June 2021: Brampton Backyard Garden Club

Issue Four | June 2021

Backyard

Garden Club

Welcome to the fourth issue of the City of Brampton’s Backyard Garden Club

e-newsletter!

In this issue, learn how to get your garden in optimal shape, and discover all things peppers.

Have gardening questions? Email us.

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NEW! Gardens of Brampton: front garden recognition program

Get your front gardens ready! The City, in partnership with the Brampton Horticultural Society and Chinguacousy Garden Club, will be judging and selecting the best six gardens later this summer. Click here to learn more.

Get Your Garden in Tip Top Shape!

Step One: Mulch

Mulch keeps in moisture and prevents weeds. Types of mulch for vegetable gardens include compost, leaves, hay/straw, pine needles, black plastic, newspaper, and grass clippings (use dry grass and layer to a few inches thick).

Step Two: Hydrate

Check plants daily and water them if the soil is dry, especially newly-planted vegetables, fruit trees and shrubs that are still getting established. Make sure you fulfil their requirement -- some need more or less than others.

Step Three: Prep plants

Harden off any remaining half-hardy vegetable and bedding plants.

Step Four: Check weeds

Keep on top of weeding. Your plants shouldn’t have to compete for precious water, light and nutrients.

Step Five: Don't rush

Don't plant some veggies too soon. Most tomatoes, peppers and eggplants require about 100 days to harvest. Therefore, you want to transplant those into the ground around mid to end of June.

Step Six: Let it grow

Prepare for staking your tall vegetables and flowers.

Contributed by Carole Spraggett, Brampton Horticultural Society

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Begin Your Garden Journey

Every backyard garden is different! If you have couple of pots on your balcony, a raised bed in the backyard or a traditional in-ground garden, there are endless possibilities for growing and harvesting.

Ready to learn how to plant, maintain and harvest your garden? Click the link below to begin your garden journey.

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Plant of the Month: Peppers

Bell pepper (also known as sweet pepper, pepper or capsicum) is a fruit, not a vegetable.
Peppers need warmth and sunshine to grow, so don’t plant them too early.
They like rich, deep loamy soil with not too much nitrogen. Warm, moist soil in a temperature range of 21 to 29 °C (70 to 84 °F) is best.
Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colours including red, yellow, orange, green, white and purple.
Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties known as "sweet peppers".
Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The name "pepper" was given by Europeans when Christopher Columbus took them to Europe.
The term "bell pepper" is usually used for large peppers.
Bell pepper have no heat and measure 0 on the Scovile scale.
Some really hot peppers include:
Carolina Reaper 2,200,000 SHU
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 2,009,231 SHU
Naga Viper 1,349,000 SHU
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) 1,041,427 SHU

Contributed by Carole Spraggett, Brampton Horticultural Society