January 6: Soil – Don’t Call it Dirt!
Soil is the foundation for everything we grow, whether it is vegetables, ornamental plants, or a lawn. Retired Master Gardener, Mary Ann Van Berlo will speak about the importance of having good-quality soil for growing our plants. Her talk will cover: amending the soil, the importance of organic matter, soil pH, good drainage, and a number of other factors that determine soil quality. The black gold in the photo is leaf and yard waste compost destined for garden beds and lawns.
This winter meeting will be held via Zoom, from 7:30 pm – 9 pm, with bridge access commencing at 7:15 pm.
Registration by e-mail to kanatamhs@gmail.com is required to obtain the Zoom link to access the meeting, by 5 pm, Monday, January 6th. Cost is $5 for non-members (payable by e-Transfer to kanatamhs@gmail.com) or become a member and enjoy our full 2026 program for $20.
February 3: Urban Organic Food Gardening
Urban organic food gardening with the flowers that support it is as simple or as challenging as you wish to make it. However, at some time or other, issues will definitely arise. Rob Danforth from Canadian Organic Growers will share both proactive and reactive strategies can minimize these issues so that you and your families can grow and enjoy some of the best-tasting produce available – you cannot get fresher food than from garden to table in the time it takes for you to walk between the two. Rob Danforth is an experienced urban food gardener and organic gardening coach for Canadian Organic Growers – Ottawa/St. Lawrence/Outaouais Chapter (COGOSO), Senior Organic Gardeners (SOG), Just Food Ottawa and private groups.
This winter meeting will be held via Zoom, from 7:15 pm – 9:00 pm, with bridge access commencing at 7:00 pm.
Registration by e-mail to kanatamhs@gmail.com is required to obtain the Zoom link to access the meeting, by 5 pm, Monday, February 2nd. Cost is $5 for non-members (payable by e-Transfer to kanatamhs@gmail.com) or become a member and enjoy our full 2026 program for $20.
March 3 – Raised Bed Gardening
Raised garden beds can offer enhanced results and a better gardening experience. Explore how to choose the right plants, location, materials, and soil/compost mixtures with Anne Harbord of the Ontario Horticultural Association District 2 Executive. Anne’s property features 18 raised bed gardens for roses, 6 raised beds dedicated to 18 peonies and 24 raised beds for veggies, fruit bushes and herbs.Anne Harbord is the former Director and a current Executive member of the Ontario Horticultural Association’s District 2 (central and western Ottawa, plus Lanark and Renfrew counties). She is a 30-year member of the OHA, a floral design and horticultural judge and lifelong gardener. She loves to share her gardening passion.
This in-person meeting will be held at the Old Town Hall, 821 March Rd (laneway entrance for the Old Town Hall is on Klondike Rd, across from Shopper’s Drug Mart), 7:30 pm – 9 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm). Non-members are welcome for a visitor’s fee of $5 or become a member and enjoy our full 2026 program for $20.
March 14 - Seedy Saturday
Planning your spring gardens? Come visit the “Seedy Saturday” event hosted by the Kanata-March, Stittsville-Goulbourn and West Carleton Garden Clubs and Horticultural Societies!
Visitors to this event will find economically priced seeds from local sources for sale at tables hosted by the horticultural societies (cash sales only), commercial vendors and workshops, a Seed Swap, a Kiddie Corner, an advice booth hosted by the Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton, plus coffee and refreshments.
This event takes place on Saturday, March 14th in Carp at the Carp Agricultural Hall, 3790 Carp Road from 10 am – 2 pm. Cost of admission is $2 (cash only), which includes 3 tickets for door prizes offered by our vendors. Kids are welcome, free of charge!
Proceeds from the entrance fee sales will be donated to support the Kanata, Stittsville and West Carleton Food banks.
April 7 – High Performance, Low Maintenance Plants
Many gardeners aspire to create a garden that is both beautiful and easy to maintain. Lee Ann Smith from the Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton joins us to explain what makes a plant high performance, what low maintenance means, and recommends plants that meet these criteria. Her presentation provides an overall approach as well as a “top tip” for how to assess an existing garden and redesign it to get the most performance with the least amount of maintenance.
Lee Ann Smith is a member of the Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton. Lee Ann’s background is rather unique among Master Gardeners: unlike most MGs, she did not grow up under the guidance of a gardener. Her parents both hated all forms of yard work and her sister declares that any hole she digs for a plant is a grave! Despite the rough start, Lee Ann has been happily creating gardens for over 40 years.
When she isn’t gardening, Lee Ann is writing – often about gardening! She has had two non-fiction history books published, and is also an award-winning poet.
This in-person meeting will be held at the Old Town Hall, 821 March Rd (laneway entrance for the Old Town Hall is on Klondike Rd, across from Shopper’s Drug Mart), 7:30 pm – 9 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm). Non-members are welcome for a visitor’s fee of $5 or become a member and enjoy our full 2026 program for $20.
May 5 – Invasive Plants in Your Gardens - Becoming a More Critical Gardener
If you are a gardener, chances are you have cultivated an invasive plant species. You may not yet have learned that some of your favourite plants are invasive. It’s a difficult fact to learn and to accept. Connie Matthews-Cull joins us to discuss the many considerations that today’s gardeners need to consider when choosing plants for their gardens.
Today, considering constant construction, and monocropping, native species are being displaced at an alarming rate, it is surely time that gardeners in Ontario minimally understand what they are putting in their gardens, old ones and new ones alike, and to begin to make purchases and designs with knowledge that will support our ecosystem, not harm it.
Connie Matthews-Cull has been an avid gardener in Ottawa for thirty-five years, maintaining a city garden in Ottawa, and a country garden simultaneously for fifteen years. Now retired from a teaching career she spends all waking hours in the garden. She is Past-President of the Eganville and Area Horticultural Society and Assistant District Director of the Upper Ottawa Valley River Basin, and Past OHA Assistant District Director of the Upper Ottawa Valley, District 2. Growing up with naturalists has made her very aware of her environment, but she was shocked to learn late in life that she, along with many others, has been responsible for spreading invasive species.
This in-person meeting will be held at the Old Town Hall, 821 March Rd (laneway entrance for the Old Town Hall is on Klondike Rd, across from Shopper’s Drug Mart), 7:30 pm – 9 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm). Non-members are welcome for a visitor’s fee of $5 or become a member and enjoy our full 2026 program for $20.
May 16 – Kanata-March Horticultural Society’s 52nd Annual Plant Sale
On Saturday, May 16th the Kanata-March Horticultural Society will hold our 52nd annual plant sale at our meeting location, the Old Town Hall, 821 March Road, from 8 am until noon, rain or shine! This sale will offer a variety of plants which have been donated by our members: hardy perennials for sun and shade, herb and vegetable seedlings, native plants and house plants.
Proceeds from the sale support the society’s monthly speaker educational programs, and the maintenance of the Molly Wilson Memorial Garden located at the Old Town Hall. New members are always welcome, and can join our 2026 program for a $20 membership fee.
June 2nd - Designing a Summer Planter + KMHS Flower and Edibles Show
Elizabeth Johnston, co-owner of Ramsay Creek Greenhouse joins our June meeting to provide a demonstration of how to design an outdoor planter arrangement for the summer season.
We will also be holding our Kanata-March Spring Flower Show featuring seasonal edible and floral entries plus design category entries submitted by our members.
This in-person meeting will be held at the Old Town Hall, 821 March Rd (laneway entrance for the Old Town Hall is on Klondike Rd, across from Shopper’s Drug Mart), 7:30 pm – 9 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm). Non-members are always welcome for a visitor’s fee of $5, or you can become a 2026 member for $20 (individual) or $30 (couple).
Photo by Ramsay Creek Greenhouse
September 8th - Cold Frames and Cold Crops: Extending the Season
Cold Frames and Cold Crops is about growing delicious veggies, beyond the usual gardening confines and calendar, using cold frames and the cool season crop palette. Odette McIntyre from the Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton will teach us how to extend the gardening season with cold frames, the different cold frame options available for gardeners as well as costing. We’ll also have a look at cold weather vegetables, their resistance to cold in particular, why they should be included in your growing spaces, what they are and how to grow them. This is an up to date view of gardening in Ottawa.
This in-person meeting will be held at the Old Town Hall, 821 March Rd (laneway entrance for the Old Town Hall is on Klondike Rd, across from Shopper’s Drug Mart), 7:30 pm – 9 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm). Non-members are always welcome for a visitor’s fee of $5, or you can become a 2026 member for $20 (individual) or $30 (couple).
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Photo by Odette McIntyre