Visions of strolling under arching branches cloaked in pink blooms. That’s why I winter sowed a tray of redbud seeds in the winter of 2021-2022. The results weren’t what I expected.

Who doesn’t love a low cost, low maintenance way to start a garden. Winter sowing is taking off in popularity across Ontario for these reasons and more! But can you utilize winter sowing if your goals are to grow a cut flower garden?

You love the idea of having a garden for your kids to safely run around in. You can teach them how to grow their own food, and make a cozy sensory, sanctuary for them to grow up and burn off steam. But, how do you manage to dig a new garden bed when you can’t even get to the bottom of the dish pile in one go?

Planning a new garden is exciting, and can also be overwhelming and budget breaking. If you’re doing it yourself, the time commitment can also be intense! Phased garden planning resolves all of these issues and is easier then you think.

No-dig garden beds are ideal for those strapped for time, who have physical limitations or those that want to support the soil health while creating a beautiful and functional space for your family. They are one of the easiest forms of gardening that I have come across and they can be done for free without any special tools.

Toronto being Canada’s largest city, it’s plentiful wildlife populations may come as a surprise. Urban gardeners in Toronto have to contend with their own special breed of critters; the fearless (insert choice swear word) squirrels. These small, fluffy creatures are ballsy and will easily destroy your flowers and vegetable garden, leaving fruit and flowers with one single nibble, to taunt you on your front step.

You’ve picked a beautiful native tree with great four season interest, one of the main features being it’s spring flowers. Hot pink buds dotting the bare branches. The flowers showcase beautifully against the lime green of the new leaf growth in surrounding trees. Yet, your tree isn’t blooming!

Many misused terms get thrown around in gardening forums, Facebook groups and general conversations when discussing plants. This occurs even more when native plants are concerned. We get to the bottom of common terms such as invasive and aggressive, which will allow you to garden more confidently, when selecting plants for your space.

Naming the beings around us creates a sense of familiarity, comfort and community. We are far from alone in this world but we are currently out of touch. Greeting our fellow beings by name is a simple way to rebuild that relationship.

“This plant makes me happy! I must have it!!” But at what expense? Let’s do a little case study! Three early-spring plants that all bloom around the same time. Three very different effects on the environment around them.

These aren’t hacks. This is a practical, frugal list of ways to garden. Ontario’s continuous lockdowns to counter Covid have caused supply shortages, price inflations and access inequalities amongst residents of Toronto. Gardening does not need to be only for the affluent and land owners. There are many ways to garden on a budget utilizing things you and your community already have access to.

Time is the most limited resource. You want gardening to be fun, not another task on your already full plate. Taking the path of least resistance or easing into a new activity can help you stay the course and eventually level up your skills. Be kind to yourself and try out some of the easiest to grow vegetables when first jumping into gardening.

Strawberries are a ‘gateway plant’ for getting kids to garden. If you plant them, they will come, and snack, and snack and snack. So having just a basket of strawberry plants is not enough. How can you avoid the ‘dirty dozen’ woes of supermarket strawberries and get your own harvestable crop fast, cheap and easily?

The garden has many lessons to offer all of us and is a brilliant mediator and connector. Including chores in your children’s daily routine has the potential to be “the best predictor of young adults’ success in their mid-20’s.” We’ve got lists of age appropriate tasks to help you connect as a family.

The fear and overwhelm is real! There are so many details that go into gardening. You can spend a lifetime and never learn all there is to know. But you know what you can do? Start! And we’ll show you how!

If we have a mild enough winter, it is possible to enjoy nearly 12 months of blooms in your Toronto garden! Broken down by the month, we have blooms that appear long before tulips, no forcing required.

Landscape companies make decisions that weigh out income, time and resources. The window of opportunity to do a spring clean up, late enough to not be disrupting pollinators, early enough to maximize our growing season, is small. Home gardeners who choose to do it themselves have the opportunity to make a greater, positive impact on our ecosystem.

If your urban garden has summer projects that need tree stumps, logs or wood chips then tap into this resource and save yourself hundreds of dollars!

Mimicking the seasons with simple garden tasks is an easy way to hand your children superhero-esque powers while teaching them key facts about the world around us. This will give them a sense of control and leave them with awe, instilling respect for nature through the process.