Pine Ridge Garden Club news

by Helen Nicolaou

The changing weather patterns have made it challenging for gardeners to decide the correct time for planting tender, hot-loving plants into the soil. Unseasonable cold temperatures for the first couple of weeks this month delayed planting the hot-loving vegetables. But following the cold snap, the long-range forecast flipped 180 to extremely hot and humid temperatures this past week, so we shifted from sheltering our plants from bitter cold to protecting them from drying out with extra water.

Tomatoes are one of those hot-loving and sun-seeking plants a favourite and most grown in vegetable gardens. According to "The Farmers Almanac," this summer will be another hot and humid one.

Just a couple of tips to grow those sweet, juicy tomatoes which are most appreciated and are the tastiest coming from a home garden. Tomatoes require a few necessary nutrients to grow tall and healthy for disease resistance. They require regular feeding, starting with compost to amend the soil, then to continually support the flower set, add phosphorous and calcium to prevent blossom end rot.

Tomatoes require deep root watering to prevent heat stress and need to be caged or staked for good air circulation to prevent disease. Tomatoes are prolific producers, and if you have a small garden or shaded yard, a tomato plant will be content grown in a large container on the deck or driveway where there are six to eight hours of sun. With so many varieties of tomatoes available to choose from, there is most certainly one which will become your favourite to grow.

Thank you to Sherry Dobson from the Durham Master Gardeners, who spoke at the June 4th meeting on Herbs in our Garden. Sherry gave great tips on keeping our herbs fresh, producing through to the autumn and how to preserve them by either drying or freezing them to enjoy through the winter. She recommended planting herbs with like requirements together in a container or dressing up the container with blooming annuals. Many lovely Iris, Peonies, and Hostas filled the tables for "The June Iris Show."

Congratulations to Helen D., winning Best In Show Horticultural Division for her Gas Plant, and Norma H. for Best in Show Design for her "Straight Up" entry. Thumbs up to Libbi H. for consistently creating designs and winning First Place for her "Mini Medley Design."

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 2nd at 7:30 p.m., when we'll have the pleasure of hosting Carole Ditomaso. She'll be speaking on "Perennial Gardens Full of Colour from Spring to Fall," a topic which is sure to help us extend the succession of blooms that we normally lose by mid-August. Remember, the July Flower and Vegetable Show entries will be accepted between 6 and 6:45 p.m. Entries need to be labelled complete with Class, Section and Name. Check your 2024 Yearbook for tips page 12-13 on Show Conditioning, free of debris and of those tiny camouflaged critters. No viewing before or during judging please. Entries may be viewed after the speaker has finished at the end of the meeting.

We have arranged to visit Four Gardens of Interest within the Port Perry and Brock area on Wednesday, July 10th. All gardens are just as unique as their proud owners and have taken years of love for us to admire, learn and inspire.

This is a members-only self-driving tour. To participate, please see Rita to sign up, pay and get more details.

Enjoy an evening out, Door Prizes, Snacks and Refreshments. See Shelley for door prize tickets. Members bring a friend. Guests are Always Welcome.

To become a member visit Pineridgegardenclub.com.

Where gardeners come to Bloom