We are now well into our main selling season and here on the farm, my staff and I are thoroughly enjoying ourselves – whether it is helping you beautify your home with ornamental plants or assisting in planning your food crops, everyone here is passionate about people, plants and the environment. We hope that you will take advantage of the combined knowledge of our staff and let us help you with your projects. Gardens are happy places and we want to help you create yours!

The Creemore Farmers Market is going well. Chris, Ben and Dave are there every week until June 15 with a selection of plants from the farm. If you have not yet discovered this gem in our community, head on over. If you are a regular, we really look forward to seeing you every week and thank you for supporting us – it’s a big job to pick, load, set up, sell, load again and restock each week – in all weather!!

 

There are only a few days left for our Fundraising Hanging Basket Challenge. The last day of voting will be Sunday June 2. Votes will be counted that night and a winning basket declared. Winners for all baskets will then be contacted and presented with their basket. So be sure to check out the baskets one last time before voting closes on Sunday!

 

Our Customer Appreciation draw for a $150 gift certificate will also take place on June 2. One of you lucky readers will be the happy recipient of some extra money to spend here! All E news recipients will be entered, so watch this space!

 

We hope you will visit soon (or again!)

Biological controls

Did you know that we successfully utilize biological methods to control insect pest populations in our greenhouses? Biological control is the horticultural practice of using beneficial living organisms to control other pest organisms. The first step involves involves monitoring our plants very closely for pests. At the first sign of damage we order natural insect pest predators from a specialist Canadian supplier. The goal is to allow the predators to establish and breed in sufficient numbers to keep the pest population down.

Throughout the growing season, we receive weekly shipments of ‘good bugs’ which we release in the greenhouses. Common predator bugs that we use are a predatory mite called Stratiolaelaps scimitus to help control Fungus Gnats, a critter called Amblyseius fallacis to control Spider Mites and another mite named Neoseiulus cucumeris to help with our Broad Mite and Thrip populations. In the past we have also used predators to control Aphids and Whitefly. Every year presents new challenges, but we are proud to say that over the years, we have learnt what works and we are very successful with this method of insect pest control.

PS... instead of showing a close up of bugs we chose healthy plants instead!

Tall, bold colour all season long!

We have grown this stunning annual Cleome for several years now and everyone who buys it comes back for more the following year! Pequena Rosalita is a large, bushy annual plant which performs beautifully in a container or in the ground. Flowers are lilac pink and cover the plant all season long. Unlike the seed grown Cleomes, this variety is thornless, seedless, odourless and non sticky. They also do not require deadheading, the only maintenance being regular fertilizing.

Rosalita loves the sun and heat and will grow up to 36” in height. My favourite way to use Rosalita is to plant it amongst perennials in the ground. The effect is a beautiful combination, with Rosalita providing colour right up to frost. Available in large stand alone 12” planters or small pots for combinations and ground plantings.

Cottage garden favourite

Malva or Mallow is a shorter cousin to the Hollyhock, with a similar growth habit and flowering spires of soft, satiny flowers. Plants form an upright, bushy mound with 2” wide soft lavender purple flowers, exotically striped with deep maroon veins. Staking will likely be necessary as the flower stems grow and the plant reaches a height of up to 4 feet.

Although Malva Zebrina is a short lived perennial or biennial, the good news is that it will return from self sown seedlings, so with careful weeding, a thriving patch can easily be cultivated. Heat and drought tolerant, this tough plant thrives in full sun and will flower all season long, providing gorgeous colour not only for us to enjoy, but for all pollinators, especially Butterflies to visit.

Photo courtesy of Walters Gardens

A delicious summer treat!

Raspberries are one of the best fruits for home gardeners to grow as they do not keep or ship well and are very expensive in stores. If you have a patch of ground in full sun, then maybe a raspberry patch is in your future? Boyne is a very reliable variety which fruits in July. It produces glowing red berries with a wonderfully sweet flavour. After harvest in the summer, cut down to the base all stems (canes) that have fruited, leaving the new growth to produce berries the following year. Heritage is a vigorous everbearing variety that will produce a summer crop in July and a fall crop in September. In the fall, cut down all fall fruiting canes after frost and they’ll be back next year with a bountiful crop.

Raspberries should be grown in a sunny location in narrow rows. Canes grow vigorously and may need to be supported with stakes and string. Raspberries can be eaten fresh, made into jam or try freezing some for winter treats (my family’s favourite!) Drop by the farm and we’d be happy to help you out with your raspberry patch!

A beautiful vegetable!

Those of you who know me well will already know that I have a passion for growing and cooking Eggplant and that I am always encouraging others to try growing some of this beautiful vegetable for themselves! If you haven’t had the run down from me personally, here goes…. We grow 2 varieties – the large and rounded deep purple Italian variety and a smaller, thinner cream variety called Gretel. Eggplant not only are an easy summer crop, but they also look fantastic in your garden. Plant young plants in full sun and good soil. Large leaves form a rounded clump with small lilac flowers which develop into beautiful fruits.

Harvest starting in August when the fruits are large and shiny. That’s it! Easy…. Once you’ve harvested your crop, you can add to just about any recipe from stir fry, spaghetti bolognaise, lasagna or just slice and barbeque. The white variety, Gretel is the perfect size to slice as medallions. Try out my kid friendly Eggplant Parmesan recipe - one of my family’s favourite dishes!

Why not try growing a few edible flowers this year? Great for garnishing cakes and desserts, tossing in salads or in many other creative ways in the kitchen. For use in drinks, try freezing in ice cube trays. Before using in your latest culinary creation, remove stamens and styles and therefore pollen from all flowers except Violas and Pansies. For most flowers, cut the petals away from the base of the flower, which is often bitter. 

IMPORTANT:

Remember that some flowers are poisonous. Ensure that you have positively identified each variety before using. Avoid using any chemicals when growing your edible flower plants. Finally, shake and wash all flowers in cold water prior to use.

 

Here are our edible flower plants, along with their characteristics.

We’re open daily, April 26 to June 16

9am to 5pm

Visa, Mastercard, Interac, Cash or Cheque accepted

Gift certificates available – great idea for your favourite gardener!

See us at the Creemore Farmers Market, Saturday mornings from May 18 to June 15