Interesting Articles

The intriguing sex life of Bolwarra: an Australian relic of ancient Gondwanan flora by F. Greenhalgh and D. Beardsell

Dr Frank Greenhalgh and Dr David Beardsell both worked for 40 years in the Department of Agriculture/Primary Industries of the state of Victoria in Australia. Frank was initially a plant pathologist specialising in control of soil-borne diseases of horticultural and agricultural crops, and later managed the Department's investment in research and development supporting horticultural industries.  David developed soil-less potting media for the nursery industry in Victoria, and used his reproductive biology skills to develop plants for the cut-flower industry. In retirement, Frank gardens in the small village of Metung in eastern Victoria, and David gardens in Melbourne and lectures part-time at the Burnley campus of the University of Melbourne.

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Are Hay and Straw sprayed?

Persistent Herbicides in straw and hay are of concern for organic gardeners who may be using straw as mulch or manures from animals that have been fed sprayed hay. Joe Lamp'L discusses this in his show notes and episode 410 of Growing a Greener World.  Here is information regarding the use of persistent herbicides in British Columbia:

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Can You Pick the Bees Out- New York Times September 2017

Interactive article from the New York Times on identyfying bees followed by more informative articles at the end of this page.

Don’t judge species on their origin

Article about the native-vs-alien  species dichotomy

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Insecticide toxic to bees promoted to kill Vancouver chafer beetles (CBC News website)

A chemical insecticide that's being widely promoted to Vancouver homeowners who have had their lawns destroyed by chafer beetles is "highly toxic to bees" and should not be used, warns an SFU biologist.

The insecticide Merit, manufactured by Bayer, contains the active ingredient imidacloprid — one of the controversial neonicotinoid pesticides that face increasing restrictions worldwide because of the risk they pose to bees.

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LVGC Exciting New Vegetables for 2020

LVGC Members’ Favorite Tomatoes

LVGC Members’ Favourite Vegetable Cultivars

Rain Gardens

Rain Gardens on the North Shore

Vancouver’s Sole Food Street Farms Takes On Poverty With Urban Agriculture

Michael Ableman has achieved something many thought impossible: creating thriving urban farms on pavement and contaminated soil in one of Canada's poorest ... read more

Want to Save the Bees – Here’s What You Need to Know – from Popular Science September 2017