delicious kale and peach recipe.

Harvest beans early and often. The more your harvest the more your vines will produce and beans are much tastier when they are young and tender.

Cucumbers will start to produce flowers slowly. The Cucurbitaceae family, generally vines with big yellow flowers including cucumbers, squash, zucchini, melon, set their male flowers first to attract pollinators to the plant. Once the plant matures, it will produce female flowers – identifiable by a miniature fruit between the flower and the vine. If the female flowers appear, but then dry up and fall off, it means that you do not have enough insect activity and will have to pollinate by hand.

We hope that you are all enjoying the summer. Keep cool by making a batch of these delicious herbal popsicles, or create your own flavours with your herbs. A delicious and cooling snack with a nutritious boost.

harvesting basil and dealing with powdery mildew

Peppers and eggplants will slowly start to appear. Did you know that  a great pepper is just a coloured pepper that has not yet changed colour? Make sure that your peppers and eggplants have sufficient space to grow, they do not like to have competition so keep the area around them.

Help your cucumber on to the trellis.  Keep a close eye on cucumbers and zucchini as soon as the flowers start opening look cucumber beetles and remove and destroy as soon as they show up.

While harvesting and weeding to make sure each plant has enough space around it to grow, check for any pests and remove them. Also remove any diseased or damaged leaves and throw them in the garbage. Once you remove the damaged leaves, and adult insects, check the underside of healthy leaves and wipe off any eggs with a soapy cloth.

The  powdery mildew has appeared in the Urban Seedling garden.  If you see any, remove affected leaves right away, and spray the rest of the plant with a 10% baking soda solution every couple of days to prevent further spreading. Always wash your hands and tools before and after maintenance. Watch this video to to learn out to control powdery mildew.

There are lots fo herbs ready for harvest in the garden. Cut back flowers to keep your help producing. To keep your basil plants bushy, remove an entire section of leaves at a time. You will see two sets of smaller leaves on the stem – those will become entire branches post harvest. This will make your entire plant much bushier. To see how, check out my video.

Dry extra herbs to use in the winter. Harvest your herbs on a warm dry day (ideally after a couple days of sunshine and no rain). Lay out newspaper on the ground and spread out your herbs. You can also bundle them and hang them upside down, just make sure to choose a cool, dry space with no direct sunlight for drying. Once they crackle to your touch place in a mason jar for use later. Have you herbs already gone to flower? You let them flower if you like. Flowering herbs attract beneficial insects into the garden to pollinated your fruiting vegetables. A great way to preserve herbs that have already flowered is to make a infused vinegar. I use apple cider vinegar. I pick my herbs as I would to dry them. I chop them and place them in a mason jar (not to compact but full). Pour apple cider vinegar over, and let it infuse for 6 weeks. Filter and place in a nice old alcohol bottle as a gift or to have in the kitchen to make vinaigrettes or marinades.

Keeping your garden clean and well harvested plus daily checks for pests and diseases will keep your garden happy, healthy and productive all season long and eliminate any need for insecticides.

Inviting Urban Seedling into your garden is great way learn more about what is going on in your garden.

The gardens are growing and some of you may be feeling like you are getting overrun by your garden.  You may have some questions about your garden. Maybe there is some new insects activity in the garden? Or you want to learn more about garden maintenance or fertilization?

A Garden Coaching Session is a way to get our vegetable gardening expert in your garden to answer all your gardening questions. You can learn maintenances tricks and tips, and learn more about growing vegetables in the city.

Call us now to book your garden coaching consultation now.

We are offering a special summer pricing of 60$ plus taxes for a one hour session instead of the regular 75$. This special offer ends August 1st.

Book your special summer garden coaching session now. 

In these hot and steamy months of the summer, it is important to keep on watering! Especially this year since there hasn’t been much rain. If your plants are small and scrappy chances are that they could use a lot more water. If you are having a hard time keeping up with watering, setting up a simple irrigation system helps a lot! It can as simple as a sprinkler on a timer. Set the timer for 4AM – 5AM every day.

If you have trouble with aphids, thrips, or cabbage moths, we’ve got bugs for that! We even have praying mantis as a super cool generalized predator. Check out our beneficial insects.

It is time to get your tomato plants up on the trellis to free up space in your vegetable garden. Most of the pea vines are finished, or almost finished producing so they can be ripped out to make space for the tomatoes. If the vines are yellow or brown you should remove them. If they are still green, you can keep them in but get the tomatoes onto the trellis anyway. To get thetomatoes on the trellis (new video), you gently wrap the growing end of the vine around the trellis netting. Any branches that do not fit on the trellis need to be cut off so they don’t crowd the other plants in your garden.

Lettuce is going to seed in this heat! Bolting lettuce is bitter and tough, so please remove the entire plant of any lettuce that is getting tall and eat it while it is still good. Keep harvesting the outer leaves of leafy greens – Kale, Swiss chard, and any non-bolted lettuce. Celery can be harvested this way as well. It is super important to keep a nice clear area all the way around peppers and eggplants to give them a chance to grow.

Remove any larger outer leaves of broccoli or cabbage if they are getting in the way. Cabbage is probably ready to harvest, get to it before it splits! The broccoli should be making a head soon. This head is actually a flower. You need to harvest it before the buds open. 3-4 weeks after cutting off the main head, you should get two smaller heads on the side of the stalk (florets).

If your garden was planted in late-April or early-May, beets, carrots and onions will ready to harvest soon as well. To check, dig around a little with your finger to judge the size of the root. If it is to your liking – pick it! In the mean time, onion greens and beet greens are delicious additions to any dish. Just make sure not to take too many leaves from any one plant to leave some for photosynthesis.