New From Seed This Year- cutting zinnias

This spring I started the usual suspects - tomatoes and basil - as well as all kinds of small flowers. The latest to come into bloom are the tall cutting zinnias. One opened today and I am thrilled to see it has a beautiful peach blossom. Described in the seed packet as coming in shades of apricot to rose and salmon blush I thought it would complement my dark green house.

Here is a photo of Apricot Blush Zinnia from Renee's Garden seed in the US. It is growing in front of a (the deliberatly blurred) small shrub sold as Tiger Eyes Sumac. Remember we have a very cool climate here in Calgary, Alberta - our elevation is the same as Banff- so any bloom from seed is an excellent success story.

I look forward to more blooms in the coming weeks from the numerous buds.

Rat-Tail Radish - Another New Vegetable

Hassan is growing rat-tail radish - seed purchased from a regular seed company but never before seen by this garderner! Garden manager Georgina introduced it to me and I tasted her "radish gone to seed" in the Mission Community Garden in Calgary. It is delightful! Very spicy and radish-like in flavor. Yummy in salads or fast fries.

Thanks for introducing us to a new veggie Hassan!

New Gazania is Gorgeous!

I saw a new gazania in Evonne's garden today - we both agreed it is a good one. Gazanias usually close up at night or on cool days and this one is not only open on a shady cool day - it is a bright beautiful shade of orange. Sunbather's Sunset Gazania is a must try plant for me in 2011!

Follow-Up From Herald Article- Plants Speak to Us

Hello Donna, I enjoyed your Saturday August 06 (Calgary Herald) article about plant nutrient uptake. PLEEEEZe tell us how we can correct these problems in your next week's column. Kt

Ah Kate- - fixing the problem depends on what causes the problem- for instance Magnesium deficiency (shown on the tomato leaf above) is sometimes caused by low pH - which can be caused by the potting soil being acidic or it can be caused by lack of magnesium. The latter can be fixed just by adding the micronutrient -using a product such as Kelp. The low pH can be a bigger problem because if the soil was not balanced before you bought it that is a problem. Don't buy that soil again or fix it now by adding lime. So you have to rule out one problem and then look for the solution. If you simply add Mg and the pH is low it may not be available to the plant.

Iron "deficiency" is also more of a pH problem and once that is changed through using more compost and making sure the soil is watered well but not waterlogged, the problem can solve itself. I will try to add more bits and pieces in my Blog but am also trying to write a book right now so am torn with these writing projects! Thanks for your feedback... ps - I only write in the Herald every second week so check back her for more updates.

Garlic is ready!

My friend Pat said she had never seen garlic in a garden. Oops- I picked it five minutes before she arrived this weekend. It doesn't look like much in the garden once it is mature. The onion-like plant just gradually turns brown. The bottom picture is right after I picked it - before washing. The top photo is a washed and slightly peeled garlic ready to dry. I have hung it to dry where it won't get rain. I will replant some in the fall once it is ripe. To plant it I just separate the cloves into individual little nuggets and plant those pointy side up and an inch or two deep. This cluster of garlic started as a single clove purchased last fall at the market.

CBC Phone-In - Updates

On CBC radio in Alberta yesterday Catherine was having trouble with her clematis. Parts of the plant were wilting and then browning - or browning and then wilting- I am not too sure. I immediately declared she had trouble with a bacterial wilt. Ooops!

The wilt of clematis is caused by a fungus so I am self-correcting here for all to read. If there is a single stem wilting on a clematis that becomes a few brown wilted leaves or a whole stem of wilted leaves you may in fact have fungal wilt caused by Phoma clematidina. Cutting through a node just below the damage you can see if the stem is blackened and filled with fungus. This is causing the wilting and all damaged material must be cut off (I did tell Catherine to cut off the damage).

If the cut reveals the plant is not black, there is a chance Catherine's clematis was simply wind whipped by all the crazy Alberta weather we've had lately. In that case, the cure is the same: remove the damaged portion anyway.

For further details about this and other organisms causing rot in clematis check out the excellent paper out of England on the same subject:
http://www.howellsonclematis.co.uk/Pages/Wilt%20Art6.html

Sungold Tomatoes are ripe!

My favorite tomatoes come from Renee's Seed each spring like clockwork. I start the seed, transplant it, water and fertilize it and by late July or early August I am rewarded with hundreds of juicy jewels, far sweeter than Sweet 100 or Sweet Million. These amazingly sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes are an orange fruited cherry tomato on long trusses. They tested 11 on the Brix scale and are best served with a bit of sea salt and a basil leaf.

Amazing and worth the wait!

Permaculture - Learn Something New This Summer

Verge Permaculture in Calgary is offering courses - specifically the intensive 72 hour course - at Gull Lake starting Aug. 8, 2010. If you can take the time to go learn something new I suggest this would be a fun activity!

It could even be life changing. Check out details at http://www.vergepermaculture.ca/

"Permaculturists are extreme generalists. Gardeners are extreme specialists" - Quote from Adrian Buckley, Calgary Permaculturist.

Art in the Garden

Just read in the Herald that Katharine Ylitalo (formerly of Edwards garden Center) is now working at the Banff Center on The Banff Butterfly Garden at the Walter Phillips Gallery. On Aug 7 the gallery will present Art in the Garden with Katharine from 1-2 Pm followed by a garden tour and drawing session. If you are in Banff or area consider signing up and going. Sorry I don't have any further details but those should be available from the Banff Center.

Cardoons - A New vegetable for me!

According to Wikipedia, acclaimed chef Mario Batali calls the cardoon one of his favorite vegetables and says they have a "very sexy flavor". Of course this is not why I tried them this spring. But it might be why I keep growing them.

Like most "white bread" gardeners I hardly ever try a new vegetable. I know and grow my favorites and that is enough. In fact this one is so unusual you can't even buy it in the stores or markets in our cold zone 3 climate. I tried it because Ed and Mariann at E & M Woodland Gardens near Innisfail started growing them from seed for their Italian neighbors. Ed Wassenaar convinced me it would be a dramatic addition to my pots and that it might reach heights of 2 meters in a season. In warmer climates (Zone 7?) this plant overwinters easily and sometimes becomes a weed, but In Calgary this exotic Italian plant will not winter so I put this Artichoke relative in a big pot for its showy leaves thinking they would cause a drive-by sensation.

I only have one plant in one pot but neighbours and friends walking by all comment. Finally, one woman who has a winter home in Spain, stopped to tell me I should be making Cardoon risotto or soup with my plant. A single leaf stalk is similar to a giant celery stalk. Pick 1 or 2 stalks and strip off the leaflets along the petiole edges. Remove the woody veins before chopping and parboiling the leaf stalk and finally add it to any number of dishes. A search of the internet shows this is not just a pretty plant, it is a virtual wonder. It's amazing I never cooked it before. Tastes a lot like an artichoke without the warm climate needed to get the artichoke flowers. Wow, the longer I garden the more I learn.

Fast fact: Cardoon is Cynara cardunculus while artichoke is Cynara scolymus so they are closely related. They are in the daisy family but don't look that way until they bloom and look like giant thistles.

Oriental Poppies are Pretty

Yes it is Oriental Poppy time again and they are beautiful! Trouble is once they bloom they are done, finished, caput.

Remember to cut back or deadhead the blooms if you want to keep the plant as strong as possible. This means cutting off the dead flower head and the stem it is on. If you leave the stem, the little pointer sticks up in the air looking miserable and the plant has to decide what to do with it. Sometimes it is wise to leave a pod or two to mature and go to seed so that you have young plants coming next year. You will know the seeds are ripe when you tip over the pod and can shake out the black seeds.

Do not immediately cut back all the leaves because the plant needs to wind down. If the leaves brown, cut them off as they discolor and eventually you may have to cut them all back.

New Diseae at Reader Rock Garden

Just noticed the Hosta virus has hit Calgary - saw it a few years ago when touring Hosta growers in Holland and now there are hostas showing signs of disease in Calgary's Reader Rock Garden. Look at photos of normal (top) and disease (leaves smaller, speckled and veined, below) Hostas pictured. This problem has been in Eastern Canada for several years so had to eventually come here too! Sadly there is nothing to be done- perhaps removing and destroying infected plants?

Plant Annuals in July?

Okay- last night I planted annuals in my front yard. Yes it was raining and yes it is late by most people's standards but I was away earlier and then it hailed and I could go on and on. This is just a public service message really to say why not fill in a space where an oriental poppy pooped out or the hail nailed a favorite plant?

Surprisingly, there are still annuals to be had and with our weather finally turning nice (for today anyway) it is a good idea to plant and reap the rewards of late summer bloom. Meanwhile I have to say my new Terra Nova perennials are coming along nicely. More on that later!

Join Me at the Eleanor Luxton House in Banff

It is a rare thing that a garden continues and sometimes even improves long after the owners have passed. Thanks to the foundation set up by Eleanor Luxton in Banff Alberta, her historical family home is not just humming along, it is happily being weeded and planted and loved as if Eleanor or her parents still lived there!

If you are going to be in Banff or want an excuse to come out to visit this weekend, join me as we open the garden to the public. Eleanor's house is at 206 Beaver Street. The event is Sunday, July 18 from 2-4 PM. I will be on hand to answer garden questions of all kinds and to show off some of the work the foundation has been up to. Meet the gardener Lance Woolaver and the hard working "Friends" who have planted and weeded on behalf of the foundation for the first time this season.

Remember Banff is a cooler climate than most of Alberta so plants long gone in your own garden will be peaking here now. I look forward to meeting you so don't be shy - come over and introduce yourself.

Front Door Wow- First Impressions

Check out my Calgary Herald article July 9 when I look at ways to add more wow to the front yard! Here is another bonus photo taken last week in Croatia... this front door is in Ston- just north of Dubrovnik.

Sarritor Works in Calgary

Newly released this spring, the fungus Sarritor is being promoted as a non-chemical cure for dandelions. Well- in my test of one lawn it has worked. And not in ideal conditions. It was applied last week on a pleasant day but the week deteriorated with snow by the weekend. The homeowner Bruce just e-mailed me to say it has killed all his dandelions and he is very pleased, I will follow up with him later to see if it is a long term control or just a short term cure.

Developed at McGill University this native Canadian fungus - based on Sclerotinia minor - seems to work. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Available in Calgary at Green Gate Garden Center.

Calgarians - source of "Snow Princess" found

My favorite new plant in 2009 was an outstanding alyssum that bloomed all summer and never went to seed. I just found this Proven Winner's introduction at Sunnyside and wanted to let reader's of this Blog know. Snow Princess is with the annuals on the west side of the road...

Pinch/Prune Mugo Pines Now

Not one- but two gardeners asked me last week about pruning their mugos. They had grown at least 30 cm last year and were galloping along again this year with fully extended candles. I showed them how to pinch the candles to remove at least half the new growth without clippers or any fancy equipment. See pruned and unpruned photos above.

If you have a mugo pine pinch it now to keep it in good shape and to keep it small and compact.

Smelly Water Barrel... mystery solved

Thanks to an avid CBC listener the answer to the smelly water barrel question from last week is solved:

Shelagh writes:
In response to the question about the horrid smell in the rain barrel, I
suggest that the problem is pigeons. While in Calgary I had the same issue,
year after year. No matter how often I cleaned the barrel, it stank. One
spring, just after one of the famous Calgary downpours, I noticed egg shells
and baby bird bits in the rain barrel and it all came together. I had had
pigeons roosting on the roof that drained into the barrel for years - could
not get rid of them. So, I think the caller's problem probably stems from
pigeon guano and pigeon nest refuse. It's nasty stuff and the water should
not be used any where near food crops. Pigeons carry quite a few diseases
that are transmittable to humans.

Momentum Mower- Love it

If you were listening to CBC Radio on Friday you heard me interview two husbands about their new mowers. The two husbands had something in common - they both hated their old hand push mowers - one had a Lee Valley Tools push mower and one had a Gardena push mower - both top of the line cutting machines.

One husband bought a new Cadet battery powered mower and one a Momentum push Mower from Fiskars. In the end it has become a love in for the Fiskars mower - half the price of the Cadet and just as effective. Available from Canadian Tire.

My neighbor came over to borrow the Momentum by Fislars to mow his neighbor's lawn. When he returned it he was overwhelmed. "It's my favorite mower - not just among push mowers but all mowers". Pretty good testimonial. But with all the bad push mowers out there it may be hard to get gardeners and husbands to try this new machine. It is not like any other push mower so has to be tried to be believed.

Yikes- It is cold out there!

The weakest link in the garden is always the newly planted tender annual. Old perennials, such as the Gold Heart Bleeding Heart pictured here, has been in the garden for four years and even though it had snow and cold temperatures this weekend it is standing up just fine and in full bloom this morning.

Meanwhile the zucchini planted a week ago in a pot was covered with frost blanket during the cold spell and this morning it is showing cold temperature injury. Yikes! Yes- the frost blankets (sometimes sold under the trade name Reemay) do help with frost and the geraniums and other hardy annuals are just fine after the really cool spell after a cover up with the frost blanket but the tender annuals such as Begonias and yes - Zucchini- are showing signs of cold temperature injury. The leaves have collapsed as the cells burst and they will not bounce back. Instead, the crown of the plant looks alive and if I keep it covered over the next few days it will survive. Love Alberta in the spring!

Spuds Cut for Planting

Save money by cutting seed potatoes into pieces before planting. This gives you more plants from a single spud and a bigger potato harvest later on. Make sure each piece has an "eye" or a little growing point and leave cut potatoes on a sheet of newspaper overnight to dry a bit before planing.

Beasts & Blooms

I live downtown. On a busy street. So of course I was surprised to see a coyote posing beside a double flowering plum while I was out walking my dog this morning. Yes it is coyote season again and the young puppies and their parent's are hungry. All dogs on leash.

Reader Rock Garden a Bloomin' Beauty

So many things are in bloom at Reader Rock Garden in Calgary this week I had to post a few pics for all to enjoy. This is a free City of Calgary Park so feel free to take the train to the Erlton Station and pop across the street to see a full spring display. In bloom this week are Anemone vulgaris, Pushkinia spp., Arabis spp., Double Flowering plum, hepatica, squill and of course tulips.

Purple Passion-In bloom this week

The Double Bloodroot is fading now in Calgary but on it's heels the grape hyacinth is in bloom. This curious plant sprouts leaves in fall and they overwinter and then bloom in May. This is a wonderful small bulb to fill the garden in May - hardy in all climates and in bloom for two to three weeks depending on the weather. It is about 20 cm tall and tolerates an east exposure.

Seeding Beans, Planting Strawberries

Yes - I am on the coast again for a few days and the climate is perfect for planting beans, pruning tomatoes in my greenhouse and popping in some day neutral strawberries (Hecker- everbearing).

Seeded Renee’s classic slenderette bush beans in a square bed . Soil looks great. Broadcast whole package and poked in to the soil which is soft because that is where I dumped all the compost in February.

Am just about to dig over winter cover crop of peas and fall rye in the new beds along the fence. Too much to do and too little time to write.

PS Bought some white asparagus from Kathy Zipp- that gal is talented! Funny she did not mention the asparagus until I saw the row obviously covered....with a black tarp while of course my asparagus is up and bright green. After a few questions she admitted she had some in the fridge for her regular customers. Of course I begged for some.

Cherry Blossom Season In Calgary

Finally- it is cherry blossom season in Calgary! Yes, cherries were in bloom in February during the winter Olympics. Cherry blossom season was big in Japan in April.

Nanking Cherries are the pale pink blossoms you will see around town just coming into bloom - they reach a height of 3 meters tall. Russian almonds are the short pink shrubs - usually kept at aboout 1 meter. Double flowering plums - featured here - are a darker, pinkier pink.

Enjoy - spring only lasts a few weeks in this city.

Cut the Grass!

Yes - it is time. Time to cut back the ornamental grass such as this Karl Foerster seen at a neighbor's yesterday. These grasses look great all winter but they need to be cut back before they start growing. As you can see it is too late for that so cut it back right now!

Where will the lady beetles hide?

Yes- it is spring and as noted earlier gardeners are busy scraping every leaf off their garden and dumping it in the garbage. I need to ask this little question... where will all the lady bugs (actually beetles) go once all the hiding places are gone and the duff and leaves have been removed? Especially this early in the season when there are still threats of snow and cold conditions. Have mercy on the little guys and leave a bit of stuff in the garden so that they can find shelter.

Early Blooms in Calgary

Suddenly in bloom this week we see perennials, bulbs and shrubs. It was such a freakishly hot week that many early perennials including Primula marginata (purple), Hepatica (also purple), crocus (purple and yellow), Caltha leptosepala (white), sanguinaria (gorgeous white) and forsythia (yellow) are all in bloom. The leaves on the poplar trees are breaking out and it definitely looks like mid-May. Of course it is raining tonight and possibly snow in the morning but that is typical of Calgary in Spring.

Dumpster Diving- sort of

Okay - It started out as a walk to the park. With the dog. We did our usual things and as we returned down the back alley on our way home bags and bags of leaves called out to me. I suddenly had the urge to collect garbage - not professionally- mind you- just a few bags. Just to stop it from going into the landfill where it would contribute to methane gas production and greenhouse gases. Where it will be lost to gardens forever as it contributes to landfill. Just to boost my own garden and compost.

I am not talking any old type of leaf or rough debris from the spring garden clean-up. I have enough of that to cut up and slowly compost over the summer. I am talking about gathering the black gold - the really special spring cream of the crop. The material that is whisked off the lawn in the early days of spring: it has finely chopped leaves, dead grass and the fresh bits of new young grass bustling with nitrogen and millions of mictobes ready to begin their annual work.

I approached the subject with my husband. Would he mind helping me in the garden a bit? I mean - would he mind helping me collect a few materials for the garden? Always enthusiastic he jumped in until he realized I wanted him to drive while I picked up the bags - "Just one more" I begged as we crammed the eighth bag into our station wagon.

So the bags are home now. Some immediately went into my tumbler compost to start a fresh spring batch of compost and wake up the old cold materials left there over winter. Others went in deep piles at the back of the garden in newly developed areas sure to have weeds if not covered quickly. A few precious bags were kept for summer composts.

We went for a dog walk again last night. Still more materials were being left curbside - I mentioned we should go home and get the car. "Just keep walking Donna" said the usually helpful husband. Sigh. So much garbage - so little yard.

Boxwood in Calgary

Hi Sheila- As you can see I am a new blogger and not able to figure out how to reply to you directly. Boxwood is delightful in sheltered areas of Calgary but don't make a hedge of it... instead use it in small yards as a special plant.... unless you are sheltered and downtown. Check at Edward's Garden center because that is where I bought mine!

Dandelions in Salad?

I'm sure I am not the only one to see a recipe and immediately decide to make it. I might be the only one to see a recipe and make it even though I only have a few of the ingredients. This is true of the recipe for Pancetta and Dandelion salad in the Globe and Mail yesterday. It looked delicious. The only trouble was the only ingredients I had that were called for in the recipe were the dandelions and the dry bread. So I made it anyway and added some homemade sprouts and home grown lettuce and grated a bit of parmesan on it and added the last bit of lemon from an old rind I still had in a bowl. The result? Fabulous. But that is mainly because of the fact the dadelions were deep fried and what isn't good deep fried?

When to seed outdoors?

Yes I was surprised when a classmate declared that the last frost free date in Victoria is May 20 and in a later conversation another classmate told me she seeds her outdoor veggies in Paradise Valley, Alberta on the May 24 long weekend. These two planting regions are separated by 6 zones and yet the gardeners were discussing doing the same work at the same time. This is just crazy and an example of an old practice (planting on the May long weekend) that has become so ingrained people do it without thinking even if they are in relatively balmy Victoria or frigid northern Alberta.

I have an announcement to make. Read the seed packages. Some seeds can be planted "after danger of hard frost" is past. Yes, light frost may still happen but this danger (of hard frosts) in Vancouver Island is well behind us and in this spirit I seeded all my plants in that category outdoors in Qualicum Beach this weekend. I am talking about kale, swiss chard, beets, spinach, arugula, lettuce, calendula, peas, brocolli, brussel sprouts etc.

Of course I am saving the tender seeds to plant after all danger of frost is past. So regardless of where you live, order your seeds now, read the labels and follow the instructions on the packages. In Alberta "all danger of heavy frost" is about a month away and all danger of frost is 6-7 weeks away but for Vancouver Island we have already crossed that heavy frost threshold so don't be afraid!

PS I seeded salal and lettuce outdoors in February just because I could and it is well up now. Go figure.

Thank-You Planters' Pride- Heat Mat

Yes it is a heating pad but this one is plastic covered and waterproof so it can be placed under a tray of seeds and left for days or weeks until they germinate. Using bottom heat like this will really speed things up - that means it takes a few days instead of a week or more to sprout seeds. Cover seeds with clear plastic just to keep humidity in until seeds are up. Lettuce in 2 days- beets in 5!

Moving the Greenhouse

It's built! My hard working husband finished rebuilding the greenhouse we had to move last spring. It lay dormant in piles of numbered pieces all winter and now - unlike humpty- it is back together again. I hope to get all my tomatoes shifted from their rootrainers into the maxi-caps later this week but for now it is just good to know it is built and ready to go.

This time we put the structure on cement blocks - instead of timbers- and ran wiring and water into the greenhouse. This means I can plug in a light or heater in the shoulder seasons and take water out of the tap when the irrigation is up and running. Although this seems simple it is a great addition to what we had before and we are excited.

Meanwhile I mixed fish hydrosolate and kelp with water to give all the seedlings a boost of minerals as they are now settled in their rootrainers and busy building roots and new leaves.

Tomato Update

Well the little guys have been transplanted into their root trainers. Because I am growing organic tomatoes this year (complete with organic soil supplied by Sungold) I am testing different materials including endomycorrhizal fungi from Eco Living Solutions (and just in case you were wondering I purchased this and am in no way saying my readers need to buy these products but I also don't want to leave you hanging if you are looking for materials.)

Because I am so sure these fungi will have a big impact on my crop, I dipped most of the roots in the endomycorrhizal fungi as they were transplanted. With two kinds of tomatoes I planted both plain (without the fungi) and with the fungi so that there was a small test. All soil media had humic acid and rock dust added to the media before transplanting.

Countdown: Six Top Ideas for Gardeners This Spring

Tip #1

Stop using conventional fertilizers. Make it your personal commitment this year to be very careful!

Only 20% of nitrogen put down with conventional fertilizers gets to the plants and the rest goes into the soil water, rivers, lakes and oceans. Imagine the pollution in our water simply because people love their gardens to death. Try organic products and not necessarily fertilizers this season. Some of the amendments that can make a big difference have Humic acids , Kelp, Fish hydrosolate or compost in them and they are sold as amendments and not as fertilizers. Organic "fertilzers" are only one step above conventional fertilizers because they may add excess salt to the soil and/or leach into the subsoil and beyond as well.

There are several products on the market sold as amendments and I have named many in the past – a new granular product (picked up in Toronto at Canada Blooms but out of Langley,BC) is Humik, from the Orgunique company. I used this product this weekend mixed with soil when transplanting seedlings.

As well as boosting plant growth – especially of tomatoes- it seems humic materials may also boost uptake of nutrients including calcium, magnesium, sodium, and copper.

Source of humics acid products:
The Organic Gardener’s Pantry: http://www.gardenerspantry.ca/biostimulants/humicacids.html

Orgunique Products come from Langley, BC Products are called Humik and Hum-ix and web page is : http://www.orgunique.com/

Other products such as Kelp, compost and Fish are also fabulous so I will write more on those at a later date.

countdown: Six Top Ideas for Gardeners This Spring

Idea #2: Stop Polluting with small Rototillers and Mowers

What could be more polluting than an old-school gas mower? The new "Momentum Mower" from Fiskars will be available this spring at Canadian tire. Anyone who hates the noise and pollution of a traditional gas mower is going to love this new unit which is completely different from other push mowers. The developer is Fiskars and they have been selling sharp cutting edges since 1649 and this is just the latest cutting edge. I currently have a Gardena push mower but it misses spots, is not good in deep grass, gets stuck when you run over a stick and generally doesn’t work too well. The new Momentum promises to solve many of the traditional problems of push mowers so I’ll look forward to its introduction. Retail price: $279.00 in Canada

PS If you are still using a two-cycle engine rototill such as the Mantis, you may want to consider either hand digging or the newest approach to gardening - Zero till. Not digging seems lazy but it actually saves a lot of energy and saves the damage normally done to microbes in the soil.

Countdown: Six Top Ideas for Gardeners This Spring

Idea # 3

The Wave of Urban Agriculture is not abating and the city of Toronto had a big display put together by city staff at Canada Blooms this spring. We have a ways to go in Calgary although the Community Gardens initiative supported by the City of Calgary has come a long way and is going forward with big plans again this year.

Lets get some of our Agriculture back into the city. Plant to plant a few vegetable pots or a row of beans or potatoes or tomatoes this summer. Plant an extra row for the "Grow a Row" - this extra produce goes to the food bank. Also, lets look at Vancouver and Toronto's lead with their "Sharing Backyard's" program. This not-for-profit group links homeowners with no backyard with people who have lots of unused space. Look it up at: www.lifecyclesproject.ca

Countdown: Six Top Ideas for Gardeners This Spring

Idea #4

Playfull fun in the garden is fabulous and Reford Gardens at Jardins de Metis in Quebec is having a lot of fun with innovative displays. They brought one of their displays to the Canada Blooms show. “Sea Urchins” is beautiful and fun at the same time.

You can see the whole show by going to Quebec or see the Calgary inspired version during the celebration of 100 years of the Parks Department in Calgary this spring and summer. These mini-displays will be spread throughout the City of Calgary – stay tuned for more information.

Countdown: Six Top Ideas for Gardeners This Spring

Idea # 5:

Lots of new plants come out every year and that is nothing new. What is new is this completely different trailing annual called Snow Princess Alyssum (the white plant in the photo above). I had it in pots last year (2009) and couldn’t believe how great it was – blooming all summer and trailing over the pots a good 18” even in late fall. It never failed to flower like other alyssums (that go to seed early and then look kind of washed out): this one looked bright white in all conditions. Loved it – and the good news is it should be available this spring at your favorite garden center.

Count-down: Six Top Ideas For Gardeners this spring

Idea #6

6. Lets all try a little harder to go organic this year - especially if you are growing vegetables. I am really impressed with the new black gold series of soils from Sungro Horticulture. Most types of “potting mixes” are mostly organic anyway because they use Alberta wild harvested peats but these products go one step futher and eliminate the possible harmful wetting agents used in most mixes and replace them with a natural wetting agent. The Black Gold soils are OMRI certified so are ideal to get your organic veggies growing.

Start seeds in the OMRI certified Black Gold seed starting mix, transplant into the organic certified Potting Mix or Planting Mix.

It's True...I Saw Martha Stewart and CBC radio starts....

Okay I don't watch the show or read the magazine but when Mark Disaro (gardenwriters.ca) brought Martha Stewart over to the Garden Writers (GWA) regional meeting at Canada Blooms there were a few pictures clicked.

Martha said she wanted to meet us - since she is also a garden writer - although she didn't want to meet us badly enough to individually shake our hands or anything like that. She was in Toronto Representing Home Depo - and was officially launching a new product ... which we didn't see in our giveaway stash so I can't tell you what that new product might be. I noticed the younger garden writers didn't even get up to see her - they continued talking among themselves during her quick visit. I guess its an age thing. (She looks good by the way - even in her orange not-quite-martha apron).

Follow this page over the next while for a peak of some of the fabulous new products we did get to see and take home thanks to Veronica Sliva (our GWA rep in Toronto - she is pictured next to Martha).

In really big news listen to CBC radio in Calgary starting this friday (March 26) when Donna (sorry Martha no home Depo products here) returns to the noon hour phone in show to answer Alberta gardener's questions.

Gardeners Get Out Your Brooms

Okay this is a simple post regarding snow mould on lawns. If the snow has melted on your lawn and there is white fuzzy stuff growing there, this is called snow mould. It is a fungus easily controlled with light raking or with a stiff sweep of a broom. Do this as soon as you see it and do it again if it comes back. This is a seasonal problem so easily controlled if you do the right thing as soon as this is noticed rather than after it has been there for a while. Now - gardeners- get out your brooms! (otherwise there will be dead patches on your lawn later and who wants that!)

Tomato Time ....2010

Seeding Primer:
Yes it is time to start tomatoes from seed again and that is exactly what I did yesterday. I love to start them in a little tray with shallow channels so that all the various kinds can be started at once. I know, some people like to grow in egg shells or in goofy peat pots or cell packs but no goofiness for me this year.... Just straight-up seedling mix (check here for more on the new organic seedling mixes available in a few days), seeds and water. The labels I cut from a yogurt container and labelled with a permanent pen. My warm floor isn't warm right now (yes that is being fixed) so I put my tray on the heat vent in the bathroom. Nothing kills off little seeds that are struggling to germinate faster than cold soil and in an older home it is hard to get heat. If you are new at tomatoes this is a reminder that the plants do not need sun until they are up - they just need heat so do something to warm the trays.

My Philosophy:
I am trying more of the heritage seeds again this year even though they have largely failed compared to the newer hybrids in the past. My reasoning is that I will be planting into a greenhouse when they are bigger and there won't be as many environmental factors to consider. This is the year I am going to continue growing them organically but with more consistent additions of compost tea and micronutrients. In the greenhouse I use a hydroponic system and I will not use conventional fertilizers for the first time on my hydroponic tomatoes. Instead, I am using more compost teas and micronutrients and other things - check this page to follow the progress this season.

Like a grape grower and maker of fine wines, last year for the first time I checked my tomatoes for their BRIX readings. This is a test for sugars in the fruit. I use a refractometer to do this and my tomatoes were double the BRIX that the bought tomatoes were so I am encouraged to pursue this further this year and Heritage tomatoes might have more potential for sweetness naturally - this is why they are back in the game.

My Seeds:
Thanks to Renee's Garden I have free seeds again this year (Big Beef - my favorite new beefstake cultivar, and Sungold- my favorite orange cherry tomato last year - so sweet and so early. Rennee's also sent me Brandywine,Marvel Stripe and Green Zebra Heirloom tomatoes all in one package labelled 'Rainbow's End'. I am intrigued by the tomatoes commercial growers sell in little trusses so I am also growing 'Moneymaker' and I like to have a few tomatoes to spill over the side of a pot so I am growing the one non-staking type 'Tumbler'. Finally, at a seedy staurday I picked up a Beefstake mix of tomatoes because I want to live dangerously! The idea here is to save the first sweet tomato that ripens for future cops.

My System:
I seeded and covered the seeds with a bit of seedling mix and covered the whole works with a plastic cover to keep the humidity in until they are germinated. In the past I have found the plants germinate at different stages but when you use heat they are usually up in under a week. Once 30% or so are up I move the whole works up to my grow lights. Once 75% are up I remove the plastic cover but still water to keep them moist.

Transplanting:
This is once the plants are well up and have their true leaves. I have already secured my rootrainers from Lee Valley to move them into so I will write about that more in a few weeks.

Fertilizing:
I never fertilize or use a compost-based or worm casting supplement until I transplant for the first time. More on that then.

Time to Prune - Apples and other fruits

Okay this is it - the weather is nice enough and the coolest part of winter is behind us. It is finally time to prune our apple trees to make sure we keep them short (ie they are on dwarfing rootstock) and to encourage an open shape on the center of the tree. The period for pruning is over on the coast because things are already blooming but - heh- we are months away from that in Calgary aren't we?

Here are some pruning tips:

- Young trees need to be shaped to remove center and create an open tree.
- Older trees should not require much pruning because you need to do this every year with fruit trees.
- If you missed pruning for a few years then it is time to do it now but don't go crazy- heavy pruning in the dormant season causes over the top water sprouts in spring (and the need for a bit of summer pruning)
- get a proper pruning ladder and really sharp shears
- be brave and remove less than you think you need to remove...
- and finally - get to know your spurs- apples always have these distinctive little branches (about an inch long) and they are the blooming part of the tree!

Photo above is Bernie Dinter, who was teaching a pruning course earlier this year.

Leaving Paradise - back to winter

Okay - it's true - I am heading back to Calgary today and will likely thoroughly enjoy that but this writing- gardening - dog walking month has been grand. Here is a closing pics as I leave today - and PS The peach is in bloom!

A Quote - about blogging?

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
- Cyril Connolly

The 2010 Olympics... in Bloom

Yes it is February but the garden city has created a buzz to celebrate the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Stepping off the plane, the first thing tourists will notice is the newly planted green wall at the International Airport in Vancouver. Obviously brand new but very cool.

Downtown the Cherry trees are in full bloom.... how did that timing happen? It is a gorgeous welcome to the tourists that were thinking winter - not spring- when they were thinking Olympics.

A drive through Stanley Park ( Vancouver's large urban park) had me scratching my head. A small white Hellebore was in bloom - it did look quite dirty from the car but a walk by inspection later included a label. This is the new release Candy Love Hellebore (Helleborus x nigercors 'Candy Love') and it has been introduced by the Vancouver Garden Club just in time for the Olympics. Unlike the cherry, this is a plant that normally blooms late winter so it was designed to be in bloom for the games. For drive-by viewing it probably would have looked better with a dusting of snow but close-up it is a pretty little flower ideal for cheering up the Vancouver tourists on their way to the events!

PS The non-gardening themes at the Olympics were fun as well.

Spring on the Island

Hate to brag but gardens are not created equal and right now - as I write - several things are in bloom on Vancouver Island. Yes my garden in Calgary is still in the deep freeze but out here I have been taking the temperature of my compost, watching the flowers bloom, harvesting the last of the Brussel Sprouts and seeding lettuce...If this doesn't sound like very much excitement then you are not a true gardener!

Of course watching flowers bloom doesn't take up all my time. I am proceeding nicely with my new book series - I decided "a book" wasn't going to cover all of my interests so I am breaking it up into little bits and pieces. I am co-writing with another garden writer from Toronto and we have made great progress. I have also been watching TV - it is the Olympics after all! No -seriously - I was sent a review copy of the movie "Dirt" and have watched that and will be reviewing it prior to its airing on PBS March 20 of this year.

Okay back to the series - it is going to be of main interest to Urban Gardeners mainly because the rural gardeners I know already know more than I do.... send me a note if you disagree!

Seedy Saturday in Salt Spring

Today was seedy saturday in Salt Spring Island so if you missed it check your local area for a future seedy saturday. It is a great chance to exchange seed or to buy it! Demos of products and items for sale made it all the more fun.

Weeds in Hollywood!

Yes I am back - it was a marvelous sabbatical and I am sure I will be publishing bits and pieces of my escape to New Zealand over the next few weeks as I sort through my pictures.

Today I present a surprise. It is a common weed that we all know. I remember standing in E & M Woodland gardens last spring when a client asked the owner Ed what to do about this greedy weed and native plant that had taken over her farm near Sundre, Alberta. Imagine my surprise when on my flight home through LA we popped off the plane for a few hours to stretch our legs and we saw horsetail - yes common horsetail - in use in a very elegant flower shop in Los Angeles.

Of course I quizzed the owner of the store. "Aren't you worried this little weed will escape and become the next environmental disaster in LA? He laughed and said most of his clients kept it in pots and we moved on. So, if you have been wondering what to do with the weeds on your property consider a hollywood move - or at least trying them in a pot.