Potato Blight

Something a lot of home-growers don’t realize they have to look for is potato blight, the same blight that caused the Irish Potato Famine. There’s a  resurgence of the fungus along the eastern side of the US, but as this fungus us airborne and because some sellers of seed potatoes may not know they are… »

Weedless Gardening

It seems sometimes that for every weed we pull out of our gardens, two more appear overnight. Not only do weeds steal nutrients from our flowers and vegetables, they can also release seeds and spread very quickly. But with a few tricks and techniques, gardeners have the power to control weeds… »

Colorado Potato Beetle

Wherever potatoes are grown, the Colorado Potato Beetle is sure to appear. Many gardeners are asking for advice on how to control the CPB. Remember the YARA-GRCG Garden Guidelines require all gardeners to use environmentally friendly methods of weed and pest control so please be prepared to provide information about products used… »

Frost Protective Covers

Even though gardeners at YARA-GRCG are anxious to transplant their seedlings, I recommend waiting until after May 30th or protect them.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac the last day of frost for the Regina area is May 21st, but a closer look at the 14 Day Trend Weather Report shows another dip in the thermometer… »

What is Lasagna Gardening?

It is a no-dig organic gardening method that uses waste from your kitchen and yard and composts it “in place” to produce nutrient-rich soil.  The garden is constructed by putting down layers of organic material, these layers give the method it’s name.  It is also commonly known as “sheet composting.”
The Perks of a Lasagna Garden:
-A… »

Companion Planting

There’s an old garden tradition based on the belief that growing certain plants together can make them healthier and give you better yields. Based on my research on the web, most of the information is still anecdotal but more research is being done as gardeners look for alternatives to pesticides and fertilizers. We encourage you… »

Seed Viability & Germination Testing

Whether you have collected your own seeds or had some left from packages purchased last year, here are a couple of tips to know whether they will grow?
A seed viability test is a method of sprouting a few seeds to determine the percentage of seeds that are viable.  In other words, what … »

Do you know your NPK?

Scientific shorthand for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three major nutrients used in greatest quantity by plants. The three-number formula (5-10-5, 20-20-20) on fertilizer labels identifies a product’s NPK content.
We have all looked at the soil mix packages in the store and wondered, “What do the numbers mean?” Most soil mix packages contain a… »

How to Plant a Tree

Some people choose to plant a fruit tree to commemorate a special occasion or person at YARA-Grow Regina Community Garden, while others plant a fruit tree simply to enjoy the bounty.
Since 2008 up to 50 fruit trees, shrubs and vines are now planted at the north eastern and north western corners of YARA-Grow… »

Best Dates for Planting Seeds In The Ground

According the The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the best dates for planting seeds in the ground doors is listed below. When determining the best planting dates for seeds, the date of the last spring frost is important to your success. NOTE: Our chart calculates frost dates only, based on historical data. Keep records of your garden’s… »

Recommended varieties for Saskatchewan producers

If you are still deciding what type of seeds to purchase, you may want to consider a variety based on research done by the Vegetable Program at University of Saskatchewan.
The varieties listed below represent some of the best performing vegetable varieties based on cultivar evaluation trials conducted annually by the Vegetable Program at the… »

Best Indoor Planting Dates for Seeds

According the The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the best dates for planting seeds indoors is listed below. When determining the best planting dates for seeds, the date of the last spring frost is important to your success. NOTE: Our chart calculates frost dates only, based on historical data. Keep records of your garden’s conditions each year… »

Winter Gardening

It’s called “winter gardening”, and it happens when die-hard gardeners and those who simply can’t wait for spring to tend to their gardens even when heavy snow buries the soil and bitter cold winds whip the bare branches of the trees.

They pore over seed catalogs, imagine the layout of their gardens, and create visions in… »

Weeds Common to YARA-GRCG

We may have heard the advice jokingly given by parents to children who are pulling garden weeds for the first time: if it looks healthy and it’s growing vigorously, pull it out. But there is some truth in this; at least a few of us have probably looked over our gardens at some… »

Low-Maintenance Gardening

Those of us who spend warm spring and summer days digging in the soil and getting our fingernails dirty don’t mind a bit of work; after all, as the cartoonist and illustrator Lou Erickson once said, and as we all know, “gardening requires lots of water-most of it in the form of perspiration.” But… »

Butterfly Gardening

The Tohono O’odham Nation has a legend about the butterfly. As a gift to the people, the Creator took the most beautiful colours in the world, those of the sun, the lakes, the flowers, and the sky, and put them into a bag. When the people opened the bag, hundreds of butterflies flew… »

Ten Basics of Square Foot Gardening

Would you like a garden filled with beautiful flowers, luscious vegetables, fresh herbs, but NO WEEDS or HARD WORK? Well, that is what Square Foot Gardening is all about. I’ve taken all the hard work out of gardening. No heavy digging, watering, weeding, thinning, or over-flowering harvest. What is left is a productive, well-kept,… »