Beaver Valley Probus Club

Things to do in your garden each month taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario.

For more information, or to obtain your copy of the 11” x 17” calendar of the full year’s tips, please contact John directly. A limited number of calendars will be available at the January 599 Meeting

January 2020:

• Inspect houseplants for white flies, spider mites and aphids. 
• Apply insecticidal soap and spray with water. 
• Inspect spring bulbs in storage. Discard soft or mouldy ones. 
• Not a problem yet this winter, but if there is a thaw and the snow melts, mound any remaining snow over roses and tender perennials. It’s the freeze/thaw cycle that kills the plants. 
• Expand personal knowledge through library visits, courses, catalogues, etc. 
• Think about and start planning your garden for next spring. 
• Google “Seed Catalogue Websites” and see hundreds of seed sources. 
• Order flower and vegetable seeds. Decide which seeds should be started inside. 
• Try forcing amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus for indoor winter bloom. 
• At the end of the month, start the slowest germinating seeds like begonias and geranium, also seeds for early spring bloom e.g. pansy, verbena, alyssum and dianthus.