Nature – Garden Planning
by Nancy Lockhart – EDGE Media
Feb. 12, 2023 – There’s still snow on the ground (you’re welcome) but you are planning your garden already. Or nursing your little seedlings waiting for warmer weather. Have you heard of the “Three Sisters”? Companion planting? This is a way to reduce pests, attract beneficial insects.
The Three Sisters are corn, beans and squash, growing together to deter weeds and pests, enrich the soil, and support each other. Native American’s interplanted this trio because they thrive together. This kind of planting isn’t based on rows, think of a small field. Each hill will be about 4 feet wide and 4 feet apart, with 4 to 6 corn plants per hill. You can include a fourth sister, such as a sunflower, which attracts pollinators and lures birds away from the seeds.
Companion planting can be as simple as growing flowers to attract pollinating insects or growing two vegetables together to confuse or repel pests. Aphids can’t stand garlic. Plant garlic around crops that are most susceptible to aphids. Dill attracts ladybugs, which eat small garden pests such as aphids and spider mites. Nasturtiums attract hungry caterpillars away from cabbage and broccoli and kale.
Check out EDGE’s Facebook page to get more information on companion planting and other ideas for your garden.
NVCA Joins Appeal To Ask Federal Government To Protect the Great Lakes
UTOPIA, Ontario (March 13, 2023) – The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) will join organizations across Canada to ask the federal government to keep their promise to invest $1 billion to restore the Great Lakes.
“Nearly half of Canada’s population lives in the Great Lakeds and St Lawrence River Basin, a region that includes our watershed,” said Gail Little, NVCA Chair. “With accelerated growth in these areas, water availability and quality will continue to decline, putting even more pressure on the Great Lakes. It is critical that the federal government takes their commitment seriously.”
In 2017, the federal government committed $44.84 million to protect the Great Lakes through the Freshwater Action Plan. The plan includes six program areas, including preventing toxic and nuisance algae and enhancing the resilience of coastal wetlands. This commitment was renewed in 2021 and the government promised an investment of $1 billion over ten years to restore major bodies of water across the country. However, only 19.6 million was budgeted for the Freshwater Action Plan in 2022.
“All the rivers and streams in the Nottawasaga Watershed eventually flow into Lake Huron,” continued Little. “We are calling on the federal government to make conservation authorities and municipalities eligible for future funding, and allocate a portion of this funding to our watershed.”
NVCA has been restoring the Nottawasaga River for many decades. The current flagship project is the Nottawasaga River Restoration Project, where NVCA staff, partners and volunteers are extending high quality sections of the Upper Nottawasaga River, Pine River and Sheldon Creek to improve water quality and restore fish and wildlife habitat.
“Member municipalities in the Nottawasaga Watershed have been clear about how invaluable federal investments are to the enhancement of our watercourses, environment, quality of life and economies,” added Jonathan Scott, Vice Chair at NVCA. “We are hopeful this funding will proceed so we can all work together to protect our natural world.”
If the federal government commits to this funding, NVCA looks forward to protect and build resiliency for the Towns of Collingwood and Wasaga Beach by reducing nutrient runoff from rural and urban areas.
