Each year there is a raft of new products launched in an attempt to bring Canadians greater satisfaction from the gardening experience. 2012 is no different!

To start, here is a new method for ‘baby sitting' your indoor plants while you are away on vacation. It is called the ‘Gel Spike' and it will keep a plant watered for up to 2 weeks. It contains 99% water plus all natural vegetable gum and alum. One Gel Spike works effectively on a 10 inch pot. $5

Growing vegetables in the home garden is expected to be the #1 trend this season. Canadian gardeners coast to coast to coast will enjoy growing their own carrots, tomatoes, beans and peas and more. 2012 will see a greater number of seed varieties introduced that are specifically bred for ‘garden performance' [vs. shipping long distances and ‘storing' as many mass produced varieties currently are]. Look for new varieties on seed racks this season that are bred for flavor and ‘table appeal'. Packets $2 to $5

Aluminum meter planting stick. A unique approach to planting seeds in your veggie garden! Just measure out the appropriate distance between seeds, as indicated on the meter stick, and drop each seed in the hole as directed. Having a great looking –and performing! – veggie garden has never been so easy. $20

Mason Bees. It is now widely known and accepted that pollinating insects are in decline. It benefits every Canadian to encourage natural pollinators in our gardens and none are better than native Mason Bees. Unlike ‘honey bees' [which were imported from Europe] the Mason bee lives in your neighborhood already –you just want more of them! They nest in small cavities of 3/8" diameter and are more effective as pollinators than honey bees. Give them a ‘home' in the form of a Mason bee house, mounted up against an east or south wall, and you will encourage these extremely efficient workers in your locale. $35

Gardeners are also getting on the electronic band wagon.. this is a great time of year for us to gather information, like squirrels gather nuts, as we develop the plans for our 2012 garden in our head. Some of my favourite websites for horticultural information are Veseys [PEI based seed company], McKenzie Seeds , Garden Import for bulbs and cultural information, ICanGarden for a network of blogs and websites that are horticultural related and of course MarkCullen.com for newsletter, blog and weekly podcast. Not to mention a hot link to my weekly Canada AM video."

Products:

• Gel Spike $5
• New Seed Varieties $2 to $5 per packet
• Aluminum Meter Planting Stick $20
• Mason Bee House $35
• Woodpecker Peanut Feeder $40
• Flow Constrictor $10