If You Grow It, They Will Come

We live in an area in the county that is a mixture of country residence, agriculture and crown land.  Our south property line is one lot away from crown land (the Wapiti River Corridor, an area where hunting is prohibited) and our east property line is shared with a vacant 30 acre parcel of land that used to be hayed and has been left to grow wild with clover.  Because of the abundant amount of food, our area is frequently visited by mule deer, moose, elk and many other animals.

Our acreage is also frequently visited by the deer.  The Does and Fawns nibble on the grass, trees, eat out of the bird feeders and in the fall the Bucks like to rub on our trees.  It’s nice to have them around but when they start to cause damage we wish they would go away.

April 2011, approx. 6 ft from the house



Deer Rub on a Pine Tree



Last year we were proactive with the garden and installed an electric fence in the spring.  For the most part it kept the deer out.  The first time a deer got into the garden she nibbled on the swiss chard, decided she didn’t like it and proceeded to eat the tops off the beets.  Thankfully most of the beets survived and continued to grow.  I blamed myself for this unauthorized entry because I forgot to turn the electric fence on the night before. 

There were other occasions when they still gained entry to the garden when the fence was turned on, even after we doubled the amount of wire around the garden.  Because of this, we are taking a different approach this year.  We have bought “Deer Fence” from Lee Valley.  It is a plastic ¾”mesh that is 7 feet tall and is designed to keep the deer out.  We’ll see how this works.  At least I won’t have to worry about forgetting to turn the fence on this year.



      

Deer Fence





                   

Grow or Buy?

Regardless of where you live, I think just about everyone transplants some sort of vegetable or flower.  The question is:  Do you grow your own plants from seed or buy plants?

Growing up I remember my Opa having to shovel a path through the snow to get to his greenhouse and lighting the woodstove so he could start his flowers and vegetables.  My mom would also have vegetables and flowers started in the house taking up residence where ever there was room.  Now they both buy plants.  Why?  Because it’s easier and before they didn’t have an affordable option to buy plants: this was before the Canadian Tire, Superstore, and Wal-Mart Era in the Yukon.

Last year I tried to grow my own tomatoes, zucchini and corn to transplant.  Key word: TRY.  I did have some success but not much.  I started the seeds with plenty of time and they grew great at first.  But then I became my own worst enemy: I watered them inconsistently, I fussed and played with them too much, they received inconsistent day light baking in the afternoon sun and then being cool on overcast days.  I could have bought many gadgets to aid in this adventure but I wanted to keep it simple and didn’t want to spend a fortune on growing equipment.

Last year I fiddled with plants for weeks on end will they crowded my living room.  I bought special dirt, fiber pots, trays to hold the pots and of course, seeds.  I probably spend close to $50 on my supplies.

In the end, my tomatoes didn’t get transplanted because they were so small they wouldn’t have produced anything, the corn got thrown out because it went moldy, and the zucchini plants died within a week of being transplanted.  I ended up buying tomato plants from the local greenhouse, re-seeded the zucchini directly into the garden (which grew wonderfully), and gave up on the corn when the seeds planted directly in the garden also went moldy. 

When I bought the tomato plants it set me back $1.49 (after a 20% discount) for a 4 pack of healthy beef steak tomatoes that were close to 10 inches tall.  I probably spent less than $15 on tomatoes (We had a huge tomato patch last year and I do tend to over buy.) 

So my question to you is this: Do you bombard your house with trays of seedlings fussing over them for weeks on end or go buy the plants when you are ready for them?

My conclusion: even though it’s nice to have everything in your garden grown exclusively by you, it’s okay to cheat and buy a few plants.  It can be expensive to grow plants to transplant and its heart breaking to see something you spent weeks tending to get killed by the frost, burned by the sun or get eaten by deer.  It’s much easier to tolerate when you can just go buy more!

This year I didn’t even attempt to start anything indoors.  It was much easier and less stressful to drive to the local greenhouse and Canadian Tire and buy my tomatoes and petunias.

Garden Planted – Now the Waiting Begins

After a Sunday afternoon in the sun swatting mosquitoes and getting sun burnt, I am proud to announce my garden is in.   I even transplanted the tomatoes and broccoli which is a huge risk as we do not have our deer fence up yet.

Planting Completed - May 22, 2011



Thankfully, the last seed was not in the ground for more than half an hour and it started to rain, and rain and rain and then rain some more.  It rained for close to 24 hours straight giving my seeds more than adequate moisture to kick start their growth.

And now we patiently wait for the first seeds to break through the dirt and the work of maintaining the garden to begin.  I am already stressing about how I’m going to keep the nasty garden pests away from my turnips, broccoli and potatoes.

I know my timing was good as this was the second year in a row I planted the day the Chuckwagon Trucks drove by heading to their first event of the year; a sign that summer has begun in the Alberta Peace.

Getting Ready Part 2

This year I bought a nifty little soil test kit.  It’s a home test kit that allows you to test the pH of your soil as well as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels.

Our test results showed that our soil has a pH around 7, has a surplus to sufficient levels of phosphorus and potassium and is depleted of nitrogen.  Finding out that our soil has a high pH and lack of nitrogen was cause for concern; most plants prefer slightly acidic soil and an acid soil can also help aid in managing garden pests whereas nitrogen is the most important element for plant growth and development and without it certain plants won’t grow, certain plant growth will be stunted, and others won’t be affected.

There are several additives that can be mixed into your soil to adjust the pH and the fertility of your soil.  After doing some research, we came to the conclusion that is it best to add natural items and not chemical fertilizers.  Natural additives have a longer lasting affect on your soil whereas the affects of chemical fertilizers is short lived.  Unfortunately natural fertilizers also take longer to have an affect on your soil.  Because of this, it is best to adjust your soil in the fall, not in the spring.  Opps!

As I quickly found out, modifying the composite of your garden soil is not an easy task, especially when your garden is approximately 2500 square feet.  It is a process that takes time and can involve large quantities of additives.

Last week we mixed peat moss into our soil to help retain moisture.  This week we added more because I discovered sphagnum peat moss is acidic, it has a pH around 4.5.  I also discovered to lower soil pH by about 1 pH unit; it takes approximately 2.5 lbs. of peat moss per 10 square feet of garden: that would be about 625 lbs for our garden!! I think we’ll slowly add a little bit every year.

In addition to the peat moss we added cow manure (it is also acidic in nature and has some nitrogen), and Blood Meal. Blood Meal is an organic material and has high levels of nitrogen.  It is basically dried blood and thankfully has no odour and looks like iron filings. 

 

We mixed batches of peat moss, manure and blood meal, spreading it over the garden and then tilling it in.  It was a process that required a bit, okay a lot of hard labour but will hopefully be worth it!

Keep in mind that when adding items to your garden too much can be a bad thing.  Our garden is large so it’s hard to over do it.  With smaller gardens be sure to do your research thoroughly and always follow the guidelines that come with the product you buy.

Water Woes

When we lived in the city we never had to be concerned about water.  We turned the tap on and it was there – plain and simple.  We didn’t think twice about giving it to our house plants or using it to water the flower beds and lawn.

Living on an acreage this is no longer the case.  We now have our own water well and city water is no longer an option.  Like many other homes in our area, our water is what locals refer to as “Soda Water.”  Soda Water is basically soft water; it has a high pH, a high concentration of sodium, and tends to have a lot of tannins.  If you were to drink it, it would be similar to drinking flavorless fountain pop.  It’s considered potable but one needs to be careful because of the high sodium content.

Like humans, too much sodium is not good for plants.  Although different plants have difference tolerances, a guideline for what is too much sodium is 69 ppm.  Our water has 354 ppm.  If we were to use it to water our plants, the sodium would stunt their growth and eventually kill them.  Because of this, we can’t use our well water to water anything. 

With our well water not being plant friendly, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature to provide enough rain to sustain our garden and lawn.  We have rain barrels at just about every down spout to collect whatever precipitation falls over the summer.  (Our storage capacity is about currently about 400 gallons.)  And when it doesn’t rain, we load our 120 gallon tank into the truck and head to the city for water.

To conserve water, we don’t use sprinklers and we don’t water the grass.  My husband says we have “acreage grass” meaning we don’t fertilize or water it – we leave that to Mother Nature.  (Maintaining 3 acres of grass is enough work as it is).  When watering the garden we use watering cans or a watering wand.  It takes a bit more work and concentrates the water around the plants where it is needed.  A welcome benefit to this is the weeds don’t get watered so there are fewer weeds.  Hooray!

This year having enough water is already becoming an issue and we haven’t even planted yet.  Despite the heavy snowfall last winter, we are in need of moisture as we have had very little precipitation since the snow melted. 

Thankfully, due to a few thunderstorms last week we now have about 150 gallons of water stored – it’s a start!

If you are unsure of your water quality, there are many laboratories that you can send a sample to for testing.  Results are usually received quickly at a minimum cost.  The last thing you want to do is kill your garden with water!

Helpful Tip:  Rain barrels can be expense.  Car washes tend to get their soap in plastic barrels that are similar in size to a 45 gallon drum.  We use these as rain barrels and get them from a local car wash at a cost of $25 each.  They require a bit of labor to wash out the soup residue(pressure washer works great) but its worth the money save.

Getty Ready - Part 1

This weekend we “broke dirt” in the garden for the first time since last fall.  Our gracious friends came over on Sunday with their John Deere to till the soil.  We till the soil at the beginning of the season and the in late fall after the garden has been put to sleep for the winter.  

This spring we tilled in some peat moss to help retain moisture and hopefully stop the soil from compacting so hard.



Getting Ready!



Adding Peat Moss
(I think it was the windiest day of the year.. figures!)

 Can't wait until this weekend to plant!  The forecast looks hot and dry, do I dare say I want it to rain already???

Selecting the Right Seed for You

When shopping for seeds there are several things I consider.  First and for most I decide what I want to grow.  This can be difficult for me because if I could, I would attempt to grow everything.  Like everyone who gardens, how much we can grow is limited by our garden size.  When deciding what to grow the two most important factors to consider are the length of your growing season and what you like to eat.  Plant vegetables you like to eat and are easy to grow.  Don’t waste your time on something that won’t grow to maturity or that you “might” like.  Be sure to consider how much time you are able to spend in your garden.  If time is limited, don’t plant too many vegetables that require a lot of maintenance and TLC.  

After deciding what to grow I research the different varieties comparing characteristics such as disease resistance, temperature tolerances, dates to maturity, yield, how well they store and of course flavor. 

Some varieties we grow include: spinach that is less likely to bolt in hot weather, yellow beans that grow in clusters making them easy to pick and are rust resistant, peas that have 4” pods that grow in pairs for easy picking, zucchini plants that are compact, and potatoes that are scab resistant.

Last year we grew vegetables that matured at varying rates.  This year we will do the same.  It was nice because we had vegetables ready at varying times of the summer and not everything was ready for harvest at the same time. 

To quote a friend, “in the spring a garden is never big enough and in the fall it’s ever small enough.”  How true.

Not Where to Buy Seed, But Where “I” Buy Seed

Last year was the first year my husband and I had our own vegetable garden.  Shortly after Christmas (yes Christmas) I started getting antsy about planning the garden – I didn’t want to miss out on any particular seed because I was tardy!  I started by perusing the internet for a suitable seed supplier.  If my understanding is correct, when you buy direct the seeds tend to be better quality than what you buy at any department store, you can order bulk, and you have more selection.

When it comes to seeds you buy at a department store (i.e.: Canadian Tire, Superstore, etc.) it is my understanding seeds that don’t sell one year are put back into circulation the next.  Because of this you might not be buying the newest/healthiest seed.  Department stores also tend to sell seeds in small quantities.  The small seed packages give very little information about what you are buying.  Most packages only give planting instructions and dates to maturity.  In a seed catalog, you get more information about what you are buying – hardiness, days to maturity, flavor, disease tolerance, ideal growing conditions, etc.  Something else to keep in mind is most department stores only sell seeds during the spring and if you want anything later in the season you are S.O.L. whereas you can get seed from a supplier any time of the year. 

To proof a point, last year I miss judged and didn’t order enough spinach seed and I had to buy a few small packages locally.  The seed that I had ordered germinated quickly while the seed I had bought locally took longer to germinated (could have been a different variety) and only about 50% of the seed actually germinated.  Enough said.

One thing I do buy locally from a greenhouse is my seed potatoes.  They offer numerous selections, almost too many for someone like me who wants to grow everything.  Last year I picked up 2 – 10lb bags for around $8 each which was surprisingly less than if I were to get them from a department store.

Getting back on topic, I found four places across the country that supplied seeds and seemed reputable.  Out of the four, only one responded to my request for a catalogue.  As a result, they got my business! (veseys.com)

When the catalog came in the mail it was like getting the Wish Book when I was younger.  I spent hours making lists of what I wanted to grow, comparing the different varieties and driving my husband crazy by constantly asking for his opinion on what we should grow.  In the end, we decided it would be best to keep it simple as it was our first year with the garden.  Last year we planted (by seed) peas, yellow beans, carrots, turnips, beets, radish, spinach, swiss chard, potatoes, onions, zucchini, and corn.  We also transplanted tomatoes.  And of course I can’t forget our “asparagus peas.”  (We’ll never grow those again as the only thing they were good for was pranking visitors – they had an absolutely vile taste.) The special selections that I was excited about were the corn, beans, zucchini and tomatoes as I had never grown these before.  (The corn was the only seed that didn’t germinate due to the cold we had in the late spring.)

This year I re-ordered my seeds from the same suppler as their seed had proven themselves worthy last summer by producing a bountiful crop.  We decided on the same vegetables, changing a few varieties, adding some green beans and spaghetti squash.

Needless to say my seeds have been sitting downstairs in the cold room since early March. J.

Patiently Waiting... NOT!

This weekend will be a difficult for me.

It was this time last year that we planted the garden and flowers pots.  Currently, our forecasted temperatures are slightly above normal with highs in the low 20C’s and overnight lows close to 10C.  I really want to plant the garden.  I really really want to plant the garden.  But I will wait.  I will wait because I don’t trust Mother Nature and I have a nagging suspicion she’s not done with winter yet – just like last year.  I hope I'm wrong.

This is what happened last year a few days after we planted everything:



May 14, 2010


And that is why I will wait. I learnt my lesson last year for being overly eager.  Luckily there wasn’t much damage to the garden because nothing had sprouted.  The only issue we had was the corn seed went moldy because of the damp/cold conditions.  Thankfully this ended up working to our advantage because it gave us more room for the tomatoes.

My flowers on the other hand took a kicking but that tends to happen when they get covered with 3 – 4” of heavy wet snow.  I would have covered them when it started to snow but I was at work and by 5 o'clock it was too late.  It took them a while to recover but thankfully they survived.



This year I’m sticking to the general guideline for planting – plant the long weekend in May or later.  Last year May long weekend it snowed.   Hopefully this year it won’t.  At least this year our average last day for frost falls before the long weekend.  If the weather stays nice maybe I’ll transplant the tomatoes next weekend as well. 

To see your average last/first day for frost visit: www.veseys.com/ca/en/learn/reference/frost/canada

Maybe I can start with the flowers after work next week.....

Calla Lilies

Yesterday was our 2^nd Wedding Anniversary.  When planning our wedding the most difficult decision I had was what flowers I wanted in my bouquet.  I love tulips.  Steve says I like them so much because of the Dutch in me.  I almost decided to have a bouquet of dark purple tulips but I really wanted something unique.  In the end, I decided on a bouquet of burnt orange calla lilies.

                               

Unfortunately, calla lilies are the most difficult flower to dry.  As a memento to my bouquet and wedding day, last year I planted two pots of burnt orange calla lilies. 

I am proud to announce that they too survived their first winter and made an appearance on our special day.



Can you see the three lilies peaking through??



 

                          

Signs of Survival

When it comes to flowers, I’m not a big fan of annuals.  Maybe I’m just lazy but I don’t like the hassle of removing them after they die and replanting in the spring – not to mention the cost.  I prefer perennials, you only have to plant them once and if they transplant well, you should never have to plant again.

We have two perennial beds; one on the east side and one on west side of the house.  Last year in August my Dad and Steve re-did these beds by giving them new edging, fresh mulch, and some new perennials.  

We were concerned about their survival because we had an extremely dry fall and cold weather early before there was any snow cover.  When the snow finally started to melt this spring a few of the cedar bushes and junipers looked brown giving cause for concern.  We had nothing to water them with so we gave them a shovel of snow for extra moisture from time to time.

I am glad to announce that everything survived their first winter.

"The Rocket"

Unknown



Tiger Lilies

I might jinx myself by saying this, but notice the deer have yet to nibble on them?

Why Do I Garden?

A “new age” answer to this question would be we garden to reduce our carbon foot print, so we know what we are putting into our bodies, and so we are less dependent on imported produce.  Some people probably garden specifically for these reasons but I don’t.   I garden because I like to, because I have room to, and because it gives me a reason to get off the couch and go outside.

I ought to point out that I should really be saying, we, meaning my husband, Steve, and I.  He deserves as much credit for the garden as I do, it’s a joint effort and I wouldn’t be able to do it without him.

When I was growing up my mom had a fairly large garden.  I don’t remember it being the most fruitful garden but it was a garden.  Being in the Yukon with the short growing season and poor soil there was a limited selection of vegetables that could be grown without a greenhouse.  We would try to grow beans from time to time but I don’t ever remember having enough for a meal.  Tomatoes were attempted on the deck in pots every now and again but you were lucky if they turned red on the window sill in the fall.  As kids, my sister, brother and I would always get chased out of the garden and were told to let things grow.  Even the dog, Jessie, a chocolate lab, would sneak into the garden doing her infamous belly crawl and steal carrots.  I garden because it reminds me of my childhood, but this time I get to do it my way (sort of).

One thing I remember the most about my mom’s garden was the carrots and their explosive flavor – it was always a welcome surprise in the winter to find one last pack that was buried in the bottom of the freezer.  That explosive flavor is another reason why I garden.

The depth of flavor from fresh vegetables far surpasses anything you can buy in a grocery store.  A few months ago I had to buy potatoes from the grocery store as our garden stash had been depleted.  I was disgusted with the flavor and texture.  And this was a potato! A measly potato! Most people talk about the flavor of store bought tomatoes compared to that of home grown tomatoes: that there is no comparison.  Think of that difference and imagine it in a potato, a carrot, a pea, a zucchini.  The difference exists in everything!  

A garden is a lot of work, but nothing is more rewarding then eating carrots that were pulled from the earth minutes ago and having beans so fresh that they spray you when you snap them in half. 

Oh how I wish I didn’t have to wait!

Beginnings...

Hmm…  A blog.  Should I? Could I? Would I? Or better yet, WHY would I? 

Over the past year I’ve visited many garden blogs searching for advice on everything from how to keep deer out of the garden to what varieties to plant, to what to do with a seemingly endless amount of green tomatoes.

 I thought on several occasions that if other people could blog about their garden and experiences why couldn’t I?  It could give me an outlet to share what I’ve learnt as well as vent over frustrating situations.

But would anyone listen?  Why would anyone listen?  The answer: the same reason why I spent endless hours looking at blogs – for advice, for ideas, and for a sense of “gardener” belonging.

As a relatively new gardener, I don’t think I have much “expert” advice to pass on.  Just about everything I know I have learnt via the internet or from gardening with my mom (and calls are still frequently made home regarding the garden, harvesting and preserving.)  What I can share is my day to day experiences and what I’ve learnt the easy way as well as the hard way.

So to answer the questions above:

Q:  Should I?                     

A:  Maybe.

Q: Could I?                       

A:  Most definitely!

Q: Would I?                      

A: Probably.

Q: Why would I?      

A: To share my experiences and maybe help someone searching for advice or suggestions as I have done on several occasions - kind of a “Play It Forward” mentality.

So where does one begin?

I suppose an explanation of my blog name is as good a place as any. 

Last year (our first full summer on our acreage with a garden) we had a horribly dry summer.  Excluding a few thunderstorms that dumped a torrential amount of rain, you could probably count on one hand the rainy days we had.  Because of this, the biggest hurdle we had with our garden was having enough water.  (Our well water isn’t plant friendly.)  It was shocking how much water was required to quench the thirst of the garden and keep the soil consistently moist.  It was one thirsty garden… hence the name, “Thirsty Dirt.”