Your online resource for garden information, ideas and advice.
Spring in the Garden!
This is where I usually add ideas for what needs to be done in the garden throughout the year. With all that is occuring in the world and how our normals and rules are changing, I've decided that what needs to be done in the garden, is whatever brings you peace, health and happiness.
Sure, we all know you have to clean up, split perennials, trim deadwood from trees and shrubs. But you can also do it when you do it. What matters now is just enjoying your garden and watching it grow into the landscape that brings your heart joy.
Yesterday, I finally got the greenhouse up and running and have planted almost everything that needs to start early. Still have a couple more to do - I'm also waiting for celery seeds - decided to give that a try this year.
And as the greenhouse plants begin to grow and develop, I'll be sharing my experiences with them here - and sharing tips and ideas that work for me (or ones that didn't quite work out the way I planned). Enjoy your gardens. Stay safe. Try something new.
Pixie Cantaloupe
This compact, palm-sized hybrid
melonweighs in at roughly 1.5-2 pounds
and thefruit is deliciously sweet
and juicy. Witha small seed cavity
and plenty of bright orange fruit,
it’s the perfect size for ahot afternoon
snack. And it’s just fun
to grow – even if it does look a little
bizzare when mature.
We were honoured to be part of a documentary on urban agriculture, created by film maker Phil McLeod. Here's the garden - from Spring to Fall...
Is it poison oak or poison ivy? Find out here.
Rat's Tail Radish!
Want to grow a fun, non-stop vegetable? Then plant Rat’s Tail Radish.
Unlike the traditional underground, round, red radish, rat’s tail is an edible pod that sprouts from pale pink flowers that in turn, sprout from long, flowing stems.
A non-stop summer performer, rat’s tails are easy to grow and won’t fade away in the heat like most radishes do. This is certainly not a cool-season radish – they thrive during warm summer days and prefer full sun. Similar in appearance to a long bean, (and a rat tail!), this edible pod is delicious fresh from the garden, is a great addition to stir-fry’s and is also an easy pickling vegetable.
Butterflies flock to the flowers and continued pod harvest will also continue to produce new flower growth and in turn, more radishes.
Rat’s tail is an Asian heirloom that was introduced to the U.S. in the 1860s and has been growing ever since. Plant this interesting, easy-care and colourful radish every two weeks over the season for a continued harvest.
Ornamental Eggplant
(pumpkin on a stick)
A truly fascinating plant.
Bushy tall, 5' stems that develop large, prickly leaves (just like a "regular" eggplant). An abundance of small white and purple flowers appear over the summer that grow into small ribbed "pumpkins" - these tiny gems start out green in early August and as fall approaches turn a vibrant orange. Stems can be cut and used as fall decorations, or leave the plant where it is for fun colour and plenty of interesting comments until the frost hits.
Grows great in containers or in the garden and is best started indoors in early April.
