Blogs & Blooms

What not to plant in Calgary!

2012-01-23T22:15:00.005-07:00

Harold wanted to know: Is there a list of plants that should have warnings attached to them? He gardens in the cold plains of Calgary. Between the mountains, wind and short frost free season he is hesitant to start vegetables. He had so much trouble with parsnips and carrots in particular I enlisted the help of Dawn, a friend and client in Calgary. But first I sent Harold the usual list of plants to avoid- warm season crops are "out"- such as eggplants, tomatillos, peppers, okra and artichokes (pictured left). Just simply too much work for a new gardener in a cold climate. In fact we give these crops a "red light" meaning difficult in my new book No Guff Vegetable Gardening.

I asked Dawn to comment on growing parsnips because his were so impressive last year (he left them in a little package on my front step last spring) I wrote a whole article about them - an article reprinted across the country.

Dawn wrote: We consider carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions, beets,and the lettuce family as "What should be planted in Calgary". Parsnips,like carrots, can stand a hard frost.
Parsnips are very slow to germinate (2 weeks), but don't presoak(and never transplant tap root vegetables - the roots will go fibrous). I recommend you (Harold) try them again, normal seeding at the same time as carrots (as soon as the ground can be worked),and never let the seed bed dry out-just moist,not wet.

Create as deep a soil bed as you can, with lots of compost, and we give 3 foot row spacing to these heavy feeders. As Donna mentioned, we grow 2 rows x 40 ft of parsnips per year, rotating all these crops and with soil 2 to 3 ft deep. We dig 1 row in the fall and 1 in the spring, the overwinter frost gives them a slightly nutty flavour. The parsnips are 3 or 4 inches in diameter and up to 3 ft long, although most of the "meat" is in the top 18 inches. Try planting with a few radishes to mark the row - sow one seed at a time with 2 inch spacing and thin to 6 to 8 inches. We have had good results with both 'Arrow' or 'Albion' as varieties, from Veseys or Dominion seed houses. Good luck with this, and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions - this is my 'passion' in outdoor living in Calgary.

okay I have to say I love it when clients help clients. What could be more fun. As Dawn was writing me this note and copying in Harold he was chipping up Christmas trees for use in his hen house. I love these people!

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Forest Bathing?

2012-01-22T16:34:00.007-07:00

We used to unroll the windows as we approached the cabin so our dog could "smell" the air. If we didn't do this she would get agitated and start pacing in the backseat. We could see we were getting close to our "forest getaway" but she could only smell it so we helped her out by unrolling the window. Once we arrived at the cabin and got out of the car we could smell the forest too. It seemed as if our blood pressure dropped and the smiles began.

Dr. Sarah Cimperman describes this phenomenon as Forest Bathing in her blog post ( http://adifferentkindofdoctor.blogspot.com/2010/10/forest-therapy.html ):

"Researchers have studied the psychological effects of forest bathing... Almost 500 Japanese adults were surveyed on days they spent time in a forest and also in their normal environment. Statistical analyzes revealed that, compared to their normal environments, inside a forest the participants reported significantly less depression and hostility, and felt significantly more lively. And the greater the level of stress individuals experienced, the greater the positive effects of forest bathing. Researchers concluded that forests are “therapeutic landscapes” and that forest bathing may decrease the risk of stress-related diseases.

I am currently preparing to speak about the "Magic of Gardens" and in my talk I will include all the health benefits gained from being in nature. Organizing a seminar for stressed out professionals? Want a fun and inspired talk? Think of all the health effects of gardening and spending time in nature and call me for your next seminar, workshop or speaker series.

Thanks to the CBC radio show The Current (http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/05/04/urban-by-nature-documentary/?dataPath=http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/radio1/gallery_4475/xml/gallery_4475.xml&startImage=0) for first covering this topic last spring. It took me a while to process and pass along!

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Outdoor Living Extravaganza

2012-01-19T19:13:00.003-07:00

Well- this is a big moment. I am now officially a speaker at an extravaganza! I have spoken in barns and community halls and yes, last year I spoke in a greenhouse while my audience gradually melted into the floor and I did the slow strip tease taking off scarf, jacket and then sweater. I was down to short sleeves when we wrapped.

Every year Proven Winners does a special presentation in four cities in North America. This year they are bringing the show to Edmonton and logically they asked one of Alberta's great garden speakers to participate! In an extravaganza no less.

If you want to check out the details look at their web posting (http://www.provenwinners.com/node/272991) or send me a note for details. As a garden speaker I love speaking about gardening and I am always inspired by my audience. Come on out one and all!

(PS The photo above was taken at Smithford's a fun and quirky store in Qualicum Beach B.C. where I presented my new book last summer)

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Seed Primer and Garden Chat

2012-01-18T23:28:00.001-07:00

Suspense, excitement and the thrill of the unknown. It's an amazing thing to fill a room well in advance of showing up. That is what happened in Qualicum Beach where I am speaking this weekend. I wasn't sure if there would be any interest in a talk about gardening and starting seeds this early in the season but the librarian e-mailed me to say both sessions are full with a waiting list of 25.

What triggers people to come to talks each and every spring about the same subject? I know for me it is the unknown. Maybe a speaker will tell a funny joke or share some wisdom about gardening that I didn't know. I used to love watching Lois Hole tell the same stories every spring just because I loved Lois. Sometimes it is just a chance to get together with like-minded people and share a topic you already know and love. It is a way to learn and a way to share. It surely isn't the door prizes, but then again who knows?

I plan to share the suspense of starting seeds with my Qualicum Beach audience this weekend. I hope to dazzle with the excitement of compost building and thrill the audience with the unknown mysteries of growing vegetables. What is the amorevean cucumber and why do we care? If you are not able to join us Saturday because the session is full you can call me to arrange a talk in your community, or just to ask about the cucumber. A chat is just a chat but a garden chat can go anywhere and with the enthusiasm of spring and gardeners energy overflowing it will never get boring.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Falling in Love

2012-01-06T00:30:00.004-07:00

FALLING IN LOVE

It is like falling in love all over again. I see the handsome exterior and I take a closer look. From top to toe I gush over the features new and old. No- it is not a new Harlequin Romance: it is plant catalogue season and I am ready to devour the stack of glossy catalogues by my bedside.

Catalogue covers always show a flower or vegetable in its full glory, all shimmery with light and moisture. The new varieties are often displayed and described on the first or second page. McFayden’s catalogue lists the Chinese Tenderheart Cabbage and explains how it won’t bolt in summer. Westcoast claims they are GMO free: I learn about Burgundy Amaranth, an Aztec grain suitable for popping. Thompson and Morgan showcases colour with ‘Spanish Dancer’ Sweet Pea and Stokes brags about the new Tendersnax baby carrots and my mouth waters. How can I live without all these new plants?

Finally the serious reading begins and the highlighter pen comes out. There are limits to every garden. Time, money and space must all be considered. A single packet of Brussels Sprouts has 50-75 seeds and with each plant taking a full square foot in the garden and producing a pound of sprouts, I have to be careful to limit my orders to what I can grow. The celeriac packet holds 1,000 seeds and a single packet of lettuce contains 600-1,000 seeds. Don’t order several kinds of every plant from a different catalogue unless you have just bought a farm and quit your day job.

Read Widely and order selectively:
Once an order has been placed catalogues will start sprouting in your mailbox naturally. Catalogues are sexy but the practical gardener heads online to place the final order. Different suppliers offer different benefits so read several physical catalogues or study them online before you place an order. Do you want organically grown seed or GMO free? Or would you prefer “treated” seed of beans because it is more likely to survive our cold spring soils better? All options are available. Since most seeds come from very few suppliers and are then retailed by many, read widely and then order selectively.

Make Sensible Choices:
Yes the Cutie Pops corn sounds fabulous in the Stokes catalogue but unless you plan to allow a big space for a small yield you should probably buy corn from Taber in the fall. Artichokes, Cardoon, Celery and Leeks take months 3-5 months from seeding indoors to planting out in the garden and this intensive care is too much work for me. Instead of ordering a packet containing 1,000 leek seeds or 50 celery seeds in January I buy a dozen transplants in late May.

Starting quick growing seed of cabbage or cauliflower too early indoors will be a problem when they start to bloom prematurely. Start Tomatoes by mid-March so you have about ten weeks to grow them on cabbage and cauliflower need to be started 4-6 weeks before planting out; and zucchini and cucumbers need 4 weeks indoors so don’t start them until early May. I always write the planting out dates and seed starting dates start dates on the package as soon as I receive them in the mail.

Try Something New
I only started eating Kale a few years ago when I got a small packet of seed from a Seedy Saturday giveaway. Florence Fennel was a fancy crop I tried in my garden only after I tasted it in a salad. Cobra Tomatoes were a flavor failure last year and I won’t be trying those again, ever. I like to try new things and compare the relative success to the plants I tried previously.

This year I am speaking at Seedy Saturday in Calgary on March 17th but I won’t be waiting that long to order something new. Instead I treat the Saturday as a chance to learn new things from others, trade for some open pollinated crops, and ask gardeners what they are asking. Join me there and I will give you a package of mixed Kale seed I originally got from another seedy Saturday. I could say it is the leanest, sexiest Kale on the market but that would be exaggerating. It is simply a tasty and relatively new crop for me that I have loads of and want to share.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Fabulous Reviews on Chapter's Web Page

2012-01-01T13:21:00.001-07:00

Rave reviews are pouring in on the Chapter's Canada web page where my new book, No Guff Vegetable Gardening is now available. Thanks to all who have posted a note - this recent one is from Christy -

"Love this book! Fun to read, easy to understand and most important for me, it makes me want to start a veggie garden again! This time, with the help of this book, I will garden without so much self-doubt and criticism....this time I will have more FUN! I especially enjoy the layout, design and illustrations in this playful book (WOW). But this book is not just a good looker - do not let the playfulness distract you from the incredible depth and detail it provides. Every gardener, from beginner to experienced should have a copy - for education and entertainment, this is the best gardening book on my shelves!
PS. I hope you guys make more books!!!!"
Christy (as posted on Chapter’s Web Page)

No Guff Vegetable Gardening - A Surprise Gift

2011-12-28T10:03:00.005-07:00

Everyone loves a gift. This year, just before Christmas my little book No Guff Vegetable Gardening got a gift of its own. It was chosen by an American publisher - St. Lynn's Press - as a new title to be reprinted and added to their publications list. Yes, No Guff, my little book is going international. With a bit of repackaging it will be launched again in February 2012.

It all started a year ago when Steven and I were racing to finish the text and the artists were working through Christmas to finish the illustrations for my third book - No Guff Vegetable Gardening. I applied to speak at the annual meeting of the Garden Writer's Association (GWA) even though the book was still being built. I was asked to speak to a Mother's group on March 2cnd, 2011 and I couldn't go there empty handed. The gals who meet in the church basement with babies and preschoolers had booked me the summer before. I couldn't let them down. Working long hours, the text and illustrations and full layout were sent off to print at the end of January. Whew.

In our race against time we produced a book unlike any other self published book. We launched it first in Toronto because we were asked to speak at Canada Blooms in Toronto. From there I travelled all over the province and into B.C. to present to live audiences in a whirlwind of speaking events from Hillcrest Alberta to Gabriola, Kelowna and Vancouver B.C.(see me posing above at 32 Books a great little bookstore in North Vancouver). Finally we learned our application to GWA had been accepted and we gave our first International talk about No Guff in Indianapolis in August. We met several publishers there but still I was surprised when Paul Kelly emailed us soon after our talk to ask if he could reprint in the USA and around the world. The final papers were signed just before Christmas this year (2011) and the book will be printed and distributed everywhere except Canada in the New Year.

That isn't a mistake: we are retaining the right to distribute and sell in Canada where we have a great market thanks to CBC radio in Alberta, The Calgary Herald and all our friends in the garden writer's group. Mark Cullen, for instance mentioned us in his Christmas column in the Toronto Star just two weeks before Christmas. Thank goodness Susan Toy (Alberta Books Canada) had convinced us to put our book in Chapters. Orders started flying off the shelf and web page after that article and all the positive comments started appearing on Chapter's web page. Susan has been enthusiastic in finding reviewers and we thank her for that and look forward to working with her in the New Year as she suggests me as speaker par excellence to her many contacts. I am especially keen to speak to Master Gardener groups because the Master Gardeners I had review this book loved it and I love Master Gardeners!

With presents like this who cares about short days?

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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And Finally: Gardening is a Gift

2011-12-25T08:32:00.014-07:00

My friends probably think I am weird because I garden for fun, for work and for academic interest. I never get enough of it. If you are a gardener you are probably a creative soul but also a scientifically curious person with a wide range of interests. I always say when I retire I will really garden but in fact I have been gardening my whole life. Over the years I have added writing about gardening, answering questions on radio about gardening and doing a television show about gardening. I have taught gardening at college and worked at a botanical garden looking after volunteers who loved to garden.

In other words gardening is my gift. I hope to keep sharing it with my readers for years to come. Thank-you all for sending me notes and commenting on my blog.That is your gift to me.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Gardener's Gifts for the Season

2011-12-23T12:30:00.001-07:00

Dec 23, 2011- Script for CBC Radio: Alberta at Noon

Gardener’s Are Dreaming of …

Gifts for gardeners can be – well – gifty, or they can be practical, handy little items. They can be cheap (under a dollar) or they can be lavish (over $5,000.00). If they are too gifty, you have to really know the gardener – I think gazing balls look tacky but others like them. I prefer to get real garden gifts. I like things that make the hobby of gardening more fun.

My best-ever garden gift is still in use. All summer long and for over twenty years I’ve used it. It is a superb narrow stainless steel transplant spade; a gift from my Mother-in-law at least 25 year’s ago. Yes, I somehow survived with the wide spade most gardeners have but this little hardwood-handled beauty has made every job easier. It has been used to move plants, dig irrigation trenches and settle in bits of soil or compost around plants. I rely on it. It is visually and technically beautiful.

My worst ever gift was something I bought myself. This spring I picked up a garden time-lapse camera. I was exited about using the photos of seedlings germinating for my talks. I had lots of seeds germinating but no luck getting these images to download on my computer. Not a single time-lapse sequence has been shown at a single talk and now I don’t even remember where the camera is.

Here are some variously priced practical ideas to think about for the gardener in your life this season:

Simple- Free- $5.00
1) Gather up pebbles and put them in a shallow bowl or use an old existing birdbath or fountain. Place it outside in the spring and small birds and butterflies won’t drown while they drink. (No kidding bags of rocks are for sale at stores but moms will want the ones her kids collect.)
2) Cut small round pieces of screening to fit over a mason jar. Use the jar to grow sprouts all winter long to perk up salads and sandwiches.
3) Seeds of easy and fast growing flowers are fun to receive and reaily available at most garden centers. Simple things like bachelor’s buttons, calendula, cosmos and Tagetes marigolds can be started directly outside from seeds tucked into stockings this Christmas. If your favorite gardener prefers vegetables, buy a pack a lettuce, spinach, parsley or basil. These are easy to start and grow on indoors. (A gift certificate from McFaydens or other catalogue sales companies will also work in a pinch,)
Medium Priced Gifts – up to $100.00
1) There is nothing like a well-balanced watering can and Haws has been making nice ones for over 100 years. Now you can brighten up the garden because these traditionally built metal cans come in show stopping purple and red as well as the original forest green and copper colours.
2) It is so distracting to have a dirty plastic bucket under your sink for what looks like pig slop but is in fact your spent fruit skins and cores. This year I am pretty sure gardeners will be delighted to get a nice stainless steel bucket for compost, especially a bucket with a charcoal filter so they don’t smell or let irritating little flies in and out.
3) Grow lights are fun and give the keen gardener a chance to get things growing before it is time to work outside. Many systems use fluorescent lights and these have ballasts that gradually burn out. The simple solution, and with less energy use is the newer breed of Compact florescent lights available under the Jump Start brand from Garden Retreat here in Calgary. These little systems cost $80-$90 and are quite narrow so good for a small spot in the kitchen where you want to grow a few herbs.
4) Seedling-warmer plastic mats have been available for a while but this year Jump Start has introduced a narrow heating pad perfect for windowsills. Like the larger – tray-sized mats, these will encourage fast germination. Because it is often cold by a window these also provide the bottom heat needed to get keep things growing once they sprout.

Lavish Garden Gifts
1) I don’t know a single keen gardener who would turn down a small backyard greenhouse. Clip a photo out of a magazine, include a book on greenhouse growing and slip this idea under the tree. Expect to pay from 1,000-5,000 depending on the materials and size chosen. Better yet, offer to install it. Better than a diamond any day!

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Faux is Fun: The Gift of Play in the Garden

2011-12-22T09:35:00.013-07:00

Topiary, spray painted ornamental onion heads and fake windows painted on homes in Wales are all examples of fun in the garden. They are the furthest thing from serious pest control or work projects in the garden.

This year I fell in love with how easy it is to keep a small shrub in a topiary form and when I was in Europe I saw how this form, while reviled by some, could be a lot of fun. If you are a serious gardener with only serious pursuits in mind this isn't the style for you.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Old is New: Gift of Garden's Past

2011-12-21T09:30:00.027-07:00

I once read the newest trend in gardening is the gravel path. I laugh about this when I give talks and tell farmer's and rural gardeners in Alberta that their driveways are now the latest thing in garden design. But there I was in rural Wales and modern London this year and guess what? It is true.

Gravel is used right up to the house in some cases and gravel mulch is used in combination with other materials in others. In other words everything old to us and even older in Britain is quite commonplace and still fresh. I want to change my city home to work in more gravel everywhere - except for those places where I have to shovel. There won't be a gravel path going into my front walk any time soon.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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The long fall: Gift of Time

2011-12-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

When I came home late September from Wales and London I expected everything to be dead from frost in the Calgary garden. It wasn't- in fact I had another batch of ripe tomatoes and a long season of purple asters. I am still eating kale salad brought in earlier from the yard and the ground cherries I picked in November on the greenhouse floor are still gradually ripening on the counter.

This year I am thankful for the long fall and all the bounty it brought!

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Garden wildlife: Gift of Wonder

2011-12-16T10:54:00.035-07:00

This summer spit became an object of fascination for my grandkids. Mali and Kale weren't interested in just any old spit. The fell in love with "spit bugs" as Kale called them. We took long walks looking for spittle bugs in the parks and pathways. They carefully collected them in their plastic tubs (with breathing holes and parts of plants of course). Getting them to head home was a tricky thing and I never did ask their mom how she handled them at her end but that's the fun of being a grandma- we can drop off kids and bugs with one happy farewell wave.

This spittle bug collecting was an extension of my grandkid's love for worms and all the worm sorting and finding we had done earlier in the summer. Yes, once a year we dump out our worm bin and the kids are excited to help sort the worms from the finished compost in my big yellow wheelbarrow. Obviously this is kind of a gross job and one of the many things I learned this year is that I can avoid all the sorting by taking the lid off the bin and shining a bright light on it to drive the worms deeper. Thanks go to Ralph Rhoads, inventor of the Worm Factory for this tidbit- Like me he started with the can-o-worms from Australia but unlike me he did something more and invented this newer studier system called the Worm Factory.

To say Ralph knows something about worms is an understatement. For more info about the Worm Factoy see http://naturesfootprintinc.com/. By the way Ralph offers many opportunities for communities and cities to buy bulk or discount worm bins - check out his web page for details.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Outdoor Living: Gift of Comfort and Joy

2011-12-13T13:39:00.039-07:00

We knew our dinner with Peggy and Darryl would be the last in our little Calgary garden.

We planned to (and did) sell our house in the fall and with travel and conferences and trips back to the coast our mid-summer dinner really was our last chance to enjoy the little pond and warm evening air as we dined al fresco watching bats fly past while our pooch lazily laid on my rare Adonis vernalis.

Although there is always a lot of emphasis on the three W's (weeding and watering and working) in the garden there should be a few minutes set aside for special moments: some time for lazing about after your real work and garden work.

I like to keep a few minutes for play, family and friends in the garden. The grandchildren hunt for rare rocks and treasures in the (very safe) pond-less water garden and I wait for a glimpse of a bird taking a bath in the stream. I am thankful for all the times we shared with friends in our back yard and look forward to impromptu parties in both our tiny condo in Calgary and west coast home. Below: candles and colorfuly painted table add to the ambience in a garden.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Garden Books old and new: Gift of Reading

2011-12-09T10:25:00.001-07:00

News flash! Canadian garden guru Mark Cullen wrote a book review for "No Guff Vegetable Gardening" in the Toronto Star today! Yahoo. (When the written word moves you: A guide to new books and magazines on gardening. You can view this story at: http://www.thestar.com/yourhome/outdoor living/gardening and landscaping/article/1098700--cullen-when-the-written-word-moves-you)

New books are nothing like old. Even the difference between my first black-and-white book published in 1995 and my newest full colour book published this year is like night and day. It is hard to remember books used to come without a cover and were personalized by the owner.

I took the above photo of an old private leather-bound library in Wales. I learned in Wales that the purchaser of a book used to bind it in the "style" of his own library. This is why libraries from the 17th and 18th centuries look so uniform on shelves. The owner planned it that way.

My personal highlight this year was the publication of my "No Guff" book. Several thousand have already been sold but we haven't made it to Canadian best seller status yet (which means 5,000 books sold) so of course I am hoping all of my gardening friends and garden readers will get out there and buy a copy for personal use or to give to friends for their libraries this Christmas. Check my Garden Coaches Chat web page for reviews and a sneak peak or stroll down to your favourite garden centre or book store to stock up.

Other favourite gardening/naturalist books I loved this year include:
Gardening, Naturally by Sara Williams and Hugh Skinner for its practical approach to cold climate gardening;
Honeybee Democracy by Thomas Seeley for its technical information about honeybees. More info than most of us want to know but really comprehensive;
Growing Roses in Calgary by the Calgary Rose Society for its tips on growing roses in a very cold climate. Suitable for Edmonton and other cold regions as well as Calgary;
The Edible Front Yard by Ivette Soler and Continuous Container Gardens by Sara Begg Townsend and Roanne Robins because of the beautiful and inspiring photos even though many of the plants and ideas shown won't work in my cold climate.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Meeting gardeners: The Gift of Friendship

2011-12-06T10:03:00.084-07:00

When Dick Basset saw a photo of a nine foot lily on the front pages of the newspaper he knew he had to work in Horticulture. Dick grew up on a dairy farm, had a brief career in the airforce, and went off to UBC where he studied horticulture. Fast forward 60+ years and imagine how much fun I had meeting Kelowna's premiere lily breeder. I would have to say he is one of the happiest most creative gardeners I met this year. I can't wait to get my hands on some of the lilies he has been breeding in his "spare time" but I wouldn't have met him at all if

friend and gardener Alicja Paradzic hadn't retired to the warmer climate of Kelowna and enticed me out there to speak to her garden club.
While there in July, another gardener Linda Edser toured me around and also introduced me to Andrea McFadden of the Okanagan Lavender Farm. 3rd generation farmer, Andrea, was full of ideas for small farmers looking to maximize farm profits.

A highlight this summer was the Garden Writer's Conference in Indianapolis where dozens of garden writers came together. I sat with Jeff Lowenfels at the final banquet - he is shown here with his GWA award for his excellent book "Teaming With Microbes".

I am thrilled to be part of the bigger garden world and have the gift of friendship from so many including fellow writers Debra Prinzing and Steven Biggs, clients Evonne Selk and Peggy Proudfoot, so many book store and small shop owners where I presented or sold my new book and of course folks I met at the many lectures I gave. A garden writer can spend a lot of hours sitting alone writing. Getting out to events and conferences gives me immense pleasure.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Learning new garden things: Gift of Knowledge

2011-12-04T13:41:00.075-07:00

Everyone knows catnip is an attractant for house cats. They go crazy for this herb.

This spring I learned about big cat behaviour when I stayed overnight with Thayer Head before I gave a talk in Hillcrest, Alberta. As Thayer and I chatted about cats and catnip she told me a friend of hers saw a wild cougar in her garden. Yes I have written books and done loads of television and radio interviews but this year I learned one very important thing about wild cougars.

I learned cougars are like any other cat. They are attracted to and will roll in catnip growing in a home garden. Note to self: Don't plant catnip on my semi-wild property in British Columbia. I don't want to wake up one morning to a cowering puppy scared by a yowl of pleasure from a cougar.

Other ingenious ideas I learned about this year include: Straw bale gardens (Indiana), Carrots grown in tubs for bringing into the greenhouse in fall (Wales) and at Kew gardens in London I saw a new way to use a garden fork. The fork's d-shaped handle is the prop and a useful third hand when staff at Kew wanted to water without holding a hose.

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Texture: Garden Gift of Visual Interest

2011-12-01T10:02:00.018-07:00

I promised to share a few of the past year's favourite garden things this month describing them in terms of the gifts I have gained. I have based this on the twelve days of Christmas (like the song) but will be stretching them out between December 1-25th. I won't be talking about Poinsettias or Christmas cactus or ways to extend the life of your holiday tree. Instead I speak from the heart and start the series with a basic design element: TEXTURE...

I always want something better in the garden and sometimes I don’t know what I want – I just know there is something wrong with the little flower bed or pot in front of me. I saw a tip once to test texture by photocoping a colour image of a garden in black and white. Because we love colour so much we can't analyze the textural interest of the garden unless colour is removed. If you like what you see even when there is no colour you are probably enjoying a garden lush with textural interest.

The two photos above show a garden in Wales with lovely colour but after doing the B&W test it is obvious the garden lacks the added drama of texture.
When I saw the garden (below) with big empty pots in Indiana this summer at the 63rd GWA conference I knew the scene would pass the B&W test.

The role of pots or any coarse element in the garden is to add texture. The contrast makes an otherwise plain jane garden fabulous.

Hurray for McFayden Seeds: Brilliant

2011-11-28T09:09:00.001-07:00

Last week I proposed starting posts of my favourite gardening things from 2011 on this blog over the Christmas season and the snow on the ground certainly cooperated to get me in the mood sorting through photos and making a plan. Then suddenly my McFayden Seed Catalogue arrived in the mail and I had to share the exciting news: this Canadian company is featuring my newest book "No Guff Vegetable Gardening" in their catalogue.

"Brilliant...terrific information...humorous illustrations...unlike any gardening book available" according to page 24 of their new catalogue (order your book, or seeds, or free seed catalogue from McFayden.com).

I love to support the companies that support small business in Canada.

A Few of my Favourite (Garden) Things - Stay Tuned

2011-11-24T14:16:00.043-07:00

It is a fact. There really is nothing new in gardens or gardening- just new ways to look at old things. But personally I have had an interesting year for travel and I saw some incredible things in unlikely places that I want to share.

Like Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music" I am going to be sharing a few of my favourite things over the coming days leading up to Christmas. Unlike Julie my favourite things are all about gardening and do not involve kittens or string. My present to you is going to be garden visual. Are these the best plants or photos or most impossibly creative ideas? Well you be the judge. Tell your friends to follow along too. I know for a fact they aren't out weeding!

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Chapters Now Selling No Guff Vegetable Gardening

2011-11-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

Well the big announcement of the week is that my book No Guff Vegetable Gardening is now at Chapters in both Alberta and Toronto! This is a huge step forward for such a small publisher so we are thrilled and want all our friends and friends of friends to go out and look for it this Christmas.

Leaf Magazine a Winner

2011-11-09T19:08:00.002-07:00

Loved this new online magazine- maybe you will too. Check out: http://issuu.com/Leafmag/docs/leaf_previewissue/1
What I learned:
Random knitters knit graffiti on trees
There are a lot of rich people (the landscapes are luxurious)
The young farmers look very fashionable.

Trouble is I am not big on reading online so I mostly skimmed. Wouldn't want to read the NewYorker this way.

Cleaning your home greenhouse

2011-11-08T12:02:00.012-07:00

I was delayed leaving for a ski trip one year because of clean-up. My husband offered to help and asked if there was anything in particular that needed cleaning. I suggested he clean-out the fridge. After all I hate coming home to left-overs but I especially hate green two-week-old leftovers.

After making beds, doing laundry, and walking the dog I checked in with hubby. He was still working on the fridge. I could see he was carefully scrubbing each and every corner of the fridge and then grandly re-arranging all the leftovers. I had hoped for clean-out and he had provided clean-up. The left-overs were still primed for decay in their somewhat cleaner containers. Clearly something was lost in gender translation.

Both clean-up and clean-out is happening in my greenhouse right now. Yes, there are still green leaves and even flowers on the tomatoes. The basil is technically still alive, and the Cape Gooseberries are in bloom and in rot, depending on which part of the plant you study. But it is time to clean it all out. I will be away most of December and need to make sure there is nothing left to fester or create a problem.

It is time to tear out plants, dumping them on the compost where they can freeze and die back. I will also empty pots onto my veggie beds and move my tomato containers to a shed where it will freeze. I am getting out the power-washer - a big "tool" my husband usually reserves for driveways and exterior house cleaning. This is because I know spider mites are like grizzly bears. They go dormant in the lower light of winter but they don't die. They will appear again as brightly as seedlings in spring once we get the longer sunny days of March. Spider Mites cause the stippling white spots on leaves and irritating webbing on greenhouse crops in the growing season. They will raise havoc with their hunger when they emerge in spring.

The best solution for home greenhouses is both a clean-out and clean-up of the greenhouse come late fall. Power washing or a good dose of bleach will get mites and other pests out of the nooks and crannies where they like to hang-out. After that I let the freeze-thaw action have its impact. This resets the clock on pests and by the time I feel like starting little seedlings again the clean greenhouse will be ready and waiting.

Photo above is of Cape Gooseberries continuing to ripen indoors after being harvested in the greenhouse (shown behind).

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Donna's Garden Clean-up Tips go National

2011-11-07T14:35:00.004-07:00

My little article from the Calgary Herald "Getting Winter-Ready" has gone National. It was reprinted in several newspapers this weekend including the National Post.

Check out: Getting winter-ready
National Post
http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/11/05/getting-winter-ready/

Compost Applied This Fall

2011-11-03T14:49:00.003-06:00

Donna is doing her best to make her Calgary Garden a delight for the new owner. Yes- you read this right. As of January this gardener is moving in to a tiny condo and leaving behind her fabulous city garden. I guess there are two approaches to leaving. Number one: take all the plants and head for the hills. Second choice: leave all the plants and add compost so the plants and soil overwinter under a luxurious bed of organic matter. I chose door number 2. After some miscommunication I arranged TopSpray from Cochrane to pop by with some blow-on mulch. I usually get the big bag of compost but wanted to go out with style (and try something I had not used personally before even though I often suggest it with good results to clients).

Is it Nutri-Om or Nutri-Loam? There seems to be some confusion and I was worried I was getting the wrong thing when I ordered one and was billed for the other. When the guys arrived to install the stuff it was dirty and blowing around. Frankly I was worried I had made a mistake but it looked great once it was down and cleaned up. What a super way to put the garden to bed. But I am always worried in Calgary that it won't snow and the garden soil will dry out and before you know it the garden is freeze-dried instead of ready for winter. Of course last year was a change up. It snowed and never stopped.

Anyway I have suggested this to many clients but only this year did I actually get around to doing it myself.... about time. I still don't know what it is called but it looks good. Very good. And reports are it is biologically active so we can expect some super effects in spring....

IF YOU LIKE MY APPROACH TO GARDENING, YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOK

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Very Tiny Almonds Grow in Calgary

2011-11-01T14:30:00.003-06:00

If you have wondered what those pretty pink shrubs are in spring wonder no longer. If the blooms are bright pink and single on short shrubs they are probably Russian Almonds (Prunus tenella). And believe it or not these Russian Almonds are edible. This seems to have been a particularly good season for almonds on the great plains and while out dog walking I noticed the seeds were bursting open. Upon closer inspection it was not the seeds but the seed cases. The seeds were not an easy nut to crack. It took a bit of ingenuity and finally I decided on the best course of action. I asked my husband to do it.

My sister thought they tasted like Amaretto. I thought they were bitter and intense with a long dwindling aftertaste. My husband loved them. In any case if you see small almonds ripening on short shrubs, give them a taste. They are ready now and you wouldn't want the squirrels to get them all!

The small Russian almond seed cases are smaller than a penny. The actual "almonds" inside are smaller yet and the taste is more powerful too.

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Most Unusual Landscape Features

2011-10-30T19:49:00.014-06:00

Donna was out and about again - on tour as it were. Although the purpose of the meeting was garden writing, Eaglesong, the "director of natural beauty" gave us a tour of the grounds at the Willows Lodge in Woodenville, near Seattle. Eaglesong not only directs beauty, she digs in and composts and prunes and plants. She is part of a very small crew managing this sustainable landscape (for anyone who still thinks sustainable is "natural" or "messy" check out this near perfect landscape.) Willow Lodge is beautiful and in full fall mode right now and staff are planting bulbs and touring garden writers. I was there for the region six Garden Writer's meeting and I am definitely an interloper (region 7 is Canada and the rest of the world so I was slightly out of my range).

Today at Willow Lodge we saw Bill Reid's work (he is a Canadian First Nation's artist) all over the grounds and inside the hotel. Wow - I am proud to be a Canadian. The dead burned out ancient Fir at the entrance and poisonous mushrooms were the most unusual landscape elements I had ever seen. How fabulous is this?

Well - it is a beautiful place - no doubt and they are ready for Halloween too.

When a deadly poisonous mushroom sprouts, Eaglesong points it out rather than removing it.

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Finally Frost- A month late

2011-10-18T10:52:00.004-06:00

It's true - the tender annuals have frozen in my yard- finally. I was getting tired of them anyway and wasn't too upset. The amazing thing is I didn't lose it all until Oct 15th- this is an exceptionally long frost free period for Calgary. My book partner Steven Biggs has just loaded all the most current Environment Canada weather data on our Garden Coaches Chat web page (www.gardencoacheschat.com) after my friend Joan and I got the info as a scanned typed sheet from Environment Canada, made corrections and put it into an excel spread sheet. This was no small feat and there is only one problem- the info is 20 years old.

Yes- it's true the most current information provided by Environment Canada to us for thus project on frost periods across Canada was twenty years old. Does this make a difference? Sure- twenty years ago the average frost free period in Calgary was 112 days. Now, according to Calgary meteorologist Steven Rothfells we have on average 115 days without frost. Environment Canada's data says we usually didn't get frost from May 25-Sept 15 so this fall we got a month more than usual in the fall- absolutely amazing.

Is it climate change or just good luck? Well, I am a gardener, not a meteorologist so I can't say for sure. In any case annual flowers

reached a huge size this year with all the extra growing time and that is a good thing. Too bad I didn't get great pictures of all my favorites such as Dorotheanthus bellidiformis 'Mezoo'TM (Mezoo trialing Red) shown here and the golden 4 O'clock with its golden leaves and bright pink flowers. One of the least favorite new plants this year was the new mini double white petunia from Proven selections (Blanket Double White). It seemed like a non-event with its aphid attracting sticky leaves and fairly low ration of blooms to leaves. Just a non-starter.

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In Love With Wales: Reason #6- Hands On Gardeners

2011-10-04T13:36:00.001-06:00

Who knew gardener's still wore early 20th century clothing to go about their daily gardening duties? Complete with cap, suit jacket, short pants and boots, this unknown gardener has it all. Apparently it is rare - or at least this is the only period gardener I glimpsed. He was in the beautiful and famous Bodnant Gardens. I did originally take a photo of him from the front but when I pointed out to him his zipper was undone he shuffled off without answer so I took this more demure photo from behind.

Gardener Glyn Smith and jet-lagged Donna Balzer (AKA me) pose in Glyn's incredibly diverse garden - Erdding Hall in Wrexham, Wales. Yes it is early in the morning - or maybe late at night I am not sure but it was day one - the only time I thought to pose for a picture in Wales just to prove I really was there. The bus waited while I ran back to get my purse containing passport & money. Oops! That wasn't the only time I left my purse behind but I did stop blaming it on jet-lag.

Head Gardener, Robert Owen, kept the Bodygallen Hall Gardens in top shape and shared little pieces of wisdom: "Wales is self-sufficient in things like sheep and leeks" and "When boxwood turns orange it needs fertilzer". Owen uses fish, bone and bloodmeal for fertilizer and tells us he used to spray all the time for blights on apples. Since they ran out of time (less staff on this 220 acre spread) they stopped spraying and they noticed they rarely have blight any more. Go figure.

Gwaenynog Hall is maintained by Janie Smith in an attempt to keep the memory of her distant relative Beatrix Potter alive. If you didn't hear the story of Peter rabbit and all his adventures it is time to dig into your child-hood books. These stories were inspired by these gardens.

In love with Wales: Reason #5- Going Back in Time

2011-10-03T15:00:00.001-06:00

Recognizing the famous song "Men of Harlech" (Wale's unofficial anthem) struck a chord with some of the garden writer's visiting Wales more than others (sorry I didn't have a clue and didn't recognize it at all). Recognizing a great piece of architecture was easier. I think we all enjoyed the famous and impregnable Harlech Castle from the thirteenth century.

The details of the double walled Harlech castle were amazing!

Amazing Welsh guide Donna Goodman (left) explains the inner workings of the famous Harlech castle to Canadian Gardening Magazine Editor in Chief Erin McLaughlin (right).

On the Isle of Anglesey the famous new Royal Couple (W & K) have their abode. If you want to feel Royal, you can stay at the recently refurbished Plas Cadnant Gardens in their Welsh farm buildings turned into lux rental units. Here the official garden cat inspects the blooms in anticipation of the official public opening in 2012.

Garden writer Donna Dawson (L) tries to photograph fellow writers Veronica Sliva, Dorothy Dobbie and guide Donna Goodman (Left to Right).

How delicious - A garden Bell (also called a Cloche) inside the Historic Erddig Garden and house.

Why Visit Wales: Reason 4- Varied Landscapes

2011-10-02T17:46:00.005-06:00

"Wales is such a small country but we have such a variety of landscapes" said our enthusiastic Wales tour guide, Donna Goodman (she was a warden and naturalist in earlier careers). "It's not just the landscape, it's the history and culture I love. If you like history it is around every corner".

Like England 50 year's ago, Wales is rustic and wild compared to other parts of the U.K. We loved the mountains (especially Snowdonia), the language (Celtic), the food (authentic and fresh- especially the mussels at Feather's Royal Inn in Aberaeron), the people and the hospitality.

Donna Dawson of "I Can Garden" website fame takes a photo of the famous Welsh landscape fence- it is made of slate!

Part of the varied scenery: the dramatic Snowdonia mountains.

Aberglasney Gardens shared both old and new features - this one piece of the garden was new, designed by famous U.K. designer Penelope Hobhouse. Head gardener, Joseph Alkin, also showed us 400-500 year old Diamond style cobble paths and the oldest Yew tunnel anywhere (apparently the oldest verified living garden feature in the U.K.)

At the first National Botanical garden to be developed in the new Millennium, The National Botanical Garden of Wales includes the world's largest single spanned greenhouse (shown here).

In Love With Wales: Reason #3 (Bright Colours Inspire)

2011-10-01T16:55:00.004-06:00

Yes we've all heard the stories: "Wales is rainy and gloomy". Nothing could be further from the truth. Once we dipped into the Welsh countryside the small group of travel writer's I was with were fascinated with the colourful buildings - especially at the tourist town and garden of Portmeirion. Built to promote his architectural business and to be a self-funded "village", both the town and home garden of Clough Williams-Ellis were showy and colourful.

Not as famous as the blue Tiffany packaging, Portmeirion blue should be! Used throughout both the Plas Brodnaw Gardens and village of Portmeirion, in all the little details including trim, fences and benches.

The seaside holiday village of Portmeirion features a variety of bright colours including the famous blue used again here in the trim.

Stunning white fall blooms (probably Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert') look fab in Portmeirion and in Clough Williams-Ellis' home garden Plas Brondanw.

In Love With Wales: Reason #2 Rock

2011-09-30T14:55:00.002-06:00

Driving from England into Wales I was in for a big surprise. While brick is big in England because they have the clay soils for making it, the big thing in Wales is rock, specifically blue slate. What can you do with rock?

A. You can build rock walls such as this one at Bodysgallen Hall.

B. You can plant rock walls with Zauschneria californica (seen at Bodnant Gardens)

C. You can pave , make shingles or plant labels with stone.

D. You can build a barn, home or castle such as this barn from the holiday home of children's author Beatrix Potter at Gwaenynog Hall in Denbigh

E. You can build a famous site such as Stone Henge (After leaving Wales I found out that the famous Welsh rock was transported to Stone Henge in England during prehistoric times)

In Love With Wales: #1

2011-09-29T14:53:00.005-06:00

Oh Wales, your rainy reputation preceded you and it just wasn't true. I am just back from a fabulous trip to see you in September (thank-you Visit Wales!) and the first thing I packed to bring with me was a raincoat. Since my return home people keep asking mean things about you: "Was it raining every day?", they inquire.

In fact the small group of elite garden writers invited to visit you, Wales, all came away with a new respect for your tiny footprint in the U.K. Yes it was green but we didn't see much of your widely reported rain. The food was fabulous, the scenery was varied, and the gardens were great. When we departed from the bus we had softly overcast skies, perfect for photography. My husband claims it never rains on the golf course. I claim the same for you Wales.(Photo 1: My little private cottage in Bodysgallen)

Over the next several days I will write about and show the ten things I loved most about you Wales. Today I share the unpublished wonders of the first night's hotel: Bodysgallen Hall & Spa. In a word: WOW. Is it a grand hotel or simply a lush garden? I can't decide.

(Photo 2: The big picture- a view of the hall and garden from the far end of the garden)

(Photo 3- A view of the herb garden)

Yes- it is aster time again

2011-09-19T09:05:00.004-06:00

My neighbor complained his whole garden came and went again one weekend in mid-summer while he was away. "It was a real disappointment" he said.

I have decided that in my advanced years (yes I turn 55 later this year) I will no longer put all my eggs in one basket - will no longer plant only annuals or some mid-summer beauty that catches my eye in July. Forget about the traditional spring summer and fall. I decided to really enjoy all the various seasons such as peony season,lily season, helenium season, hydrangea season and now finally - Aster season.

If you happen to stroll by please take a peak at my Professor Kippenburg fall asters .... they are hardy and pretty. They have brilliant purple ray flowers with a yellow eye, and they are a super source of bee food in the waning season of fall blooms. Why not squeeze a few asters into your own garden next spring? They are lovely little shrub-like fine textured plants until the day they bust out and bloom all over.

Spring Bulbs Peaking Through

2011-09-16T12:55:00.002-06:00

It's a mystery how plants know it is time to emerge but the first time I saw my Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) emerging in the fall I panicked. I knew this was a spring bulb- a little beauty known for it's blue grape-like clusters of blooms. I had seen it in other gardens and rather than being jealous I decided to jump in with joy.... I planted a couple hundred of them all at once. They are so easy to toss on the soft fall soil and push in about an inch with a quick finger poke.

In a few seasons little guys spread to make clusters and provide a month of pure joy in late May. They are not the earliest source of colour- at least a month after Hepatica or Bloodroot - but they are a pleasant surprise in between the earlies and the mid-June Peonies. So when I see them coming up in fall it reminds me where they are and I don't accidentally plant over them!

Here is a picture of what they will look like in spring beside the bloodroot leaves that emerge after their white blooms finish:

And Speaking of Annuals

2011-09-09T09:36:00.002-06:00

Okay - a mother shouldn't play favorites and a gardener shouldn't either. But gardeners are only human and sometimes a plant comes along that surprises and delights you. Just when you were looking for a filler you find a new favorite.

I know gardeners want to know about new flowers in the spring not the fall but this one came from behind the pack - bought at Superstore no less- to surprise me with its vigor. In a summer defined by cold rain in June and July I tucked a few new plants between the other experimentals. Imagine my surprise when a plant I have never used before grew rapidly in shade and sun - dashing past all the presumed better plants to win the race and my heart?

With the crazy long name (Dorotheanthus bellidiformes) this trademarked Mezoo is gonna find a place wherever I need vigorous colour and carefree attitude (which is everywhere) in sun or shade. It barely needs water but if it gets it watch out. I like the thought of it spilling off my balcony next year instead of those wimpy petunias that barely made it past the starting gate and sulked for weeks in damp weather.

Sum-tember

2011-09-06T13:10:00.001-06:00

Calgary gardener's are used to a sharp cold snap and then a warm fall. This year we got the warm September without the cold. We had very few warm days in July and August but it looks like summer is finally here in September.

Will this be a problem for plants? Nah- they love this chance to keep blooming and growing new leaves and save up more energy for the big winter ahead. Some plants are triggered to do their winter prep thing by the shortened days and cooler nights. Yes even though it is plus thirty in the day it is still dipping to single digits at night.

This has triggered my Tiger Eyes Sumac (above and at top) to begin changing colour. Most of the other plants are just soaking in the sun, trying to squeeze in another flower. For the record I have clipped off the tomato blooms- it is just too late to even hope for more fruit so I am letting the plants ripen the fruit they have but not letting any more form.

Gardeners wonder if they have to keep watering trees and shrubs in fall and I say yes- don't let plants wilt. If they wilt, they are stressed and then they attract bugs and other problems. Keep up the moisture and don't shut down the irrigation too soon. It is not true that we need to stop watering to harden plants up- that is just Guff. And speaking of Guff- I sold a ton of books at the BBQ on the Bow this weekend. What fun to meet and greet so many CBC listeners! Hello to all!

More Like Martha

2011-08-31T09:18:00.001-06:00

I am just home from the Garden Writer's Symposium (GWA) in Indianapolis and I have to say in a word it was great. I went to talks, saw new products, bought books, sold books and marketed my book "No Guff Vegetable Gardening". I gave an excellent talk about self-published books with my partner Steven Biggs and it generated all kinds of ideas and feedback.

GWA was a chance to really find out what others - including the editor of Martha Stewart's magazine- are doing. The takeaway is simple- In my practice as Garden Writer, Speaker and consultant I need to be more like Martha. She reuses every little bit of work in so many ways.

In other words I need to get my book into excerpts, videos, and inboxes of people who are interested in smart funny garden info..... so help me out!

More to follow as I unpack my mind and my suitcase.

Meanwhile here is a picture from the Indianapolis Zoo Botanical Garden- who knew this garden would be the touring highlight of my trip?

Guerrilla Gardens of Silver Springs

2011-08-22T10:44:00.000-06:00

What is the biggest Botanical Garden in Calgary? If you thought perhaps the Reader Rock Garden or the Calgary Zoo, think again. Duncan Badger, co-chair of the Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs claims to co-chair the largest volunteer garden in Calgary (15,000 square foot of flower beds on a 20 acre site including the Birthplace Forest- size unverified by this gardener). "We'd like to be better known by gardeners" said Badger, when we met last friday at the garden, a series of long planted flower beds along Crowchild trail's sound attenuation fence.

To find the gardens, managed and maintained by volunteers on Calgary roads and Calgary Parks property, use your google earth map to find the parks headquarters shed. It is at 6555 Silver Springs Crescent NW Calgary. "Admission" is free to this public park gone indie. According to a Parks staff unofficial statement, this is a guerrilla garden, not one officially sanctioned. Working on a right of lease with Roads and Parks, Badger's garden boasts official Donors (for money and materials), 10 volunteers and almost weed free beds. Quite an amazing thing if you compare it to many of the less manicured official parks in the city.

Is it a Botanical Garden? Probably not. If you like a plant you are going to have to guess it's name. There are no official records of or testing and labeling of plants. Is it a fun and great idea? Sure, why not beautify our city one road allowance at a time.

Moss on the lawn- a few cures

2011-08-13T18:05:00.000-06:00

A huge success in Qualicum Beach is the way our lawn bounced back from mostly dead to thriving. This followed a few years of neglect while we discussed the “problem” and had an ongoing debate with neighbors about the best way to deal with moss taking over a lawn. In a climate where rain is the daily norm for more than half the year moss is often the majority of the green in the lawn. Our neighbour decided a ferrous sulfate fertilizer might be the best way to “cure” moss on this lawn and I was discussing his large dead patches of lawn where the moss is gone and nothing has replaced it. I top-dressed my lawn with fish compost, alfalfa pellets and a heavy dose of lawn seed. In other words I tried to amend the soil as much as the lawn itself believing every bit of success in gardening is based on soil quality regardless of where you garden or what you grow. Our lawn looks great.

Babies are Born!

2011-08-09T14:23:00.000-06:00

It had been almost nine months and with twins expected we thought maybe we'd get an early arrival. The full moon had come and gone and still no babies. All signs were good but still nothing to hold and cuddle. Instead every week we heard utra-sound updates, and telephone updates. We looked often at e-mail. We waited.

Suddenly Keith called out from his office- 'Donna come down right now". I saw him standing at his computer and rushed towards him, toothpaste spilling from my mouth, housecoat half open. "Are the babies here?" I gurgled trying to keep my mouth contents contained.

No- no - but look out the window. Just then two Quail and 13 day old babies rushed past Keith's office and we tracked them into the family room. I rushed to get my camera and caught them scooting through the garden.

Just yesterday we had talked about the lack of Quail and how we had not seen them for a while- quite a while it seemed. Now we had a quick overview of the very large family. Not the babies we expected but cute and oh so tiny. It looked like they were nibbling on seeds and bugs as they made their quick tour of the yard.

Fab Review of Book!

2011-08-04T13:35:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Lori-Anne of the pear tree for her fab review. Loved it!
Check out: http://thepeartree.ca/2011/08/summer-reading-for-new-gardeners/comment-page-1/#comment-4760

Beets & Other Bouquet Ideas

2011-07-29T08:44:00.000-06:00

How would your friends respond if you dropped off a bouquet of beets to celebrate a new baby? I am sure Debra Prinzing, author of the upcoming book A Fresh Bouquet (http://afreshbouquet.com), would be delighted. Prinzing spoke to a group of garden writers about bouquets of vegetables and fresh regionally grown flowers and there was a collective aha moment among the group.

Chemically doused, artificially coloured, imported flowers suddenly seem old school and scary. There is a reason why florists wear gloves to protect themselves from the chemicals sprayed on imported flowers. The message is simple: seasonal fresh cut farm or back yard flowers are better. Bursting with colour, beets and blooms are in season now. With a little ingenuity fall stems, seedpods and evergreens from your yard or a nearby farm can provide colour well into fall or winter. Prinzing thinks this is the next big thing in local farming. Local farmers agree....

READ MORE IN MY CALGARY HERALD COLUMN AUGUST 5TH OR LISTEN TO CBC RADIO TODAY IN ALBERTA 12:30-1:00 PM.

Better than Water into Wine

2011-07-21T01:05:00.001-06:00

Just last week I pulled off the alchemist feat of the year when I turned manure into wine. I had my neighbors laughing and possibly a little jealous, and it only took a few minutes.

But let's back up a bit. Earlier in June I was speaking in Hillcrest, Alberta and just before I arrived to give that talk I noticed a horse had left his calling card on the street during the town's parade. I was jealous, I told the audience. Things like this never happen in my hometown of Calgary. If I need horse manure I have to find a farmer and go get it. It never just falls into my lap that simply.

Back home I found myself quietly weeding in the front yard when a neighbor strolled by and mentioned a problem. He said another newer neighbor had been entertaining and the guests had left a horse trailer on the street overnight. But that's not the worst part, he said. In the morning they had cleaned out the trailer before moving it. "What?" I asked. Where did they clean out this trailer and how long ago was that? Surprised by my response he pointed across the street and I ran to get my bucket and shovel.

I am not sure how I missed this manna from heaven but with the recent rains triggering lush weed growth I had been doing catch up and had little opportunity to check out much beyond my own yard. Free fresh manure for the compost seemed like a miracle. My neighbor saw me scooping poop and called me over to see how much I had "retrieved". While he was checking out my disappointing less than a bucket full - barely enough to make a difference to my compost - two new neighbors joined the fray and quickly spilled the beans.

It was their fault the manure had been dumped, they said. Something about a visiting friend and a bed that needed to be moved. They felt bad that I had cleaned up their mess. They wanted me to have a bottle of wine - BC VQA- no less. No, NO, I insisted. I want this manure. It is no problem. No, they insisted back. We want to give you this wine.

So I strolled home with my two prizes. You just can't invent a story this good I was telling my husband later by phone. He was out of town and had missed the whole event. I had turned manure into perfectly good wine and got a boost for my compost at the same time. Trouble is- I had no one to share it with. Until now.

Mystery Solved

2011-07-20T01:04:00.000-06:00

Last week Doug phoned in to CBC radio and told all listeners he was confused by a plant in his yard. He said it looked like an evergreen but with big leaves. I was stumped but wondered allowed if it might be the touch me not... a rather large annual.

Well the photos arrived from Doug and his plant is (drum roll) : Hollyhock. Yes, I mean the common biennial most of our mother's grew in their garden. I don't know where it came from but it sure looks healthy. It is nothing to worry about and easy to pull if you don't like it. Here are Doug's pictures of his mystery plant:

Weeds- what are you gonna do?

2011-07-15T13:23:00.000-06:00

After the Alberta at Noon phone in show on CBC radio Philip Mees followed up with this comment today:
You mentioned ‘touch me not’ on CBC’s Wildrose today. I think that that’s the same as Himalayan balsam or Impatiens glandulifera. According to an article in the summer issue of Gardener for the Prairies this plant is a now listed as a prohibited weed in Alberta.

Of course Philip is correct - sorry I sloppily used the common name. You can google Impatiens glandulifera to see photos.

To Feed or not to Feed - that is the Question

2011-06-28T12:31:00.006-06:00

I have been guilty of underfeeding my potted plants. It started with going organic in my outdoor garden. Eventually I started letting everything take care of itself.

Trouble is, potted plants and hanging baskets don’t have much of a chance if they are not fertilized and watered. They are living in a holding material we call soil but it is really just mixed materials and none of them provide any nutrients. Top that off with the fact most annuals are highly bred flowers. Like the horses of Cavalia, they need grooming and feeding, not just pasturing until performance day.

Patty Bretin of Bretin's Flowers Farm in Calgary suggests using evergreen fertilizers for flower pots because of our high pH water. "You can't feed them (petunias) enough- I put them on a constant feed, and I like the acidic qualities of the evergreen fertilizers....

*** For more info: Listen to my column on CBC's Alberta@noon this Thursday (June 30) or check out the expanded version of this column in the Calgary Herald's Gardening section July 8th where I give you all the tips you need to keep your flower pots & basets great all summer.

(P.S. My hanging basket at right is still in good shape because I just bought it two weeks ago- to keep it that way I will start fertilizing this week - for sure)

More Blue in the June Garden

2011-06-25T09:41:00.002-06:00

Blue Boy and Frankie Clematis bloom on wood from last year so they are the first to show their delicate petals in June before the later clematis such as Jackmanii bloom. In this photo Maureen Wagner of Calgary props a birdhouse on an old wooden swing in her back yard amid the early clematis. She won't be using that swing this season!

Look for my Herald article on this topic later in July. Meanwhile send me your ideas for items that can be repurposed for the garden.

Calgary Herald Garden Videos- Pruning

2011-06-23T20:30:00.003-06:00

The video series running with the Calgary Herald is a chance to share info in a new way. Check out the latest one!

Oops #1 on this video- from the angle Ted was filming, the shrub was blocked so it looks like I am pruning a fern instead of hydrangeas.

Oops # 2 - my shears were dull you can see me ripping rather than cleanly cutting the small branches.... Never do that yourself. Always clean and sharpen your tools so you don't look silly on tv.

Oh well- let us know if we are going in the right direction with this video series. We'd love to get your feedback.

Drive By Viewing: Gentian in Bloom

2011-06-21T13:51:00.004-06:00

For the sweet lady who stopped her car yesterday, here is a photo of the mysterious blue gentian you have been seeing in bloom for the last few weeks. I no longer have a proper rock garden in the front yard but I do have rock and I do have this rock adapted Himalayan beauty: Gentian acaulis.
The plant is only a few inches (5 cm) tall but the flowers are that tall again. It blooms from late May to mid-June in Alberta and it definitely stops cars with it's vibrant blue blooms.

So many people have stopped by in the last few days to ask about this plant that I thought it deserved it's own mention on the blog. I was outdoors weeding and fluffing soil...(AKA playing in the garden) and one lady told me she had been walking by for years hoping to see me out front. I ensure you I do weed and fluff more than once every few years but we had not crossed paths until Monday. The lady who stopped her car said she pulled over as soon as she saw I was in the garden. She was so curious to find out about this plant and had been wondering about it for a few weeks.

This hardy perennial is a beauty and tough as nails. In the past I have seen it sold at Greengate Garden Centre, Wilhelm Roth's private back yard in NW Calgary, and the Calgary Rock Garden Society (CRAGS) spring sale.

Beautiful Blooms along the cowboy trail

2011-06-19T09:15:00.000-06:00

Southern Alberta is gorgeous and I stopped the car when I saw these wild penstemon's in bloom along Highway 22 in Southern Alberta... and PS The folks at Springbreak Garden Center in Hillcrest were tremendous - what a wonderful event!

Calgary Garden Videos- Using a turning composter

2011-06-11T19:19:00.004-06:00

Got a minute? Watch me struggle as I work with two different turning composters in my back yard."Garden Guru Shorts" one minute videos are an added bonus to the gardening section at The Calgary Herald. This is the third one in the series.

These videos show hands-on gardening one tiny piece at a time. If you like them let us know! If you have an idea for a future Garden Guru Short let me know that too! I plan to shoot most segments in my back yard but I could be convinced to come to your yard if there is something we can do in under a minute. And no- that doesn't include garden makeovers! You'll have to pay me to come and do that. And- by the way- that will take more than a minute.

First Harvest- Yum Veggies

2011-06-08T17:30:00.000-06:00

Pulled potatoes out of pots on Sunday - mainly because some of the plants were dying. Wow- fifteen little red potatoes in a 5 gallon nursery pot planted in February. How fun is that? The best news is that potatoes came out clean because I was using soiless mix instead of soil...

In my "soil" garden in the front yard I have picked a radish already- okay that is no big deal in most climates but in Calgary- it's huge! The radish was spicy and clean and perfectly round. Yum. Planted these just before Easter and eating them in early June (about 40 days). That's not bad for a 21 day variety (Topsi). Calgary gardeners are so easy to please!

Mulberry Books Today

2011-06-03T08:40:00.000-06:00

Save our small bookstores! Today I am at Mulberry Books in Qualicum Beach BC at 1:30 PM- and on Saturday I am at 32 Books in Vancouver at 2:00 PM. Honestly the best way to save and savor these small stores is to support them. Join me - bring your questions and see my new book!

Calgary Gardening: View my new mini-videos

2011-05-27T08:53:00.003-06:00

This week: Pruning Topiary Style Evergreens

Note about Garden Guru Shorts: These tiny videos are a special feature compliments of the Calgary Herald. This week I show you how to trim fashionable little topiaries. A new video will accompany my articles in the Calgary Herald Gardening Section- the topics will vary as I look at everything we need to do in the home garden.

No Guff Needs Your Help

2011-05-26T20:18:00.002-06:00

We are just days away from picking our best guff and giving away books to the guff with the most likes.... Have you got garden guff you have been shy to share? Jump into our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GardenCoachesChat and have a look around. Planting by the moon? Putting down straw to scare off slugs? Let us know your good and bad tricks and let our fans be the judge if it is the best guff or not....

June 2 is the day to beat.

Kids & Worms in the Calgary Garden

2011-05-26T20:08:00.002-06:00

So Every spring I need to sort things out: books are assembled for drop-off to fundraisers; the general cobwebs around the house are dusted; the garden is sorted and of course the worms are wrangled. These little guys need to be sorted and sifted and generally manhandled occasionally to separate the worm castings (ie worm poop) from the worms.

I like to sort worms before I plant my pots because it is great to get the castings and mix them with the potting soil before planting. Last year, my grand-daughter Mali came over to help. She loves finding the worms amongst the poop. Notice I am wearing gloves! It is a case of lost and found really and when we find a worm we put it in a bucket to add back into the worm bin. I know other people are able to produce perfectly dry castings but mine are always a bit wet so it takes a bit of elbow grease to sort it all out.

But what could be more fun on a rainy day in that dry spot beneath the overhead balcony?

Calgary Garden Show: all about Soils

2011-05-26T09:30:00.001-06:00

Calgary gardeners loved our No Guff soils talk at the Calgary Horticulture Society Spring Garden Show April 2011.

Get a grip on Climate: Veggie Garden talk at Calgary Garden Show

2011-05-25T14:04:00.002-06:00

Check out this video

2011-05-24T17:12:00.002-06:00

I was so impressed with this Hellman's video I am passing it along: (enjoy)
http://vimeo.com/5477517

High Fashion in the Calgary garden

2011-05-20T09:50:00.004-06:00

High fashion. A discussion about why I will remain unfashionable in the garden this spring.

I have been at twenty different garden centers this spring signing books and talking to growers and this morning I glanced at the superstore flyer to confirm - it is universal. Everyone wants us to plant one of the fashionable new black petunias.

In Alberta black flowers + black soil = black hole.

I can't imagine why the black tulips, black pansies and now black petunias are making such inroads. Give me colour- lots of colour - to brighten my garden after a long winter. Black is just not a flower colour I endorse!

Is it just marketing? You decide with your wallets.

PS Call me on CBC radio today - Calgary and Alberta Gardening questions answered.

Live Chat Today on CBC

2011-05-19T09:34:00.001-06:00

Okay this is new for me but join in if you happen to be at your desk today at 11:00 AM-noon. This is a chat-chat - as in typed comments and questions answered live- not the same kind of chat I will do Friday on CBC's Alberta@noon when people can phone me in what I call a "real" chat.

Check it out: http://www.cbc.ca/liverightnow/blog-entry/gardening-101.html

Holes new Enjoy Centre

2011-05-18T19:15:00.001-06:00

I am so out of date with posts that I am looking at photos from April and realizing I have not mentioned Holes new Enjoy Centre yet. I was toured around by Jim Hole and the site was massive- if you are thinking of checking out picture perfect plants check out the new Hole's Enjoy Centre in St. Albert. It is just north of Edmonton but so close to the ring road I wondered why the directions took us through town and out again?

Everything is automatic - it is not like any old ma and pa operation that's for sure. Here is a picture of the automatic hanging basket operation - a site to behold.

Going Cruisin- and I don't mean for boys

2011-05-11T17:12:00.001-06:00

Yahoo- I am taking a group of Garden Enthusiasts on a cruise - sort of- I am just there - not actually running the ship. Calgary Gardeners and everyone else across Canada enthusiastic about getting on the boat check out this link:

6 Weeks a Best Seller

2011-05-11T15:55:00.002-06:00

No Guff Vegetable Gardening is in it's sixth week as a best seller in Calgary! We keep getting compliments and a lot of libraries have ordered it so ask at your local library or order a copy for yourself online at www.GardenCoachesChat.com.

Subsidize Organic Food Like Conventional

2011-05-09T11:07:00.000-06:00

I love the newsletters I get from Cookstown Greens - an organic gardener we interviewed for No Guff Vegetable Gardening. In his recent newsletter he says:
“Why is organic food so expensive?” My answer is, “You asked the wrong question. You should have asked: Why is conventional food so cheap?” The answer is: For every dollar we spend for “cheap” food, taxes pay another two dollars. This form of “capitalism” is certainly not sustainable.

A picture of field greens here from Cookstown:

Get Your Hands Dirty

2011-05-06T09:17:00.003-06:00

Thanks to CTV Edmonton for sending the link to this clip filmed in their studio last week when I was up in Edmonton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3arHWnDUNk

EDMONTON FIELD TRIP- JOIN ME

2011-04-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's hard to know if anyone really follows a blog but suddenly I am off to Edmonton so please- if you are in the vicinity and you follow this blog come out and say hi and introduce yourself!

I will be at Audrey's Books on Jasper 6ish today - April 28 and Holes new location on Friday from 3-5 PM and finally at Greenland in Sherwood Park on Saturday from 11:ish AM - I will also give a talk there about my newest book No Guff Vegetable Gardening - at 1 PM April 30th.

If you get bored with the Royal Wedding look for me on TV and listen for me on CKUA. I will be around and about. Hope to meet my Edmonton fans!

Mushrooms in my Garden

2011-04-22T12:23:00.001-06:00

Morels are the spring mushroom - fleeting in nature and found in many locations but imagine my surprise when I found one while weeding my garlic bed in Qualicum Beach this week? Growing right beside an ancient built in board-framed bed. I confirmed it's identity (complete with hollow stem) and cooked it for supper with some dried Morels I had bought!

No Guff Mentioned in the Globe & Mail today

2011-04-16T12:04:00.000-06:00

From the Globe & Mail Saturday April 16, 2011

“Garden coaches” Steven Biggs and Donna Balzer have written a vegetable-garden how-to book that is fact-based and fun-basted. If you are a new gardener and want to know when, why or what to plant, this is a terrific book, and it’s also a handy reference book for more experienced gardeners. The “he said” and “she said” is very clever; yes, there is more than one answer to any question. Kudos to illustrator Mariko McCrae for making the book even more user-friendly.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/growing-with-my-garden-by-merilyn-simonds/article1986911/

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2011-04-14T09:46:00.000-06:00

Perhaps I spoke too soon about April flowers and radish seeding.... Let's hope this heavy snow brings all the moisture we need to push those posies up and out in May. Please May. I only wish I had seeded my spinach. Oh well- maybe Satruday.

Radish Seeded Yesterday

2011-04-14T09:30:00.003-06:00

There was a fleeting moment of sun yesterday and I optimistically seeded some new radish outdoors. I am also giving Topsi radish seeds away in my business cards to gardeners who come to my talks (Fish Creek Library tonight) because I want gardeners to remember me and to try something new. This new organically grown hybrid radish seed is supposed to be ready in 20 days from emerging and can be seeded into cold soil - up to a month before our last frost.

My partner and friend Steven Biggs is working at adding Environment Canada's last frost dates to our www.gardencoacheschat.com webpage. That info will help gardeners figure out when a month before their last frost date is and once their soils warm a bit the early seeds can go in the ground. Okay- if you are doing the math you are right- it is not a month but more like 6 weeks before the last frost date here but -heh- what's a few radish seed.

Wow- First Flowers in Bloom in Calgary

2011-04-13T12:06:00.001-06:00

What a relief to stroll outside and see a Hepatica in bloom in the neighborhood. This is only unusual because it has been such a cold spring. Hepatica usually blooms by mid-April but we don't usually get this much extreme cold and have this much snow hanging on with more on the way.

Tonight I speak about No Guff Vegetable Gardening at Owl's Nest Bookstore and on Thursday I am at the Fish Creek Library. All good fun. Join in and meet me in person!

No Guff Vegetable Gardening - sample pages

2011-04-04T11:03:00.000-06:00

No Guff Vegetable Gardening

View more presentations from Cadence PR

Finally the snow starts melting...

2011-04-01T12:15:00.003-06:00

Finally the snow started melting off the lawns in Calgary and what is the first thing I saw? Snow mold - spreading over the lawn as the snow recedes. Of course I got out right away and used a fan rake to briskly but not deeply rake the lawn to break up the fungal mat. Here are a couple of pictures of the lawn yesterday.

By tomorrow we are supposed to have more snow. Is it worth spraying? NO of course not.

But it doesn't hurt to sweep or lightly rake as soon as the snow melts- and this could be on different dates depending on the direction your lawn faces. South facing slopes will be the first to dry out.

Starving Antelope eat Junipers

2011-03-30T19:49:00.005-06:00

While on book tour to Drumheller, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge locals I spoke with told me this is the first year the snow is so deep antelope are breaking their fragile legs trying to get through it.

Fish and wildlife people have found 40 dead antelope in Medicine Hat gardens. Apparently in a rare move antelope have come into town and have eaten gardens but are unable to digest all the strange food - they are dying with stomaches full of juniper.

It is so sad. I just read in National Geographic magazine about migrations - it said that antelope can't jump fences so the farmers have started cutting out the lower strands to help them crawl under but I guess that doesn't help when the snow is this deep. Thankfully it is melting now. These are such beautiful animals - they look more African than Albertan and they are truly a breathtaking sight to see.

Photo above is taken in a more normal winter when the prairie north of Medicine Hat, Alberta is dry.

Speaking at the Calgary Garden Show

2011-03-30T18:23:00.000-06:00

Check out the schedule of the Calgary Horticulture Society's big garden show coming up in less than two weeks...

See http://www.calhort.org/GardenShowSpeakers/default.aspx to see when you can see us on stage (okay - it's 12:30 PM on Saturday if you are impatient).

Closer to the big date we will give you more information.

And Now we have a Facebook Page for book

2011-03-30T12:16:00.000-06:00

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Garden-Coaches-Chat-No-Guff-Lots-of-Fun/197867170233485 is our new facebook page.

Canadian Press Interview at Canada Blooms

2011-03-21T10:58:00.002-06:00

Steven Biggs and Donna Balzer were interviewed in Toronto at Canada Blooms about their new book No Guff Vegetable Gardening. Follow the link to see what they had to say:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/ent-22186814/tips-for-new-gardeners-24571025.html

Book Stores onside...Type Books

2011-03-20T07:38:00.000-06:00

After our talk at Canada Blooms in Toronto Steve and I visited the Toronto city core checking out booksellers for our fabulous new book, No Guff Vegetable Gardening. Here, Joanne at Type Books poses enthusiastically with our new book at her Toronto store.

We will be adding booksellers as they come on to our www.GardenCoachesChat.com website so check there if you want to know all the places our are available or to order your copy online.

Silliest Veggie Transplants

2011-03-19T10:46:00.000-06:00

If you are thinking of starting seeds this spring be smart about it. I came across these silly carrot pots- "ready to Transplant" at a garden center last spring.

Plan to attend the Healthy Homes Sustainability Series in Calgary on March 22 (see elsewhere on this blog for details). At the seminar I will be giving details about seeding and helping new growers get started with simple tips and ideas.

Read the Calgary Herald for a Sneak-A-Peak

2011-03-17T20:13:00.003-06:00

Here is advance notice that the Calgary Herald has started running excerpts from my newest book - No Guff Vegetable Gardening- in this Friday's Calgary Herald. Check out the Life Today section of the Herald for the first excerpt on Friday March 18th.

Pick up a copy of the book at your closest independent bookstore or garden center, and let me know what you think. PS Thanks to all my friends who have been buying books and sending me notes. I really appreciate the support.

Tomatoes Started

2011-03-14T17:13:00.003-06:00

I like to start my tomatoes mid-March because that gives them 8-10 weeks to grow before they go outdoors to face summer. This year I started some greenhouse tomatoes (Cobra with medium sized fruit and Juliet because it is new) way back in February. I did this because I wanted them to grow big enough to be planted out in the greenhouse at Easter in Qualicum Beach. If you were following along, my 88 yr old mother minded my tomatoes last year. She kept reporting back that they were fine until she had her cataract surgery. Well, that was last year and every gardener knows a new year is a fresh start and a clean slate, so I am optimistically started seed again this year.

The outdoor Calgary tomatoes did not get started until yesterday - in between talk planning and media stuff (for the new book). It is good to take a rest and do something almost mindless. Some people read or watch tv- I like to walk the dog or garden if I have free time. So, I had picked up a bale of pro-mix at garden retreat last week in anticipation of this big event and I pulled out my new plug seeding trays and I was ready. Then I read my diary notes from last year. I know perfectly well that anything germinated over heat sprouts quickly - sometimes in just a few days. Last year I started lettuce just before I went away for work and when I got back it was long and white and thin. Ok - it was disgusting.

Put two and two together and you'll see me in Toronto this week which means I won't be home tending tomatoes. So to slow down their germination I put my twelve little seeds in soil but did not put them over heat. Instead, I put them up in my office- a place I wear my new fingerless gloves (thanks Katie) in the winter.... If these Sungold tomatoes are not up by the time I am back I will pop them downstairs on the heated floor and push them a bit. I do have a class to teach about seed starting next week in Calgary. Guess I won't have any germinating seedlings to show for that.

Volunteer Gardeners needed for Reader Rock Garden

2011-03-10T10:07:00.004-07:00

Here is a notice about volunteer jobs this spring for Reader:

“CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS”

Are you passionate about gardening and find plant identification interesting?
Are you a personable, outgoing person who likes teaching and socializing with others?
If so, The City of Calgary Parks is looking for a few individual volunteers to assist with gardening duties at Reader Rock Garden, Riley Park/Burns Rock Garden and Central Memorial Park. Along with strong gardening skills the successful candidates will enjoy learning historical information about their preferred site and interpreting that information to park visitors. Site specific training will be provided and program orientations are required. The time commitment will be 2 hours/week (minimum) with flexibility given for volunteers’ holidays.
Please contact Sonia Gonsalves at (403) 221-4636 or sgonsalves@calgary.ca for more information or to register.

First you seed, and then you transplant

2011-03-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Transplanting:

Seeding Video

2011-03-06T07:34:00.001-07:00

Where's Waldo?

2011-03-02T17:31:00.004-07:00

Yes- the books are partially here... and guess what? My name is missing in one really key place! OOPS!

In good news, we have been showing No Guff Vegetable Gardening to book stores prior to the bulk shipment of books arriving (the big load of books were delayed so we only have a few in our possession and the rest won't arrive now until next Monday). One bookstore owner commented that it looks like graphic novel meets gardening book. It's true - this is a very unusual book. But every child is special isn't it?

Speaking of children and good news, my tomatoes have their true leaves now and the leeks are finally coming up from their early February sowing... even though it is more than 30 below outside it is cozy under the grow lights.

Books are Shipped!

2011-02-24T05:55:00.001-07:00

Yes- No Guff- my new book is on its way from the printer.... Will arrive in Calgary March 1. Order directly from Steve and I through our web page www.GardenCoachesChat.com or ask about the book at your favorite independent book store or garden center.

Talks and Giveaways

2011-02-19T16:40:00.005-07:00

Steve and I started making our business cards. They are going to be little coin envelopes with special seeds in them - with a really cute Mariko drawing on the outside of course.

In the book "No Guff Vegetable Gardening" there is a section on compost and Mariko drew a little rat sneaking off with a green shopping bag of compost. Here she has drawn a close relative of that rat but this is the french rat- wearing a Coco inspired t-shirt. These "cards" will be sent out with books ordered directly from us or given away at talks. The book is just a few weeks away!

Apple Tree Pruning

2011-02-19T16:37:00.001-07:00

This time last year I took an apple tree pruning class to refresh myself and we came home and really got into it. Trouble is our apple tree in our summer home had not been pruned in a long time so we did too much and had to force ourselves to stop.

Today - a year later- I finished the job by cutting out the two big branches we just couldn't do last year.... still needs a little fine tuning and then we will be ready for spring.

Heating the Greenhouse

2011-02-14T12:55:00.002-07:00

Have I lost my mind or just my heater? Last year this time I was merrily heating my greenhouse to get some tomatoes and whatnot growing. So when I strolled out to the greenhouse this weekend to get the place properly fired up I was wondering where the little heater I used last year had gone?

Apparently it is gone. As in stolen or misplaced - it is just not there. So luckily my husband rescued me and was off to buy a topnotch Honeywell Ceramic heater at the hardware store. I put all my trust in it and this morning everything was fine. Little seedlings looking good, high-low thermometer registering a minimal temperature of plus 5 last night. I love this little greenhouse. It feels like summer in there. A trip to Australia might be cheaper but this is a daily feel-good activity.

I am going to plant the rest of my potatoes for easter today.

Let the Seeding Begin

2011-02-06T07:19:00.003-07:00

When should I start my tomatoes asked my good friend A.S.? This is the same friend I used to start tomatoes with when our kids were young. We would exchange plants so we could maximize the types grown and by late spring our grow lights and windowsills were packed with seedlings. We shared a huge vegetable garden on a farm and brought our kids along to romp and look for bugs. Flash forward a few decades and she is on to soils and tree research and has become quite an expert in both. But meanwhile she has lost her memory of all things vegetable and is trying to get back in the game.

We always started 8-10 weeks before we wanted to plant them outside - I reminded her. And then I think- but can't be sure- she probably laughed at me for telling the same story again and again about how my tomatoes froze one spring in Calgary on June 8th. So what does the average spring frost date really mean when you can have frost weeks later? Well it is only a tool. We use it for planning and in Calgary that means starting tomatoes in mid-March. That gives them ten weeks until the end of May although we might not plant them out that early. We might hedge out bets and save a few for a later planting date. Like July. But then that reminds me of the time I was filming an episode of Bugs & Blooms in late July and it started to snow....

So what crazy thing prompted me to start tomatoes yesterday on Feb 5? Leeks and Easter. I decided to start my tomatoes along with leeks because leeks take so long to germinate and I didn't want them all alone in the seedling flats. So I started my tomatoes alongside my leeks with plans to plant them out by Easter. In the greenhouse of course - I am not that bold that I would consider tossing perfectly good tomato seedlings outdoors in any part of Canada by late April.

If you like Mariko McCrae's little picture of the school bus full of seedlings above check out all her illustrations in my new veggie book No Guff Vegetable Gardening. Like the seedlings, it will be ready and in stores by spring.

Never Too Early to Worry about Bugs

2011-02-05T07:05:00.005-07:00

I went to a fabulous lecture last night by Dr. Linda Gilkeson, Entomologist. She told a story about a new bug bothering gardeners right across Canada. Climbing Cutworms are so hardy- she said- that when she peeled a frozen cutworm off the road to show someone it woke up in the jar she was using to transport it. Now that is a hardy bug.

Like all cutworms they curl up in a C shape in the soil and wait for your garden to sprout in spring. That's when the voracious and full size larva climbs up on and eats the plant. Any plant. Lovely.

See Linda's webpage to find out if she is speaking in your neighborhood. (http://www.lindagilkeson.ca )

No Guff Vegetable Gardening

2011-02-03T11:51:00.003-07:00

Not Your Average Couch Potato:
Check out some fabulous images from No Guff Vegetable Gardening! This new book takes solid science and turns it inside out with hilarious illustrations by Mariko McCrae of Feedlot Studios. Over the next month as the book is being printed look for illustrations from the book popping up on this page.

No Guff, Lots of Fun

'The Soil Solution' Film Preview

2011-02-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

Thinking About Potatoes

2011-02-02T10:48:00.004-07:00

I have a greenhouse I mainly use in spring and summer. I love it for keeping the frost off basil and tomatoes in May. When other gardeners are struggling with too-tall seedlings and freezing cold nights, I have some protection built in with my greenhouse.

I do have some sprouting potatoes in my cupboard right now (early February) and it did occur to me they might do quite well in a cool greenhouse and possibly yield a few spuds by Easter if I got started now. Easter is at the end of April this year and wouldn't purple and blue potatoes be fun in a salad or with supper along with all those Easter eggs?

I decided to put a high-low thermometer in the greenhouse before I decide if the weather is suitable. I know I will have to heat it a bit but not sure how much. Meanwhile I have hauled all my stored pots into the greenhouse in preparation for the big planting event. This way the soil can thaw and warm up a bit prior to planting. I know some people empty out their pots in fall but I never get around to that so guess what? They are ready to go into potato production. I only have four potatoes so it is not a big deal if it doesn't work but they are all special - a blue, purple, red and yellow saved for illustrations for my new book and now just spares laying around.

Flattery

2011-02-02T10:46:00.001-07:00

L H-Y from North Mount: I love Donna Balzer. My past as a compulsive gardener in a challenging climate has found me many times reading her books and periodicals. I like your (No Guff Vegetable Gardening) cover as I think it’s funny and light. Believe me gardening and gardeners are way too serious.

Earthworms... who knew?

2011-01-30T10:02:00.003-07:00

Just read a great article about how earthworms secrete calcium. I know this is linked into growing great tomatoes and we are almost in that season so check out this link if you want to know more techy stuff about calcium secretions and earthworms: http://wap.rdg.ac.uk/shes/research/ESS/shes-earthwormcalcite.aspx

Ordering Leeks and Tomatoes

2011-01-24T10:56:00.004-07:00

I think my friends know I am big on tomatoes but I have never spent this much to get so little. I decided to focus on growing tomatoes in the greenhouse this season. So I looked at greenhouse tomatoes instead of the regular types and found one called Cobra that is all I really need- not too big but in big clusters and wow flavor. Trouble is it cost $8.75 for a package of 20 seeds.

I read several catalogues before i decided on Carmen cucumbers for $19.20- also for the greenhouse and powdery mildew proof. I think the greenhouse is a special case because it is hotter and more stressful for plants in some ways. Also- I plan to get really big yields this year. Wait a minute- didn't I say that last year? Of course I will order Sungold tomatoes again because those were amazing bright orange cherry tomatoes and early too!

PS I ordered leeks too because January is the time to start leeks indoors. I read all the descriptions in several catalogues before choosing Catcher Hybrid leeks from the William Dam Company. Okay- let the excitement begin.