I Wet My Plants

OMG, I’m having my very first heirloom tomato plant sale tomorrow from 9 AM to 3 PM and I’m so nervous. I’ve prepared all the road signs (in sheet protectors in case it rains), clip-on name tags for each variety, individual sheets and a notebook with descriptions and pictures for all varieties and $60 CDN in $5, $2, $1, $0.25 denominations. I still have to find something to use as a stake for the road signs as well as pot up about 15 seedlings into 4″ pots. I also have to find a good display table as well as haul all my seedlings to the driveway. I’m both nervous and excited!

On Wednesday night I attended the May meeting of the Kemptville Horticultural Society as a visitor at the St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church at 319 Prescott Street in Kemptville. It was a lovely evening for a walk and a chance to see what’s been blooming in other people’s yards.

Meetings usually start at 7:30 PM, however, this one had a flower show and a lot of the initial time was spent looking at the entries and which one came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Some neat things I learned about flowers and judging were:

• you can determine if a narcissus is a large-cup variety by pulling one of its petals gently forward, parallel to the cup. If the cup is longer then it’s a large-cup variety.
• anyone who is serious about entering flower competitions needs to get a copy of Publication 34 – Ontario Judging Standards from the Ontario Horticultural Association.
• arrangements should only have flowers.
• the condition of the vase doesn’t matter unless it’s in an arrangement.
• judges look for flowers that are dirt-free with no crooked petals.

There was the business part of the meeting which covered a treasury report, announcements for public plantings, a report on the plant sale, requests for volunteers for numerous upcoming gardening events and a presentation on the newest gardening reference, Eastern Ontario’s Gardener’s Tour Guide, a copy I finally bought. After the 45-minute meeting there was refreshments and socializing for about half an hour.

It was pretty nice. I actually knew two people there and met a couple of other members who told me about the Society and their involvement in it. For them, it’s a chance to meet new gardeners, learn about new techniques and plants and get involved in the community. There’s a good possibility that I’ll be back.

The Ottawa Farmer’s Market opened this past Sunday, May 4th at Lansdowne Park and I decided to finally go for the first time. I parked my car in the free parking lot (always a bonus) and headed towards the throngs of people.

It was really organized and there was a variety of stuff for sale. I was most interested in the Bloody Dock from Acorn Creek Garden Farm:

At $5 a pot I didn’t buy it and instead gave in to my growling stomach with a breakfast from Bearbrook Farm that included game meat sausage at the Food Court. A few vendors caught my eye while strolling through the market: the Glengyle Garlic vendor from whom I bought some Music seed bulbs last year and never put in the ground (oops!), a sheep vendor with $90 sheep skins, and Take Charge Teas with their different blends of herbal teas. There was also a couple of miniature horses from Mickie’s Miniatures for me to feed and pet:

Unfortunately these minis were only here for the one day though you can get a ride with Max and Willie, two Clydesdale horses from Navandale Farm, throughout the season. This year the Ottawa Farmer’s Market will be opening on Thursdays starting June 26th from 2 PM – 7 PM.