Well, the garden is cleaned up now that we are well into night time frosts and expecting snow for the weekend, except for the perennial flower bed under the living room window, which we leave as a "dried flower arrangement" for winter landscaping and the birds.
This year we grew 3 varieties of heirloom tomatoes we started indoors, Romaine and Butterhead lettuce, radishes, carrots, onions, beets, peas, green and wax beans, and cucumbers. Everything did well in raised beds (2' x8') gardened kinda-sorta "square-foot gardening" style.
We had a cold late spring that set us back a few weeks, but everything seemed to catch up once summer got going. A long warm fall and a hastily erected pvc pipe and plastic house-vapour-barrier hoop house extended our season till the slugs found the fancy new smorgasbord and we had to bring the last of the tomatoes in to ripen.
It may seem early, but we're now in planning mode for the 2012 garden, full of fresh remembrances of how this season went.
We plan to double our number of raised beds, start half of the tomato seeds 2 weeks earlier since heirlooms seem to need a slightly longer season than standard varieties (maybe it was just the cool spring but we'll try half and half and see which plants bear earlier), and grow more of the keeping root vegetables since our sand buckets seem to be working well for keeping carrots and beets. Doubling the number of beds will obviously increase our yields across the board, but we want to tweak the percentages of certain crops to better meet our family's needs and storage capabilities. We also plan to grow potatoes in a bucket (have done this in the past, just never got around to it this year).
What gardening challenges do other Canadians face? What hopes and dreams do you have for your 2012 garden? How are you planning and preparing for the next season?
Here in Alberta we have a short season and unpredictable frosts, heavy clay soil and often arid summers. We seem to have enough pollinators, although I understand that world bee populations are falling due to pesticide use, and we also have lots of beneficial insects like ladybugs. Our local slugs can take out a fair chunk of a lettuce crop quite quickly, we put down play sand to try and keep them away from things they like and this seems to work ok until later in the season--probably needed to apply more sand. We also get aphid attacks, I once watched aphids take down a very robust stalk of dill in front of my eyes, but haven't personally had too many for the past few years.
We were so busy this summer with the move that I didn't get the garden going this year. Even now, I only have about half the space done that I wanted to convert from grass to garden. I should be able to turn the rest of the soil next spring and I have plenty of seeds already. Along with tomatoes, we want to grow carrots, green & yellow beans, turnips, squash, corn, and a whole bunch of other stuff too. Also, I want to use an old clawfoot bathtub that is sitting in the yard for some strawberries & blueberries. Herbs will be a big part of the garden too, as my wife uses a lot of seasoning in her cooking. I like the sand idea for keeping the root veggies, but I also want to home can a lot too...need to get that pressure canner from Canadian Tire! Also, the dehydrator I built will be very busy next year!
Denob - just make sure you are buying a pressure CANNER not a pressure COOKER - two different things. I have not seen pressure canners at my local Canadian Tire and I just checked the website and didn't see them there either. Unless things are different in Quebec I don't think you'll get one there.
I bought mine at Home Hardware - It looks like this: http://homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Indoor-Living/Housewares/Preserving-Products/Canners/Pressure/CANNER-PRESSURE-ALUM-21-8L/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I4082520?Ntt=canner The price is around $150.00
The one I really want is this: http://homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Indoor-Living/Housewares/Preserving-Products/Canners/Pressure/CANNER-PRESSURE-21-5QT/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I4082502?Ntt=canner because it will last forever but it's $400.00 OUCH.
Sorry to get OT.
Can't wait to start next gardening agin next year. This was our first year and yields weren't too bad but most of the ground was rock hard in mid-summer. I am going to try something different after watching this free video. http://backtoedenfilm.com/ It made a lot of sense to me!
This year I planted onions, swiss chard, beets, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, squash, beans, pumpkins, lettuce and potatoes. Plus 6 fruit trees.
We already have rhubarb, different perennial herbs, jerusalem artichokes, raspberries, walnut trees and lots of really healthy weeds!
Haven't thought too much about next year except for the garden prep. I have a pile of manure, a pile of chicken litter and now I want wood chips. We'll see how much time I have when the time comes!!
(`'•.¸(`'•.¸ ¸.•'´) ¸.•'´)
*´¨`•.¸¸Anita <>< *.•´¸¸¨`*
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Quack, Cluck, Moo, Hee-Haw, Meow and Baaaaaaa from Shalom Engedi Farm
http://adventures-in-country-living.blogspot.com/
No garden for me this year as I live in an apartment. I considered balcony gardening in containers, but gave it up as a lost cause. I face south, which you think would be good with lots of sunlight. Unfortunately a concrete box getting 8-14 hours of sunlight a day is just too much. I literally cannot keep up on keeping plants watered and in good health.
This spring though, I plan to buy a house. I'm hoping for a yard of decent proportions to go with it so I can plant some stuff. I've been dreaming of having my own salsa garden for years! Tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers (which I admit will be a bit tricky in Manitoba... but I know it can be done!)
I also want to experiment a bit with a herb garden, and a smaller section for other vegetables (mostly root vegetables... carrots, radishes, beets etc)
If the new house doesn't have room for a garden, I'll start looking into some of the community garden options around town.
Aphrael
Oh sweetheart, I don't have to run faster than the bear...
In recent months we moved from a town home into an apartment, changed provinces...I was sad about losing our yard but have since gotten re-inspired for container/balcony gardening. Our balcony is a decent size, good light, so we have been researching our options. My significant other and I have been figuring out plans that involve 'garbage can' potatoes that have the potential to yield up to 60 lbs , and converting Rubbermaid totes into garden containers. I also did a lot of research on what can be raised indoors since we have great light and lots of windows... we can actually manage quite a reasonable bounty of herbs and veggies for 2. (Somewhere in my reading travels I came across someone who had grown a particular potato here over the winter and harvested in March/April and now I can't find the link...argghh) Victoria is warm and quite forgiving that way so I know it is not impossible.
This is also quite a small apartment building with a nice semi-private fenced 'yard' around the sides and rear so I am awaiting the owner's next visit to approach him about utilizing some space. He himself is a farmer on the gulf islands and big into thrifty living so I anticipate a good conversation with him as there is some great space around the immediate building without being front facing or intrusive that could be utilized...possibly might engage a few of the other tenants as well as I know of one tenant who is big into herbs and a number who plant extensive flowers/shrubs. The charm of this owner is that he recognizes that apartments or not, this building is home to the people here and he has removed all commercial signs and markers. Half of the tenants here have been here 10 and upwards of 20 years. If the space determined to be garden is maintained, I anticipate no obstacles from him.
So this winter, conversation with the building owner and hopefully turning over a patch for a garden for rhubarb,root veg, etc and prepping garden containers on our balcony and starting plants and herbs indoors...perpetual spinach apparently grows well indoors, and since we prefer spinach over lettuce, this will probably be our first planting.(Unless I can find that article again on the successful winter potatoes!)
Aphrael, have you thought about grow bags? There is a great variety of them out there with great results!
Oh yeah, forgot to mention that we have two small apple trees that did well this year, a row of raspberries that is quite prolific, and a rhubarb plant (that actually needs dividing, keep forgetting to do that but must before the ground totally freezes) that was awesome all summer because I kept plucking stems for jams and pies.
Denob, cool that you are jumping in so quickly with your new property, and your clawfoot tub idea sounds wonderful! I definitely ditto Anita's caution about pressure cookers vs. canners, I have my Mom's old Presto 18L from the 700s, but the one in her link is very similar 🙂
Anita, I don't have time to watch your link at the moment but will check it out later--have you considered "lasagne" gardening or gardening in raised beds with compost (either your won or from your local garden centre)? We've always done it the raised beds with compost way because our soil is heavy clay and pretty usless, we amend every year with some of our own compost (hard to make compost on the prairies--it takes literally years because of our frozen winters) plus more from the garden centre. We can either get it delivered by truck to a tarp laid out on our driveway, or this year we got a cubic yard of compost in a "big yellow bag" made of tarp-like material from a local nursery. Our yields were great and everything super tasty.
Aphrael, you may want to look into self-watering pots for your hot balcony--many plants LOVE heat (peppers etc.) if you can keep the water levels up, and we've had success on our southeast facing deck with tomatoes and peppers in self-watering pots. You can get great ones from Lee Valley Tools, or just the insert to use in your own pots. Herbs and greens for salads you can grow in your windowsills if you like 🙂
Paintergirl, you are definitely in my dream gardening zone! I went to UVic and miss the mild winters, I remember people mowing their lawns every month except December and January. We've done the potatoes in a garbage can thing, and it's true. Plant 'em in about a foot of soil at the bottom, then keep adding soil/compost/straw whatever works for you as the plants get taller-the longer the stalks, the more potatoes. Don't over water potatoes, you can actually slow it right down after the plants flower--just don't let them totally dry out. Cool about your potential "patch of land" for a garden, hope it all goes smoothly!
Paintergirl, you are definitely in my dream gardening zone! I went to UVic and miss the mild winters, I remember people mowing their lawns every month except December and January. We've done the potatoes in a garbage can thing, and it's true. Plant 'em in about a foot of soil at the bottom, then keep adding soil/compost/straw whatever works for you as the plants get taller-the longer the stalks, the more potatoes. Don't over water potatoes, you can actually slow it right down after the plants flower--just don't let them totally dry out. Cool about your potential "patch of land" for a garden, hope it all goes smoothly!
So true, for all the issues of living in this zone, I am glad to have a generous growing season. I have had some great gardens here in the past years( particularly my prolific and mutant huge tomatoes! People used to leave the street to walk up into our yard and have a closer look, I hope to be that fortunate again- on a smaller scale... other then good soil, light and drainage etc, the only thing I can think of was that I used mushroom manure back then )
It sounds like your garbage can potatoes are the same plan that we had come across, where you keep building up till they mature! I am so glad to hear that it worked out first-hand! We look forward to doing this!
We just moved back from Alberta, lived in the NE corner of Edmonton for 4 years.
Denob - just make sure you are buying a pressure CANNER not a pressure COOKER - two different things. I have not seen pressure canners at my local Canadian Tire and I just checked the website and didn't see them there either. Unless things are different in Quebec I don't think you'll get one there.
I bought mine at Home Hardware - It looks like this: http://homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Indoor-Living/Housewares/Preserving-Products/Canners/Pressure/CANNER-PRESSURE-ALUM-21-8L/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I4082520?Ntt=canner The price is around $150.00
The one I really want is this: http://homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Indoor-Living/Housewares/Preserving-Products/Canners/Pressure/CANNER-PRESSURE-21-5QT/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I4082502?Ntt=canner because it will last forever but it's $400.00 OUCH.
Sorry to get OT.
Can't wait to start next gardening agin next year. This was our first year and yields weren't too bad but most of the ground was rock hard in mid-summer. I am going to try something different after watching this free video. http://backtoedenfilm.com/ It made a lot of sense to me!
This year I planted onions, swiss chard, beets, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, squash, beans, pumpkins, lettuce and potatoes. Plus 6 fruit trees.
We already have rhubarb, different perennial herbs, jerusalem artichokes, raspberries, walnut trees and lots of really healthy weeds!Haven't thought too much about next year except for the garden prep. I have a pile of manure, a pile of chicken litter and now I want wood chips. We'll see how much time I have when the time comes!!
You're right...there is no pressure canner in the catalogue. I found one at one particular store. Made by Presto and has the rack and 3 weights...5 - 10 - 15 lb. There is a big differnce between cookers & canners. This one does 7 quarts and costs $109.00. I would love to get a huge All American, but money is tight. I figured I could start with this one and work my way up to something bigger when I get used to it. I already can high acid food in a waterbath so the learning curve should be easier.
I'll look into those self watering pots, if I can keep the moisture level more or less constant, it'd be perfect for gardening I agree. My biggest problem was I'd water the plants before I leave for work, and have to soak them. When I got home at 5, i'd water them again as they were bone dry and light enough wind was becoming a problem. Again, I'd soak them down until they were sodden. By the time I watered them again in the morning before work, they were dry again. After a couple weeks of this, they'd be looking disturbingly cooked and wrinkled around the edges.
If the self waterers work, and hold enough water to keep them from baking into bricks with green stuff sticking out of them, I'll be a happy camper!
Aphrael
Oh sweetheart, I don't have to run faster than the bear...
Here's a link to a site that shows you how to make your own self-watering buckets. http://www.globalbuckets.org/
(`'•.¸(`'•.¸ ¸.•'´) ¸.•'´)
*´¨`•.¸¸Anita <>< *.•´¸¸¨`*
(¸.•'´(¸.•'´ `'•.¸)`' •.¸)
¸.•´
( `•.¸
`•.¸ )
¸.•)´
(.•´
Quack, Cluck, Moo, Hee-Haw, Meow and Baaaaaaa from Shalom Engedi Farm
http://adventures-in-country-living.blogspot.com/
Was surfing around some prepper/survivalist sites, found this neat idea: Gutter Gardening
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/literally-eats-gutters/#comments
So you read that blog too?
I liked the concept and am considering how to do it myself.
On my buddies property we will be creating raised beds, started some already, and permaculture planned setup with emphasis on the 3 sisters type of Gardening along with info from Sepp Holza.
I tried 8 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and bantam corn this year. We did have a bit of a crummy spring/early summer this year which made a slow start. My corn was a bit of a failure -small cobs - but the tomatoes did OK. I managed to can 47 quarts of sauce which is way more than I've ever done but I did squeak in 60 plants into my little yard. I think they were a bit crowded, but you just want to grow every seedling you create!
I just planted about 20 cloves of garlic for the first time. Beautiful big garlic I got from Ontario. Looks like its easy to grow.
I think I'm going to only grow a few different kinds of heirloom tomatoes next year - Roma and San Marzano for canning and Black Krim and maybe one more for eating fresh - suggestions?
I bought my pressure cooker/canner from Canadian Tire over a year ago and put it to serious use. Its a Mirro 12 qt and I think I paid about $100.00 on sale. I've canned tomatoes, salsa, cherries, apples, pears, peaches, salmon, tuna, chili, soups, stews, spaghetti sauce and various meals. The only thing is I wish I got a bigger one. It only holds 5 quart jars or 7 pint jars at a time.
I tried 8 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and bantam corn this year. We did have a bit of a crummy spring/early summer this year which made a slow start. My corn was a bit of a failure -small cobs - but the tomatoes did OK. I managed to can 47 quarts of sauce which is way more than I've ever done but I did squeak in 60 plants into my little yard. I think they were a bit crowded, but you just want to grow every seedling you create!
I just planted about 20 cloves of garlic for the first time. Beautiful big garlic I got from Ontario. Looks like its easy to grow.
I think I'm going to only grow a few different kinds of heirloom tomatoes next year - Roma and San Marzano for canning and Black Krim and maybe one more for eating fresh - suggestions?
I bought my pressure cooker/canner from Canadian Tire over a year ago and put it to serious use. Its a Mirro 12 qt and I think I paid about $100.00 on sale. I've canned tomatoes, salsa, cherries, apples, pears, peaches, salmon, tuna, chili, soups, stews, spaghetti sauce and various meals. The only thing is I wish I got a bigger one. It only holds 5 quart jars or 7 pint jars at a time.
That's the canner I have my eye on...figure it will be good to start with, then in a couple years after I get some experience I can get something bigger. We did 24 quarts of tomatoes and 12 quarts of peaches, all of which came from the farmer's market, since we didn't get the garden in this year. I am really comfortable with the water bath canner so I figure I will adjust to pressure canning easily. The goal for that is to can our own meat sauces & veggies. In addition to the veggies, I would love to put in some fruit trees next fall...apple, pear, & peach or nectarine. I have read that fall is the best time to plant trees, but I worry about the snow & cold for their first year...anyone have some insight into this?
Pressure canning is fun and easy as long as you read the instructions that comes with the canner. I printed off a copy of the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning to help fill in the gaps and has lots of recipies. Here's the link,
http://buelahman.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/complete-guide-to-home-canning.pdf
I planted my apple trees in the fall, I think that's when your supposed to plant them.