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January 6, 2026 In Uncategorized

Embracing Winter, A Season of Rest

Plant stems against a backdrop of textural sastrugi, snow eroded by wind. Photo: Allison Kendall/APK Photography

By Allison Kendall

As I sit down to write this, a light flurry of tiny snowflakes is floating past my window. The garden is tucked in for the winter, autumn’s fallen leaves forming a blanket for my perennials beneath the accumulating snow. The resident chickadee stops by the birdfeeder for some seed while an animated little red squirrel looks on with envy from the snowy tree branches.

These moments are still a novelty to me. I am a relative newcomer to Manitoba and find myself regularly amazed by the natural rhythm of the seasons here on the prairie. The first few decades of my gardening experiences were spent in the very mild climate of the Northern Californian coast. I could grow almost anything year-round, though the cooler influence of the nearby ocean meant that some of the more heat-loving vegetables like peppers and tomatoes weren’t guaranteed to be a plentiful harvest.

The seasonal pattern there has changed in the past decade, but I can recall that we would only really experience two “seasons” in our California gardens: wet and dry, or winter-spring when we could expect regular rain; and summer-fall, when we would rarely see precipitation and would have to accept the annual drought and fire conditions. In the coldest part of winter, there might be a couple of nights of frost, and I would bring in my collection of cymbidium orchids to shelter in my kitchen until the chill had passed. In the dry heat of summer, I would have to be mindful of plants needing more water, as we could expect to go months without rain.

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July 8, 2024 In Newsletter Articles, Newsletters, Uncategorized

Q&A: Tomato Issue

Question: Tomato Issue

Hi there, I am having an issue with all of my tomato seedlings this year (over 50 of multiple varieties) that I have never seen before. Every single plant appears like it will likely die or need to be destroyed. I’ve researched but can’t quite figure out what’s going on. It looks similar to herbicide damage, curly top, or maybe mosaic. I’m hoping someone can help me determine the issue so I know how to proceed.

All of the plants are having issues with leaf curl and small leaves on new growth. Many of them seem to have the main stems basically deforming at the end and then dying off. Some have started sending out another main stem which then dies off as well. I should mention I am also having noticeable issues of stunted growth and leaf curl or drop with the peppers and eggplants I started – flowers, herbs, and squash seem to be okay. If you would like additional or specific pictures or more information, please let me know.

I’m in Winnipeg. I have raised beds with decent drainage, plus the issues started before this weather but may have been exacerbated by the weather. The tomatoes were stunted and had stem and leaf issues while they were seedlings in my house. I assumed it was a nutrient or watering issue. I started watering them less and fertilized them with seaweed fertilizer which I’ve used in the past. I have used this particular bottle on other plants and seedlings without issue. I started hardening them off in May but brought them in overnight and when it was cold or stormy. They still weren’t getting better so I used some organic liquid fertilizer – I followed the directions and only watered them with it once before transplanting them in late May. They have probably been in the ground two weeks now and look no better. Any new growth is deformed.

I initially started my peppers around early March in soil I ordered from a department store. The bag was frozen solid. Bad decision, but I started the seeds in it and they all died off from dampening off or from some fungus (some just drooped and died, and some had a fuzzy growth over them and then died off). The bag possibly had gnat eggs in it as well, as I ended up with fungus gnats. For a second round, I started them in a seed-starting mix and had no issues until I transplanted them into an organic soil. After a while, they weren’t growing as fast as I had expected and the leaves started curling upward – they were never deformed like the tomatoes but just stayed cupping. I started the eggplant and tomato seeds right into the organic soil. They never seemed to grow normally; they grew slowly and on a smaller scale ­but the issues became visible as they “grew.” It seems a few of my peppers are fine and the squash and flowers are fine but, when I think about it, they were probably grown in the second bag of organic soil that I had.

Initially, I thought there may have been some type of fungus or disease that spread in my grow room or maybe the first bag of organic soil was contaminated with herbicide. It’s also definitely possible that I over-fertilized or over-watered or something. What do you think the issue most likely is? Do you think they may bounce back? Would it be safe for me to plant something else in that space or would the space possibly be contaminated?

Reply: Tomato Issue

Several of our Master Gardener members have read all the symptoms that you have sent to us along with studying your excellent photos which certainly show the major issues you are having with your tomatoes.READ MORE

May 2, 2024 In Newsletter Articles, Newsletters, Uncategorized

What’s That on My Flower? (Part 2)

What’s That on My Flower? (Part 2)

Early spring bees and a bee mimic

 
By Betsy Thorsteinson

 

As soon as plants flower in the spring, there are bees to pollinate them. I mentioned in my first article (What’s That on My Flower? – Part 1) that honey bees are often the first seen but wild bees are out early too. Here are a few of the first pollinators you will see in the spring.

DUNNING’S MINER BEE (Andrena dunningi)

About the size of a worker honey bee, this solitary mining bee is happy to dig its nest in suburban lawns, bare ground and waste places. Studies have shown that as soon as the ground softens in the spring, Andrena leave their nest cells and wait in their tunnels just below the ground surface for the first warmth of a spring day. Sometimes they appear before flowers open, and they patiently live on their fat reserves. They are seen April through June, after which they die, leaving their young developing underground until the next spring.READ MORE

April 26, 2023 In Newsletter Articles, Newsletters, Uncategorized

A Shortlist of Invasive Ornamental Plants of Concern

By:  Linda Dietrick, Master Gardener

You have probably heard of kudzu and purple loosestrife, two invasive plants that were originally introduced to North America with the best of intentions. Brought into new environments where there were no natural checks on their spread, they became bullies, outcompeting the regionally native plants, with consequences for whole ecosystems. We now realize that these and many other invasive plants can do serious harm to local economies, human health, and the environment. Kudzu, planted in the US as a soil stabilizer in the 1930s, has reached Ontario. Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), introduced in the 1800s and until recently sold as a hardy ornamental, now infests waterways throughout North America. As these examples show, it can take decades for people to notice invasive species and control them before they become a serious problem. Surely we can do better by paying closer attention.READ MORE

April 11, 2023 In Uncategorized

Living Green Show

Our Members presenting at the Living Green Event

Lori Graham: Composting
Friday, April 7 – 6:00pm
Florence Carey: Growing a Tea Garden
Saturday, April 8 – 4:00pm

Debbie Innes: Seed Starting
Sunday, April 9 – 1:00pm

Virginia Stephenson: My Gardening is for the Birds
Sunday, April 9 – 4:00pm

February 22, 2023 In Uncategorized

Invasive Ornamental Plants: What Home Gardeners and Professionals Need to Know

Invasive Ornamental Plants:
What Home Gardeners and Professionals Need to Know
Panel Presentation and Q&A
When: Saturday, April 1, 2023, 12:30-3:00 pm
Where: Canadian Mennonite University, South Campus Lecture Hall D30
Host: Manitoba Master Gardener Association
Cost: $5.00 (cash only please), free to MMGA members

Gardeners are often surprised to learn that the global trade in ornamental nursery stock is a major pathway for the introduction of invasive plants worldwide. These invasive plants do harm to the economy, the environment, and public health. Come and learn about ornamental invasive plants, gaps in the current regulatory process, and models for change.

1. Invasive Ornamental Plants: Prevention is Key
Cathy Kavassalis, Ontario Master Gardeners and co-founder of the Canadian Coalition for Invasive Plant Regulation (CCIPR)
2. What You Can Do to Prevent the Introduction and Spread of Invasive Plants
Andrea Eastham, Professional Agrologist (retired) and plant science consultant, Calgary
3. Strategies for Management and Control of Invasive Plants in Manitoba
Kristin Pingatore, Weed Control Supervisor, Selkirk Area Weed Control District

Speakers:
Cathy Kavassalis is co-founder of the Canadian Coalition for Invasive Plant Regulation (CCIPR.ca), which evolved from her work with Master Gardeners of Ontario (MGOI). With a background in science education, she has worked with horticultural societies, other nonprofit groups, local governments, and the Royal Botanical Gardens to increase public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the need to safeguard native flora from invasive species.

Andrea Eastham is a Professional Agrologist, Retired Status, who moved to Calgary in 2017. She continues to work on plant science projects including initiatives for the Canadian Council on Invasive Species (CCIS), the Alberta Invasive Species Council (AISC), and the BC Provincial Government.

Kristin Pingatore is a Manitoban with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Manitoba. She worked as a mapping assistant for two years for the Invasive Species Council of Manitoba. Kristin is currently the Weed Control Supervisor for the Selkirk Area Weed Control District, running the IPM program for the district and responding to residents’ concerns about weeds.