Return plastic pots to nursery (Change 120)

Ahhh.....Spring.  A time whenever everything turns green after a long cold, winter.  A time when flowers start to poke their little heads above the ground.  A time when the local nurseries go crazy.

The May long weekend signals planting time in Ottawa.  Our official last frost date is around May 19, so the long weekend traditionally sees hordes of people descend on garden centres and nurseries to purchase plants, veggies, trees and shrubs.

Our family was no exception.  Although we didn't actually go out on the long weekend, DH and the kids did make a short shopping trip while I was in Halifax.  They purchased tomatoes, shallots, beans, peppers, onion sets, potatoes and a few herbs.  I haven't had a chance to plant them yet, with the 30+ weather we've been having this week, but I hope to get them in the ground by the weekend.

Which brings me to my next environmental no-no:  the plastic pot.  Most of my new plants come in one of those little black or rust plastic pots.  Like most plastic things, they end up in the landfill when their one-time use is over.

 Many nurseries in the Ottawa area take them back, but in past years, I've been lazy.  It's just been too much effort to make a second trip out to return the pots for the few that I've had, so into the garbage they've gone.

This year, I plan to stop being lazy and return the pots, so they can be used at least one more time before their final destination.   The garden centres I frequent the most happen to be at two retail stores where I shop all the time, so I really don't have an excuse for not returning them.  

Next time I go to the grocery store, I'll pack my cloth bags and my little plastic pots.

Plant more native species (Day 71)

Fall clean-up time is here for my garden.  Time to cut back perennials, compost all the dead branches or stems, and clean up the vegetable garden.  It's also a great time of year to plant perennials.  By planting in the fall, transplants can have a head start on establishing their roots systems before winter, and then use the warm weather of spring to grow. 

We've had  a couple of frosts here in Ottawa, so I am getting toward the end of the acceptable transplanting season.  However, I plan to move a few things around in one of my beds to accommodate more native species.  I have a butterfly garden in my back yard which has become desperately overgrown.  I would like to change this bed to a true pollinator garden (attracting bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, flies).  Our native pollinators, especially bees, are in decline.  By planting native species, I can help attract native pollinators to our area, and hopefully, establish good habitat for them.  Check out the Canadian Pollination Initiative (http://www.uoguelph.ca/canpolin/index.html) for scientific work being done on this issue.