Tweed Horticultural Society

Tweed Horticulture Society received a Volunteer Appreciation Award for 2020 from the Municipality of Tweed recently.

Seen at the presentation are: George Scott (who received his own award, see below), Sheila Scott, Valerie Foran, vice president of Tweed Hort, Councilor Jim Flieler, Joan Morton of Tweed Hort and Mayor Jo-Anne Albert.

Valerie had this to say about the presentation:

Joan and I met last night for the award ceremony in the parking lot by the arena.  We received the award from Mayor Albert and Councillor JIm Flieler.  We all wore masks and maintained social distancing.

George Scott received an award for all of the times he volunteers to help anyone that needs it. Since George and Sheila Scott were at the awards ceremony, I asked them to join us for the social distancing picture of the Horticulture Society.   

Everyone should be proud of our organization and the recognition we received from the Municipality of Tweed.  Hopefully in the new year we will have a meeting and we can show everyone the award.

Thank you to everyone of you, your participation in our society and hard work is what earned us this award. 

All Meetings Cancelled for 2020

All meetings, including December’s pot luck dinner, have been cancelled for the balance of the year.

The Annual General meeting has been postponed to (hopefully!) early next year.

Covid 19 has really changed how we live this year. Every month seems to have new challenges. It seems we never know how things will be. Our community has been very lucky so far to stay healthy with everyone doing their part.

The September meeting of our club, which was to be a slide show of the gardens that Penny Stewart has visited, has been cancelled. The library has not yet opened the meeting room for use. With our regular numbers and social distancing this location may not be able to work for us for future meetings. Our executive will meet in the near future to discuss our options and the upcoming AGM.

A glimpse of a few of the gardens cared for by TweedHort during this season of social distancing. And thanks go to Rachelle Hardesty of the Municipality of Tweed for her weekly garden waterings.

In spite of everything, Tweed Hort is working to make the Town look pretty.

Due to the current situation, the May and June meetings have been cancelled.

The bus trip to Peterborough and the day trip to the county are also cancelled.

The August pot luck is still scheduled but is still tentative. Notification will follow closer to the summer.

Spring was definitely in the air as 53 people attended the March meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Kailey Bosch, co-owner of the Melrose Market located on Melrose Road near Shannonville Road, was the guest speaker for the evening. Kailey spoke about getting your garden ready for spring planting-evidently a topic of interest to many members!

Healthy soil is needed to start the garden. Kailey uses aged horse manure and compost. She plants her garden in 30-inch rows with an 18-inch walkway and raised 6-inches.

Kailey used organic and heirloom seeds in her plantings. She recommends seeds from High Mowing seeds, West Coast seeds and Village Green located in Foxboro.

Starting Seeds…

-use peat/vermiculite and worm castings (available at Thrashers in Belleville); pro mix is a good pre-mixed starter; wet soil prior to planting

-seed depth should be 2 x the size of the seed deep; 1 ½ inch cells and soil blockers were recommended

-as soon as you see sprouts, move plants to south facing window or place under a full spectrum light for 12 hours a day; light should be 3 inches above leaves

-place a fan on low to keep air moving around plants

-keep the soil consistently wet by using a cover; as soon as seed germinate, remove cover and let soil dry out a bit between watering

-harden off plants before moving outdoors

Kailey discussed planting times appropriate planting times for our area…

Feb-March…leeks

Mid-March…peppers, tomatoes, greens/herbs

April…greens, lettuce, beets, broccoli and outside you can plant green onions, peas and spinach

May…outside you can plant squash, melon and cucumber

Pesta can be controlled by….

-using row covers

-companion planting-bail with tomatoes deters aphids

-planting nasturtiums

-using organic pesticide-Diatomaceous Earth, Insecticidal Soap and Neem Oil

Suggestions to yield a bountiful harvest all season long….

-do succession planting where one crop is pulled and another is planted

-do not plant all the seeds of one variety at the same time; this will prevent having all the same produce ready at once

-use companion planting…. plant two different plants together in one area

-if using raised beds, it is important to add compost every 2 weeks to build up the soil; Kailey suggested adding pelleted chicken manure to raised beds

-keep records so you know dates when seeds were planted, varieties planted, where planted in garden and any issues you had with seeds, and the yield your garden produced

Kailey’s Market Garden is open the weekend prior to the long weekend in May…this year that will be May 9^th. Plants as well as produce are available at the Market Garden!

Members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society were excited to attend the first meeting of 2020…a sign that spring is coming in spite of piles of snow and the Groundhog’s predication of six more weeks of winter! Elizabeth Churcher and George Thomson shared photos of their “Garden Friends at Hepatica Hill”. Hepatica Hill is the name of their 100 acre farm south of Tweed.

Elizabeth and George are active members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society.

Elizabeth started the presentation by a photo walk through their property highlighting their various gardens. They like to think of their 100 acres as one large garden overflowing with flowers, trees, bushes, shrubs, herbs, vegetables and fruit.

They try to plant a variety of tree, bushes and shrubs to provide shelter for the different wildlife that come to visit their property…and they are always welcome!!! In fact, Elizabeth and George even plant extra crops so the wild life can enjoy the produce just like they do!

Their plants are carefully chosen so they will attract pollinators to their gardens.

George, an avid photographer shared photos of the various wildlife that have visited Hepatica Hill throughout the years. Butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, bees, spiders, frogs, toads, salamanders, milk snakes, garter snakes to mention a few. Many species of birds have also been spotted on their property….red headed woodpeckers, Baltimore orioles, tree swallows, bluebirds, juncos, chickadees, blue jays, cardinals and even a great gray owl (twice in 46 years but George has a photo of this!) Mammals also drop by to visit…red squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, rabbits, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, porcupines and of course deer.

Elizabeth and George have implemented strategies to support a harmonious relationship among all living things on their property…and it seems to be working judging by the beautiful plants and wildlife seen in their presentation.

COMING UP….

March 3 …Kailey Bosch, owner of Melrose Market Garden will discuss ways to help members grow a vegetable garden… planning the garden, seed starting, succession planting, companion planting and creating healthy soil.

June 8…Bus trip to Peterborough to visit gardens and do some spring plant shopping. Cost $40.

GENERAL INTEREST EVENTS…

April 18…AGM in Ameliasburgh. Register with our Club if you are interested in attending.

April 24-26…Peterborough Garden Show at Fleming College, 599 Brealey Drive.