Hello,
The tomato training video:
Also, I encourage you to harvest your broccoli soon. As the weather heats up, the large central head will burst into tons of yellow flowers.
Tereska Gesing
Vegetable gardening newsletter #7
Hello,
Your peas climb the trellis using little tendrils. It is important to make sure your snow peas are not choking your tomato plants. Simply snip or unwind the tendrils from around the tomato branches. See my video for more details.
Tomatoes and snow peas:
When we put your tomatoes in, we made sure to pinch out the flowers to minimize transplant shock, but you can now let them grow. Pinching out first couple of pepper and eggplant flowers to let the plants grow bigger before they start producing vegetables. You might delay the first harvest a little, but will get more fruit in the end.
The roquette (arugula) is getting pretty spicy. If it is too much to your taste for salads, try cooking it! Spicy roquette is delicious on homemade pizza, chopped up on pasta, or sautéed along with kale and swiss chard as a side dish.
Many of your berries and fruit trees have been in the ground for a month or so now. The trees spend the first month or two using all their energy to grow their root ball. This means that your tree may still not have any leaves. You can check it is still living with a scratch test. Take your thumb nail gently scratch the bark of the tree. If it is green underneath, your tree is doing well. If it is brown, that part of the tree is dead and you should snip it off.
Raspberries and blackberries will take some time to get established as well. They should have a couple of leaves within a couple of weeks, but will not be a full and productive patch until next spring.
Blueberries and strawberries get established pretty quickly and will probably bear fruit this summer. If you are worried about any of your fruit, please let me know and we will be glad to come by and take a look.
The flowers need to be “dead-headed” this means that once the flower is wilted, pinch off the dead flower. This will encourage new flower buds to form. Remember you can use all of our flowers in salads or on desserts. Snow peas and flowers are delicious as well.
Thanks to client Colin Griffin, executive chef at Aldo Group for his fabulous snow pea shoot recipes:
Vegetable Gardening Newsletter #6
Hello,
We are in a transitional period in the gardens. We have left as much as possible in your garden for you to enjoy while the tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, beans and squash are growing, you will have to be patient for the next couple of weeks.
It is important for us to get these summer vegetables in the ground now, as it its the best possible time to plant these vegetables. If we wait too much longer there will not be enough time for your vegetables to mature before the winter comes.
Having a vegetable garden is all about learning to eat in season, and to take advantage of what is at it’s best when it is ready. While the lettuce and spinach in your garden could probably stay in a little longer, as soon as it gets really hot outside these spring vegetables will really start to suffer. To get the most out of your small space we need to plant the summer vegetables right away.
The Swiss chard, roquette (arugula), kale, broccoli, cabbage, onions , peas and some lettuce will stay in the garden for you to enjoy. Last year’s clients will have garlic as well. You should keep harvesting the Swiss chard, roquette and kale by removing the outer leaves as you need them. You can take outer leaves from the cabbage and broccoli as well.
You have two types of onions in your garden. Standard Spanish onions (one stalk sticking up) and multiplier onions (many stalks sticking up). You can cut some greens from each stalk to use as you would chives. The Spanish onion bulbs won’t be ready until at least July, but the multiplier onions (AKA bunching onions, green onions) you can gently dig up, break off a section and re-bury the rest of the clump to keep growing.
Some of you may be having some problems with animals – squirrels and groundhogs especially. There are a couple of potential techniques, but the only thing that will keep a persistent animal out of the garden for sure is to build a removable cage on top of the garden.
It is time to keep an eye out for smaller garden pests. Slugs and snails can be a problem, my favourite way to deal with them is to leave out a half cantaloupe rind upside down in the garden. When the sun comes up, slugs will hind in the rind and you can simply pick it up in the morning and throw it away. This is a slug control must be done regularly to be effective.
Aphids can attack tender young leaves, especially of cherry trees or tomatoes. Just knock them off with a strong jet of water. They will fall to the ground and become easy prey for the beneficial predatory insects in your garden.
Cucumber beetles can be a problem for cucumbers, squash and melons. Cover these seedlings with a floating row cover soon after planting to ensure that they do settle into your garden. Keep them covered until flowers appear at which time you will need to uncover the plants so they can be pollinated.
Cabbage moth caterpillars can cut ragged holes into your broccoli and cabbage. Keep an eye out for light green one inch long caterpillars, pick them off and destroy.
A beautiful rapini recipe for your harvests:
http://www.thekitchn.com/spring-appetizer-recipe-goat-cheese-rapini-toas…
Tereska Gesing
May 8th Newsletter
What about this hot dry weather? While it is absolutely fabulous for frolicking in the sunshine, it is the most persistent drought at this time of year in more that 50 years. It is therefor essential that you provide
your gardens with enough water. Remember that it is much better for you to water deeply for a long time, than watering a little bit every day. Light watering will only encourage the roots of your plants to turn upwards to the surface of the soil and your veggies will be more vulnerable to drying out.
Some of the radishes have all ended up in clumps in one spot in the garden. I assume this is because the seeds traveled around during the initial watering before sprouting. It is important that the vegetables are well spaced out in your garden.
If this is the case you can carefully scoop them up in a big handful of soil and equally space them out in the square (four rows of four). Try not to touch the root or the stem. Hold the seedling by the leaves instead. It is important not to disturb the root, or bruise the stem. Leaves will just keep on growing if you damage them.
Otherwise, if several seeds were planted in the same hole, you can simply thin them by cutting or pinching the excess seedlings. It is important that you do not leave all your seedlings clumped together, because they will compete for space and resources.
You may notice some small soft bodied insects on some of your plants. If so, wipe them off with a wet, soapy cloth, or knock them off with a strong jet of water.
Some of your seedlings outer leaves may have gotten wilty or started to yellow. This is due to our unseasonably warm spring and a little bit of transplant shock. You can simply remove the sad leaves and the rest of the plant should perk up nicely.
If you haven’t already, you can start harvesting your lettuce. Break or snip off the big outer leaves of your lettuces and let the inner leaves continue to grow. I encourage you to take your salad bowl directly into the garden and take a couple of leaves from each plant. This will give you a beautiful mixed salad.
By the way, I love getting your pictures like this delicious salad from one of our clients:
Please keep your questions coming!
May 1st Newsletter
Looks like the weather has finally warmed up! With a low of around 11 degrees all next week, you can safely take your row cover off now. Let it dry, fold it up, and keep it in a safe place. You will need it later in the season. If there are leaves on your lettuce or spinach that look big enough to eat, feel free to pick off the outer leaves and add them to your salad – just make sure that you leave enough leaves on the plant that it can continue to grow! Once you take off the cover, you should start keeping an eye out for weeds and pests. If you want to do something extra to keep cats, squirrels or other animals away you can sprinkle a bunch of cayenne pepper regularly around the garden to deter the animals. Buying small containers can get expensive. You can buy larger quantities at Aubut a 3975, rue Saint-Ambroise, Montréal H4C 2E1 http://www.aubut.ca Make sure to keep your garden well watered, and enjoy your first harvests! We always love hearing from you, and enjoy answering any questions you might have. Please send along pictures from time to time.
Spring at Last!
This is the week! Spring plantings and installations start this week, and what better a way to kick it off, than a reFRESHer on the benefits of fresh picked fruits and veggies? Did you know that the Oxford American Dictionary declared “locavore” as 2007 Word of the Year? It defines locavore as a person “whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food.” Maybe you’ve also heard of it referred to as the 100 Mile Diet? But other than a delicious scavenger hunt around your home, the amazing meals and doing your part for your local economy, are there are other motivations to eating locally? It turns out that organic or not, fresh is best. Like really fresh. As we like to say around here, fresh can mean five minutes ago.
According to a Harvard study, there are several factors that contribute to the nutritional value of your fruit and veggies. For example, the ripeness when picked; or how your veggies are handled, stored, processed and delivered after harvesting – a process that can take anywhere from days to weeks. Often what we choose from at the grocery store is based on how well it will keep between harvest and their bumpy trek to the produce section. One of the most important factors in a veggie’s nutritional value is its temperature after harvest, which is specific to the veggie, making it nearly impossible to regulate in transit.
Take the tomato for example; it retains the most nutrition when stored between 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. But, the odds are stacked against the tomato, which is picked before ripe and shipped with a whole stir-fry of other veggies. Did you know that there are over 400 different varieties of tomatoes? Which ones are you hoping to try this summer? Green Zebra? Cherokee Purple? Jaune Flammée? We hope our excitement about backyard fresh veggies is as infectious as it is going to be delicious!
Green Lacewing
Description
Adult green lacewings are small, soft-bodied insects that are light green in colour. As an adult insect, this beneficial predator has antennae, big eyes, six legs, and lace-like wings. It resembles a dragonfly and is often mistaken for one. Green lacewing larvae look like tiny caterpillars. They are “aphid lions” and are the beneficial stage of the green lacewing. Eggs are white and are laid singly or in groups.
Effects
Green lacewing larvae prey on aphids, leafhoppers, mites, psyllids, thrips, whiteflies and the eggs of insects. The larvae, with their huge appetites, are the beneficial stage of the green lacewing.
Management
Lacewings love poppy, yarrow, dill, coriander, cosmos, Queen Anne’s lace, tansy and dandelion.
Happy Spring + Workshop!
It’s officially spring! And it’s finally starting to act like it. If you’re like us you’re itching to get outside and into the garden. Are you as nostalgic as we are for garden fresh salads? We keep finding ourselves standing in the greenhouse staring at the seedlings.
That’s why we’re excited to announce our first workshop of the season!
On April 19th or 20th come join us at our brand new workshop and greenhouse for a hands-on day of building a raised bed garden, and then planting it with seedlings right from our greenhouse. During the workshop, you’ll get a chance to see the process from start to finish, as we plan, build and plant a brand new organic vegetable garden together! While you’re here you can also pick up everything you’ll need to get started on your own garden from your seeds, and seedlings, to worm castings, our custom blend of soil mix, kelp fertilizer, floating row cover, biodegradable mulch, climbing trellises, and CowPots!
So call or email us today to reserve your spot, space is limited. We don’t want too many gardeners in the greenhouse.
Author Margaret Atwood thinks that: “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” We tend to agree. Why not get your hands dirty, and make Margaret proud by building a terrarium to welcome in spring. Check out these step by step instructions courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens.
And once you’re done that, reward yourself by making by making up a batch of pesto using spring greens instead of basil. This recipe looks as delicious as it tastes.
Building a Raised Bed
Here we will go through the steps to building a raised bed for your vegetables. With a little care and a personal touch, you can end up with a lovely garden tailor-made for you and by you.
Video 1 : How to build your vegetable garden :
- Select nice straight pieces of 2×8 lumber. We use hemlock planks as they are as durable as cedar but cost much less. Do not use spruce or pine planks, as these do not last nearly as long.
- Cut the pieces to your chosen dimensions. If you want a garden box that is longer than 10 feet, you will need additional bracing inside the box to prevent the sides from bowing. Do not make your box more than 4 feet wide, as you will not be able to reach the middle of the garden without stepping inside – and you never step inside!
- Stain your wood with a cloth then wipe it off; let dry then repeat for a rich colour. Or, for a more weathered look, leave the wood bare.
- Use 3-inch construction screws or corner brackets and L brackets to assemble your box. Make sure your bracket covers both pieces you are attaching.
- If you are installing your garden in the vicinity of very large trees, you may want to lay the bottom of your box with geo-textile fabric to prevent the tree roots from taking over your garden.
- Now that your box is built, you need to prepare your soil. You can use our own custom soil blend, or prepare your own: 1 part compost, 1 part vermiculite or perlite, 1 part peat moss or coconut coir, 1 part gardening soil blend. This will result in a rich, light and very absorptive blend with a pH balance of around 6.5-7. You can substitute worm castings for the compost in the blend.
- Once your soil blend is in the box, it’s useful to have a grid over the soil to facilitate spacing of the seeds and seedlings. A quick and easy method is to staple 100% cotton string with 1-square-foot spacing (synthetic string will shrink in extreme heat and snap). Staple the ends of your string to the box then tie a little knot after the staple and trim.
Video 2 : How to install your trellis frame
- Now you need to install your trellis frame. Drive a three-foot piece of half-inch iron rebar in the two north-facing corners inside your box. This will be the back row of your garden where you will install a trellis for the climbing/vining vegetables. You can purchase our ready-made trellis frame, or make your own, taking two pieces of electrical metal tubing and bending them 90 degrees at a height of six feet to form the frame. Connect the two pieces using a half-inch connector that can be bought in the same store as the tubing. You can also build your frame out of wood or any other material you desire, but the tubing and the connectors are very affordable. We use black-powder-painted tubing, but it is custom made for us and is not sold anywhere else. You can try and paint it yourself, but you will have varying levels of success as the tubing is zinc coated and paint does not adhere to it very well. If your garden is wider than eight feet, you will need a third piece of tubing and two connectors, and then use a hacksaw to cut a piece to connect the frame.
- Once the trellis frame is up you can attach the trellis netting. We use nylon trellis with a 6-inch grid, which is ideal for all kinds of climbing and vining vegetables and strong enough to handle their weight without strain. Attach the trellis to the frame using plastic tie wraps and trim the excess away for a clean and tidy finished look. Then plant your seeds and seedlings before installing your fence.
- Once your garden is planted, drive 3.3 foot pieces of iron rebar into the four corners outside your garden box. I recommend spray painting the rebar to prevent rust and to add to the aesthetic value of the garden.
Video 3 : How to fix your fence
- Attach plastic chicken wire fencing to the rebar, pulling as tightly as possible, and affix with plastic tie wraps, stapling along the bottom of the fence to the top of the sides of the box. You will want your fence to be at least 18 inches above the box. The benefit of a plastic fence is that it is not rigid enough to be climbable and will thus keep squirrels and other rodents out of your garden. Make sure that as your garden grows you do not let the leaves grow over the sides of the fence for groundhogs to nibble on. If they taste it they will find a way in, whether it’s over the top or through the bottom!
- Final steps: Enjoy your garden, water often, and eat well!
Attack
While prevention is always the best medicine, sometimes pest outbreaks can occur. The homemade insecticide spray given below is very effective, but all such products can disrupt the ecosystem you are trying so hard to establish; only use as a last result.
Organic Hot Pepper Insecticide
- ½ cup hot peppers (or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper)
- 1 quart water
- 1 tsp liquid dish detergent
- 1 tsp olive oil
Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peppers. Cover and steep until cool. Strain then mix in soap and oil. If using cayenne pepper, no need to bring water to a boil first. Put into a spray bottle and spray affected area. Good for any pest or fungus.
Pest and Disease Control
The best defense against pests is having a strong, stress-free plant, which begins with healthy fertile soil, and sufficient water and sunshine. Having a healthy ecosystem will allow your plant to build up resistance to a variety of pests and diseases.
Prevention
While insecticides drive away pests, they also get rid of your beneficial insects by making a hostile ecosystem. The best way to restore balance to your ecosystem is to learn to identify your friends from the pests and hand pick and destroy.
It’s important to remember that having some pests in the garden is not a bad thing! Actually a balance of beneficial insects and pests in your garden is crucial. If you don’t have enough “bad bugs” in your garden, the beneficials will not stick around very long.
Beneficial Insects
On top of eating pests, beneficial insects also pollinate your fruiting vegetables, helping them grow and flourish. Planting flowers and herbs close to your vegetable garden will attract these insects.
- Ladybug
- Green lacewing
- Hoverfly
- Parasitic wasp (Trichogramma)
- Tachinid Fly
- Centipede/Millipede
- Honey Bee
- Bumble Bee
- Spiders
- Soldier Beetle
- Ground Beetle
Pests
Here are some pesky pests that we have had to manage in our vegetable gardens. Remember that even the most ecological or homemade sprays and insect controls will harm or dissuade beneficial insects as well. The absolutely best defence against garden pests is to make sure you have healthy plants and a healthy ecosystem.
- Aphids
- Slugs and Snails
- Cabbage Moth
- Cucumber Beetle
- Japanese beetle
- Leaf miner
Beneficial Plants
Another way to create a healthy ecosystem in your yard is complementing your vegetable garden with a flower and herb garden. Edible flowers, as well as garlic, onions, and most herbs, are essential for repelling some pests and attracting beneficial insects.
Flowers
In addition to being compact for a small city garden and great at attracting beneficial insects, all of the flowers we plant are edible, so make sure you enjoy them on your salads, or as decoration for desserts and fancy summer drinks. For information on specific flowers check out the flowers section of our catalogue.
Garlic, Onions and Herbs
Garlic, onions and most herbs are essential for repelling some pests and attracting beneficial insects. Perennial herbs like parsley, thyme, oregano and chives provide important habitat for beetles. Let your herbs go to flower for an important food source for bees and other pollinators.
Organic Insecticide
Prevention is the best medicine, but sometimes pest outbreaks can occur despite your efforts. As a last result, here is a recipe for a homemade insecticide spray that will work on pests or fungi.
Organic Hot Pepper Insecticide
- ½ cup hot peppers (or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper)
- 1 quart water
- 1 tsp liquid dish detergent
- 1 tsp olive oil
Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peppers. Cover and steep until cool, then strain and mix in soap and oil. If using cayenne pepper, you don’t need to bring the water to a boil first. Put your finished mixture in a spray bottle and spray affected area.
Soil Fertility
It all starts in the soil! It is impossible to overstate how important a rich and fertile soil is to the health of your plants. The billions of micro-organisms in a healthy, fertile soil give your plants access to the nutrients they need to grow and be nutritious; they provide your plants with a loose and airy soil structure that is easy for roots to navigate; and they protect your plants from disease pathogens and reduce susceptibility to pests. Because it works so hard for your plants, soil needs to be fed and protected.
Compost
Fertilizing soil with compost is much better for soil fertility than chemical fertilizers, which kill beneficial microorganisms. We like to build two pallet compost bins for time efficiency, switching the full contents of one over to the other. Click here for a tutorial on building pallet composters.
Maintaining a good ratio between nitrogen (“green stuff” like fresh grass clippings, food scraps, and yard waste) and carbon (“brown stuff” like dried plants, dead leaves, and shredded paper) is key. We put 10 cm (4″) deep layers in our compost bins, consisting of one layer of green, one layer of brown, and then 1 cm (1/2″) of dirt to speed things up. This will leave out unpleasant odours, and will not attract rodents or pests. It will also maintain an internal temperature of 150°C, destroying any weed seeds, pathogens, and fungus before the compost is added to the garden.
Like your garden, make sure to water your compost pile regularly, especially in hot summer months.
Vermicompost
The best way to use your finished compost is to feed it to a big batch of worms, which convert it into a rich and beneficial fertilizer for your vegetables. House your worms in a big wooden box outside, filled with your finished compost. The internal temperature will stay at 150°C all year if your box is big enough. Hay bales can be used to insulate the box and prevent the outer edges from getting too cold. Urban agriculture guru Will Allen only uses wormcastings and compost tea for fertilizer and insecticide for his entire market growing operation!