From the yard

Cindy's picks& tips

Small things that make a real difference — and the tools worth keeping within arm's reach.

Topic

17 tips

soil·spring

Soil Is Alive. Dirt Is Not.

Feed the living thing under your plants and the plants take care of themselves.

Dirt is what's on your jeans. Soil is a whole neighbourhood — fungi, bacteria, worms, roots trading favours underground.
Top-dress with 2 cm of finished compost each spring instead of digging it in. Let the worms do the tilling.
Never leave soil bare. Mulch, a cover crop, even a cardboard sheet beats naked ground.

pests·summer

The Ten-Minute Evening Slug Patrol

No sprays, no pellets — just a flashlight and a bad attitude.

Go out an hour after dusk with a flashlight and a jar of soapy water.
Check the undersides of the lowest leaves and the rim of every container.
Three nights in a row breaks the population. One night a week keeps it broken.

watering·summer

Water Deep, Not Often

Shallow daily sips train roots to stay near the surface where it's hottest.

Push a finger in to the second knuckle. Dry down there? Water. Damp? Wait.
Water long and slow at the base, early in the morning.
Containers are the exception — in a heat wave they may genuinely need it twice a day.

preserving·fall

Label the Lid, Not the Jar

A small habit that saves an hour every canning season.

Write contents and year in grease pencil on the flat lid. It survives the water bath and wipes off next year.
Jars stay clean and stack-swappable between batches.
Keep one index card per shelf listing what's behind the front row.

preserving·fall

Canning Safety: What You Need to Know About Botulism

A rare but serious toxin you can't see, smell, or taste — and why the canning method matters.

Botulism is a rare but serious toxin that attacks the nervous system — it can be fatal, and you can't see, smell, or taste it. When in doubt, throw it out.
The bacteria that causes it thrives in low-oxygen, low-acid environments — exactly the conditions inside an improperly processed jar. Freezing does not destroy it. Boiling destroys the toxin but not the spores, which can survive and produce more toxin later.
That's why the canning method matters: high-acid foods (fruits, pickles, jams) can be safely processed in a hot water bath (212°F) — the acid keeps the spores from germinating. Low-acid foods (vegetables, legumes, soups, sauces, meat, fish) must be processed in a pressure canner, reaching 240°F or higher. That temperature is only achievable with pressure — never guess at timing or pressure, always follow a reputable, tested guide.

preserving·fall

Preserve Responsibly: 4 Rules to Live By

Four habits that keep your preserved food safe, findable, and actually eaten.

Keep it clean — proper boiling times, full moisture removal when dehydrating, careful blanching and packaging when freezing.
Label everything — you think you'll remember. You won't.
Use it — routinely check your food storage for intact seals, pests, or mold, and rotate stock.
Store what you eat, and eat what you store — if you don't actually use what you've preserved, you've wasted the time, energy, food, and money that went into it.

soil·spring

Full Sun vs. Partial Shade

Fruiting plants want all the sun they can get; leafy greens prefer a gentler touch.

Fruiting plants like tomatoes and cucumbers want full sun — the sunnier the spot, the better they ripen and perform.
Leafy greens are the opposite: they'll bolt in hot, sunny spots, so give them a more filtered location like an east or west exposure.

soil·spring

Feed Your Soil Every Year

Garden soil depletes quickly without regular help.

Garden soil depletes within just a few growing seasons without help.
Add aged manure or compost regularly to keep it rich and productive.

soil·spring

In-Ground, Raised Beds, or Containers? Use Them All

There's no single right way to garden — use what each spot offers.

There's no single 'right' way to garden.
Cindy uses all three methods in her own yard — in-ground for her tomato garden, raised beds for vegetables, and containers on her patio to extend growing space — depending on what each spot offers.

soil·fall

Fall Mulching

Cover bare soil before winter with the leaves and straw already on hand.

Cover bare soil with 1-3 inches of fallen leaves or mowed/chopped straw before winter.
It protects the soil and slowly adds nutrients as it breaks down.
Skip wood chips — they take away from soil health before they add to it.

soil·spring

Good Neighbours, Bad Neighbours

Some plants bring out the best in each other; others should keep their distance.

Peas thrive near beans, beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, marigolds, peppers, and potatoes — but keep them away from onions, which actually stunt pea growth.
Onions, on the other hand, do well with beets, brassicas, carrots, dill, lettuce, tomatoes, and even strawberries.

soil·fall

End-of-Season Tool Care

A little winter prep now saves frustration when spring comes.

Before winter sets in, clean your garden tools and store them properly instead of leaving them out to rust.
Wash and store seed trays and pots somewhere easy to find in late winter.
This quiet season is also the best time to fix the small maintenance issues that piled up over summer.

watering·summer

Water Early in the Day

Morning watering gives roots time to drink before the night chill.

Watering in the morning gives roots time to absorb moisture before temperatures drop at night.

watering·spring

Collect Rainwater

A simple eaves-trough setup can water the garden for weeks.

Direct your eaves troughs into large drums to collect rainwater for the garden.
A simple setup that can make a real difference over a season.

watering·summer

Deep Mulch Cuts Down on Watering

A deep straw layer around cabbage funnels water to the roots and keeps weeds down.

For cabbage, a generous layer of straw mulch around the base does double duty — it suppresses weeds and also channels rain straight to the roots through the plant's big outer leaves, which act like natural funnels.
Leave at least 12 inches of clearance on either side of the cabbage for those outer leaves to spread out and do their job.
With a deep enough straw layer, you should rarely need to water the plant directly.
Cabbage is a heavy feeder, so also work a generous ring of compost into the soil around the base before planting.

pests·spring

Cutworm Prevention

Stop cutworms before they have a chance.

Place a collar around seedlings right after transplanting to stop cutworms before they start.

pests·spring

Plant for Pollinators

Flowers near fruiting plants bring more bees and better harvests.

Especially around fruiting plants like squash, plant flowers like Salvia, Cosmos, or Borage nearby to draw in more bees and other pollinators.