March 2009 Green Thumb Newsletter

President’s Message

“The environment … is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.” Lady Bird Johnson

As spring approaches, you are all probably looking at the vast selection of seeds and plants that you would love to see in your garden this summer.And as our economic forecast approaches more negative territory, more and more people are thinking about going back to the basics and that means back to growing their own vegetables and back to gardening in general. What a great time to be part of a horticultural society when the whole world is thinking about environmental issues and concerns. The words “sustainability” and “preservation” and “efficiency” are being heard over and over. People want to learn how to sustain the environment through measures such as growing high quality nutritious vegetables, restoring soil composition and reducing water usage.

The time for revolutionizing and revitalizing horticulture is here and now, with much to be done. So please check out the list of speakers and interesting events coming up this season to help you burst into the pleasures of gardening. And may our many efforts this year bring a bountiful season as we continue to help beautify and sustain our own backyards and preserve our local environment.

Darlene Lecour

Our next meeting
Tuesday, March 24,
7:00 p.m.
Speaker : Donna Bisaillon of Mike and Donna’s Nature Balance farm (Tower Drive)
How to grow your own great tasting vegetables, the natural way
(Note: the potluck will be held at the April meeting).

Mike and Donna run a family farm that has been serving the North Bay area since 1913.

Mike & Donna do not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides in our Nature Balance approach to producing their crops.
In the spring they have nursery stock blue spruce and indigenous trees.
The summer brings fresh produce featuring: lettuce, spinach, strawberries, garlic and seasonal vegetables that will be updated as they become available.
During the Christmas season, families are welcome to come, select and cut their own Christmas trees.

Upcoming events

District 18 OHA Annual General Meeting
Saturday, April 25
Hosted by the Parry Sound Horticultural Society
McKellar Community Centre, 701 Hwy. 124

Tues. April 28th 6 pm Silent Auction/Spring Potluck Dinner
Speaker :
Peggy Walsh-Craig of Nipissing Environmental Watch
Living green in your garden

May (date to be announced)
Magnificent hanging baskets workshop
More information to come

Tues. May 26, 7pm
Naturally great lawns, speaker : Wade Tremblay
of EnvironMasters Lawn Care

Saturday May 30th Plant sale at Christ Church

June 23, 7 pm Strawberry Social
How to have a great late summer garden with Isla and Ted Reed

*****We hope to eliminate the use of Styrofoam cups at our meetings. Please bring a mug with you to all our meetings!! *****

We really need your help to keep our books balanced! Please consider having us send your newsletter by email; have of your membership costs go directly to printing and mailing this newsletter! If you are interested, email Pat at patricia.madill (at) sympatico.ca

Garden guide for March
Start planning your garden purchases, supplies, plants, baskets and containers.
Transplant seedlings after the first true leaves are formed. Use ½ strength solution for first fertilization.
Use dormant oil sprays to protect trees, shrubs and roses from insects and diseases. Apply prior to bud break on a windless frost-free day. Use enough that the liquid runs down the branches to seal off crevices.
Tour the garden when the snow has melted and make note of any damage to the lawn, or trees and shrubs.
Firm perennials back into place if they have heaved.
Prune back overgrown shade trees and hedges.

Thank you Ruby

Ruby McLeod has retired from her position of chairperson of Civic Beautification which she held for almost 20 years. A member of our Society since the1970s, Ruby has excelled at everything she has attempted. Her award-winning arrangements have graced our flower show tables year after year.
Under Ruby’s guidance in 1997, the Society was requested to plant 5 flower beds near the pond at the Canadore College for not only the graduation ceremonies, but also
for the visit of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip.
Armed with bug shirts and ignoring bug bites, Society volunteers planted 1500 plants (begonias, marguerites, impatiens, celosia and hostas) to create an instant garden. As a result, Ruby was honoured by meeting the Queen and Prince Philip during the visit.
Ruby was also instrumental in developing the Green Thumbs Lilac Bed at the waterfront. She consulted with experts from the Royal Botanical gardens in Hamilton to select the fifteen Prestonian and French hybrid lilacs which explode in colour and fragrance each spring. Ruby and her volunteers also toiled to develop the Wildflower Project at the intersection of Highways 11 and 17, hauling water, cleaning trash, and weeding
the site. Ruby received the President’s Award in recognition of all her efforts in Civic Beautification in 1996 and 1997.
We thank Ruby for all her efforts and hope she will finally enjoy a little extra time in her own garden this summer.

CIVIC BEAUTIFICATION 2009
Submitted by Daphne Andrews

Ruby McLeod has retired as the Chairperson of Civic Beautification after many years of active community service. I am taking her place which means I have very large gardening boots to fill. Thanks so much, Ruby.

Due to the fluctuation of businesses, open spaces changing and the downturn of the global economy, we need to reassess and rethink our involvement in the community without altering the society’s mandate to help in the beautification of our city. Over the years we have planted many annuals to maintain colour and interest but find now with costs escalating, this is no longer practical or feasible. We intend to remain active in this area but in more economical but still creative ways.

We will continue to plant and maintain the four beds at Canadore College by the lake in front of the cafeteria. These plants are paid for by the College and we receive an honorarium from Nipissing University. As an underground watering system was installed to help us a few years ago, once these beds are planted, it takes very little maintenance. We will need 10 volunteers to help plant in mid May so that everything is ready for the convocations at the end of the month. I will come asking!!

Betty Foy and her fellow society workers prune and maintain the Lilac bed at the Waterfront.

We may continue to plant the barrels at the Chamber of Commerce. This is undecided as yet but if we do some help will be required there.

Our Theme bed at the waterfront may be planted with shrubs and perennials to cut down costs, labour and vandalism.

Other projects are being discussed. One is planting some flowering cherry trees with the help of a Trillium Grant or some other assistance. We are trying to creative and colourful.

I would appreciate any help I can be given in support of this committee. I have found personally this to be a fun and enjoyable way to support my society and community.

The 2009 DIG daylily catalogue is now available for viewing at www.digdaylilies.ca.
They are located in Field Ontario.

Thanks for your hard work !

A big thank you goes out to Ruth Wright,
our treasurer for the past few years.
Ruth has worked hard keeping our financial books in order as well as attending many District meetings on our behalf.

We also thank Maureen Ranger who has assumed this position.

EARTH HOUR IS COMING… MARCH 29TH

What began as a campaign to get Sydney Australia to turn their lights off, has grown to become one of the world’s biggest climate change initiatives. In 2009, at 8.30pm on March 28, people around the world will turn their lights off for one hour – Earth Hour. We’re aiming to reach one billion people, more than 1000 cities, all joining together in a global effort to show that it’s possible to take action on global warming.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with 2.2 million homes and businesses turning their lights off for one hour. Only a year later and this event had become a global sustainability movement with up to 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

Earth Hour 2009 is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to The Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world will turn off their lights and join together in creating the vital conversation about the future of our precious planet.
In 2008, many homes in the North Bay hosted Earth Hour candlelit dinner parties, and enjoyed the evening watching the stars, taking moonlit walks, having a bath by candlelight or even toasted marshmallows over a tea light.

Join the your friends around the world for Earth Hour 2009. Turn off your lights during the evening of Saturday March 28th. This event is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund.

Ontario Horticultural Association District 18 Treasurer wanted

Cathy Tester is stepping down as OHA District 18 Treasurer at the upcoming Spring meeting on April 25th. Thanks to Cathy for all her hard work.
Her replacement must keep the books, write the cheques as approved by the District Board, and submit the financial books to two financial reviewers who have been approved at the Annual Meeting. The treasurer also must attend the Annual Meeting in the Spring and the Fall Meeting to collect the money from the registrants. The Spring meeting and the Fall Meeting are dealt with slightly differently as the Spring is preregistered and the registration forms and cheques come in by mail. At the Fall meeting, the money is collected at the door. It is not as complicated as the Society books as you don't send the Financial Statements to OMAFRA.
Would you please contact Vickie Wiemer if you are interested in letting your name stand as Treasurer. Her email is: pollyanna38ATsympatico.ca or phone 476-0859.

Gardening tips project

Have you got any gardening stories? Would you like to share some of your gardening knowledge? We need a few volunteers to write a gardening column of about 300 words for our weekly Nugget newspaper article.
Rosalyn Charland is our editor so she is there to correct our grammar/spelling. If you are interested in helping promote our Society in the community, please speak Rosalyn at our next meeting or email her at rosalyncharlandATsympatico.ca.

Starting Seeds tips

Why start your own seeds? Selection is much better in the seed catalogs; you can get an early start on your plants indoors; growing your own plants is much more economical than buying plants; you can grow strong healthy plants at home ( who knows the stress those store bought plants were under); you can guarantee your plants are grown organically.

These tips are from the great publication Organic Gardening:

Place sure bets
Some plants lend themselves to home germination better than others. Surefire vegetables include basil, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Some reliable annual flowers are alyssum, cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias. Perennials include Shasta daisies, columbines, and hollyhocks.

Get the timing down
To calculate when to sow your seeds, go to our seed-starting chart, print it out and then fill in the blanks. Then you will have a planting plan you can follow through the season.

Gather containers
Reuse last year's nursery flats if you have some around. Otherwise, any container 2 or 3 inches deep will do. Punch holes for drainage into the bottom of containers and set them into trays. Protect against plant disease by thoroughly cleaning all used containers: Wash them in hot, soapy water, and rinse with a dilute solution of household bleach and water. If you want a less-irritating substitute for the bleach, use distilled white vinegar.

Pick the right growing medium
You can buy bags of seed-starter mix or you can make your own by blending equal parts of perlite, vermiculite, and peat. Add 1/4 teaspoon of lime to each gallon of mix to neutralize the acidity of the peat. You'll eventually want to repot most of your seedlings into larger containers before setting them into the garden. But lettuce, melons, and cucumbers are finicky about being transplanted and should go directly from the original containers into the garden. When starting these fussier plants, always add two parts well-aged, screened compost to your mix to give them a healthy beginning.

Sow carefully
Moisten your medium in the containers before sowing the seeds. Next, drop seeds onto the surface of the mix, spacing them as evenly as possible. Cover the seeds to a depth about three times the thickness of the seeds. Some seeds, such as ageratum, alyssum, impatiens, petunias, and snapdragons, should not be covered at all because they need light in order to germinate.

Top it off
Lightly sprinkle milled sphagnum moss, a natural fungicide, over everything to protect against damping-off, a fungal disease that rots seeds and seedlings. In the case of seeds that need light to germinate, sprinkle the moss first and then drop the seeds onto the moss.

Keep seeds cozy
Cover the flats with plastic wrap or glass to keep the environment humid and place them near a heat vent or on a heat mat made especially for seed starting. Most seeds germinate well at about 70 degrees F.

Keep them damp
Mist with a spray bottle or set the trays into water so the mix wicks up the moisture from below.

Lighten up
At the first signs of sprouting, uncover and move the containers to a bright spot—a sunny window, a greenhouse, or beneath a couple of ordinary fluorescent shop lights (4-footers with two 40-watt bulbs). The lights are worthwhile, especially if you live in the North. They provide a steady source of high-intensity light. Short days restrict window light, and your seedlings need 12 to 16 hours of light a day. Suspend the lights just 2 inches above the plants and gradually raise them as the seedlings mature. If plants have to stretch or lean toward the light, they can become weak and spindly. To turn the lights on and off at the same time each day, hook them up to an electric timer.

Cool down
Seedlings don't have to stay as warm as germinating seeds. Move them away from radiators and air vents, or off the heating mat, as soon they have germinated.

Feed them
If you are using a soil less mix without compost, begin to fertilize your seedlings as soon as they get their first true leaves. (These leaves emerge after the little, round cotyledon leaves.) Water with a half-strength solution of liquid fish/seaweed fertilizer every week or two. Use either a spray bottle or add the fertilizer to the water you set the trays in if you're using the wick-up method described above.

Give them room
If the seedlings outgrow their containers or crowd one another, repot them into larger containers filled with a mix that includes compost. Extract the seedlings with a narrow fork or flat stick, and handle by their leaves and roots to avoid damaging the fragile stems. Tuck the seedlings gently into the new pots, and water them to settle the roots.

Pet them
Lightly ruffling seedlings once or twice a day with your hand or a piece of cardboard helps them to grow stocky and strong. Or, set up a small fan to gently, continuously blow on your seedlings.

Toughen them up
About 1 week before the plants are to go outside, start acclimatizing them to the harsh conditions of the big world. Gardeners call this hardening off. On a warm spring day move the containers to a shaded, protected place, such as a porch, for a few hours. Each day—unless the weather is horrible—gradually increase the plants exposure to sun and breeze. At the end of the week leave them out overnight; then transplant them into the garden.

Website of the month

www.onemillionactsofgreen.com

The goal is to change how we live and how we treat the planet, one act at a time.
Install compact fluorescent light bulbs. Walk or bike to work. Buy local food. Grow your own vegetables. Hand mow your lawn. One small thing can have a huge impact. It can inspire people to make a real and lasting change, in a practical way. Young and old, parents and kids, small towns and big cities.
North Bay has their own section of the website so you can register your acts of green for our city.

Master Gardener’s Hotline 495-0920
[email protected]
Have a gardening question? Leave a message on their answering machine
or on their email and
a local Master Gardener volunteer will call back with an answer!
A free service.

Need to contact us with comments, questions or suggestions?
North Bay Horticultural Society
P.O. Box 1482, North Bay, ON P1B 8K6
Website : Go to www.gardenontario.org and follow the links!
Email : [email protected]
Our meetings are on the fourth Tuesday of the month, usually at 7 p.m.
excluding December, January, July and August.

General Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2009
Held at Christ Church, 890 Vimy St.

President Darlene Lecour called the meeting to order at 7:05. Darlene welcomed the 51 members in attendance, to our first meeting in the New Year.

Business
Sharon Johnson made a motion to accept the Minutes of the November 24, 2008 Annual General Meeting, as presented in the Green Thumb. Carried.
Ruth Wright made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report. Carried.

Correspondence
- $1,000.00 cheque from OMAF for our membership
- Information about the “Success with Gardening” show: brochures and flower competition entry forms to be entered by Mar 14
- OHA Trillium newsletter in the mail and on the website (www.gardenontario.org)
- 2009 OHA Convention Competition Rules & Agenda in Flowers, Poetry, Photography, Print Competitions etc. – Peterborough July 10-12

Coming Events
March 18-24 - Canada Blooms
March 19-22 - Successful Gardening Show in Toronto, at the International Centre by the airport
April 25 - Spring Annual General Meeting District 18, at the McKellar Community Centre
April 28 – Spring Potluck & Silent Auction
May TBA – Workshop on creating your own magnificent Hanging Baskets
May 30 – Plant Sale at Christ Church. Pots and mini blinds for markers will be needed, more to follow in March meeting.
July 10-12 - Ontario Horticultural Association Convention, to be held at Trent University Campus in the beautiful city of Peterborough.
July 11 – Members Only Garden Tour with the last garden to have a tea set up
August – Beautiful Yards insert showcased in The Nugget
Oct 3 – District 18 Annual Fall Meeting here at Discovery North
Oct 27 – Guest speaker, Adrian van der Bijl speaking on Pruning.
Nov 24 – General Meeting with election and Silent Auction and Dinner

Discussions
- Volunteer writers will be needed again this year for the “North Bay Nugget Gardening Tips” segment and Rosalyn Charland will once again be our editor. We will need to have 20 entries ready to go by May 1. Articles are to begin on May 18 in the Nugget. Thank you to the volunteers so far: Adrian van der Bijl, Geri Openshaw, Audrey Morton, Daphne Andrews, Ted Reed, Janet Vos, Bette Atkinson, Adelaide Saeger, Betty Foy and previously written articles from our beloved John Tripp.
- There will a “Beautiful Yards” segment again this year in the North Bay Nugget. We will be using our own photographer.
- Spring Potluck & Silent Auction - April 28, will be an auction of services, for example: private photography lesson by James Forsyth, Collector’s Model Car from Leoni Paquette, Italian Dinner for 6 at former Hilltop House Tea Room, or gift certificates for weeding services. Donated services/items can be given to co-ordinators, Rupert & Vickie Wiemer.
- The North Bay Horticultural Society now has a Facebook page and everyone is invited to join. The chat right now is about “seeds”. Sign up or get yourself invited by someone else. Share your garden, more information to follow in March.
- Helpers (at meetings) to set up would be greatly appreciated. Please see Leoni to have your name put on her phone list.
- Would three people please bring in some desserts for our social at March’s meeting. Thank You.
- There was a seed exchange on the table after the meeting.

Ask a Master Gardener Segment - with Adrian van der Bijl
- Prune grape vines in March. Cut back to the strongest main stem. Grapes grow on new shoots
- Root-bound house plants should be moved to a larger pot, 1-1 ½” bigger
- March 15 is a good time to start seeds like: begonias, impatience, marigolds, and petunias. January is the time to start fibrous begonias. Start tomatoes and cauliflower in April. Radishes, sweet peas, and lettuce can be planted right in the ground. Plant squash at the end of April.
- Hibiscus require full sunlight or daylight in a west or south window.

Adjournment
Helen Bannerman made a motion to adjourn the business portion of the meeting at 7:40 and everyone enjoyed a wonderful social with many different kinds of homemade breads and loaves.

Guest Speaker
Geri Openshaw introduced the very knowledgeable, Sue Greig to speak to us about Orchids.
Sue thanked Ted Reed for setting up and assisting her with her presentation. These are a few points.
There are 100,000 different kinds of orchids. White are the strongest. Grow them in a clear plastic pot. The roots are aerial: they don’t stay in the pot. Orchids are only grown for the flower. They like to be kept in cool, filtered light with no heat. A winter south window is good. Water with tepid water. Pour through the pot but they do not like to sit in water or they will drop their flowers. Mist the roots in the winter or the roots will go brown. Orchids do not like a lot of fertilization. September to March use high nitrogen (25) for green leaves and from April to August use low nitrogen for the flowers. Two spikes are better than one but the price will be higher. Put them out in the summer but not in the hot sun, when all danger of frost is finished and bring them in before the first frost in the fall. Mealy bugs and scale are the two main problems with orchids. Mealy bugs can be controlled using alcohol on a Q-tip. Scale are little bumps on the leaves. Remove them using with a soft toothbrush. To re-cap: orchids need lots of water, filtered light, humidity, good drainage and air flow.

Our door prizes were 3 Primula (Primrose) won by Marianne Gomm, Orida Cuksts and June Charette.

The next general meeting will be held on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2009.