From squirrels to aphids, there are many types of pests that can quickly transform all your hard work into a mess.Ĭhloé Fortier-Devin, owner of the Montreal-based gardening consultancy and plant retailer Le Jardin de la devinette, says that a physical barrier such as netting or chicken wire is really the best way to safely secure your garden efforts, noting that homey deterrents such as sprinkling cayenne pepper on your soil is “a bit harsh on the animal,” and water spray systems are something a pest could just get used to.

No matter where your container garden is located, you’re bound to have some type of unwelcome visitor over the season (and no, I don’t mean your nosy neighbour). What are some safe ways to protect your flower and vegetable beds from visiting animals and insects? Like the range a container garden offers, there are an equal number of tried-and-true tips to consider as you embark on your plant-growth journey this year. Top garden trends for 2023: Ground cover, vertical planters, allergy-friendly plantsįrom mixed feelings about today’s industrial agriculture model to rising grocery prices and climate change affecting availability, there are myriad reasons why container gardening is a good idea. “I love the idea that it’s possible to grow food in places that you might not think of as suitable for growing food,” says Toronto-based gardener and educator Lara Lucretia Mrosovsky, whose books An Illustrated Guide to Growing Food on Your Balcony and Grow Without a Garden: 101 Plants for Containers are a testament to the thrill of cultivation in small spaces. This spring, along with an array of annuals I’m set to plant, I can’t wait to see what yield I get from the Tom Thumb lettuce seeds my husband and I pop into our Vegepod, a neat growing container that suits our balcony set-up in Toronto.īeyond the beautiful foliage and flowers you can raise, container gardening can do wonders for weekly meal planning.

The promise of leaves, blooms and berries all coming to fruition as the days warm and the sun shines.

The start of growing season brings so much hope.

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