Planning a new or First Garden?

It is not difficult to grow your own vegetables, flowers and herbs. There are three things that you must consider if the garden is to be successful; the sun, soil and water. The garden will need six to eight hours of sunlight per day in order to produce vegetables or flowers.

Soil comes in three basic types, clay, sand or loan. The ideal soil is a sandy loam. There is a simple way to determine the type of soil in your garden. Pick up some soil with one hand, roll it into a ball. If it forms a ball that breaks apart readily it is loam. If a ball does not form, it is sand. If a ball forms but does not break apart easily, it is clay.

This primer will help you plan and design your first garden; it does not matter what you decide to grow, vegetables, flowers, herbs or all three, the steps are the same.

Step One:

There are two questions you need to answer at this point.

1- What do you want to grow?

2- How much time to you have to garden, each day, and week?

It is important to match your schedule to your interests; you do not want to start a garden that is too big, as it is likely to become a burden and that will take all the fun out of the project.

It is equally important not to put in a garden that is too small as your yield, what you get back for your labour, will be smaller than you expected and you will be disappointed and perhaps discouraged.

Step Two:

Now is the time for the garden plan. Don’t panic, this is simple; a plan helps you stay on track, makes maximum use of your gardening time, is fun and can be changed whenever you desire.

You now know what you want to grow and how much time you are willing to commit to the growing and maintenance. Now you must determine:

1- Where will your garden grow? The backyard most likely but were, well for most cut flowers, herbs and vegetables you want a spot that gets full sun for 5-6 hours a day, minimum.

2- How big will it be? The size depends upon what you want to grow and how much. A good cut flower garden can be fairly small in feet 6x6 will do; same for a herb garden. Now unless you are prepared to convert your whole backyard into a vegetable garden and even then, you are not going to grow all the food your family needs, so pick you 3-5 favourite vegetables and focus on them.

3- Homework time. You need to know the plants you plant to grow, the public library can be a great source of information as can the Internet. You can also visit a local plant nursery and have a chat with the manager.

4- Put the right plant in the right place and it will thrive.

Read this hub, for details on building the garden bed. Speaking of reading, if you are planting seeds read the seed package. The information there is meant to be followed, so do so. If you are using plants then read the tag that should be in the pot with the plant, the same story; If it is not then ask.

Gardening is a rewarding activity that does not have to be difficult or time-consuming, just be sure to build the garden that matches your needs, wants and schedule.

Consider keeping a journal. Record what you planted, how it fared and anything else that you notice. This information will be valuable when planning next year's garden.

Organic Fertilizers

The following products are used in the production of organic fertilizers.

Blood Meal is dried blood as a by-product of the meat industry and contains approximately 13 per cent nitrogen; not for vegetarians.

Colloidal phosphate is clay that is washed from rock phosphate when the rock phosphate is mined. This is a good source of phosphorus.

Cottonseed meal is a waste product that is left over after cottonseed oil is pressed out of cottonseed, this may contain chemical residues and not be suitable.

Fish emulsions are a liquid by-product of the animal feed industry and are made from fish and a good source of nitrogen.

Greensand is a mined mineral deposit that is a good source of potassium and other minerals.

Guano is aged and dried bird or bat droppings that is high in nitrogen and phosphate.

You can make your own organic fertilizer from selecting the appropriate material in the right combinations. This is just like cooking just follow the recipe.

You will need to supply your soil with the three basics nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous.

The following is a formula or recipe for organic fertilizer.

2 parts of blood meal OR 3 parts of fish meal. This is your nitrogen source.

3 parts bonemeal 6 parts rock phosphate OR 6 parts colloidal phosphate ( phosphorous source)

1 part kelp meal OR 6 parts greensand (potassium)

Be sure to wear gloves, a dust mask and safety goggles.

Once you have chosen the 3 materials that you are going to mix then mix them be sure to wear the mask, gloves and goggles. Remember safety comes first.

Now you have your own custom mix which you may apply around the base of your roses, fruit trees or perennials. If you are starting a new bed you can mix some of the fertilizer into the soil before you plant your flowers or vegetables.

Another great source of organic fertilizer is the grass clippings produced when you mow your lawn. That is providing you do not sue any chemicals on that lawn. Let them lay where the mower tosses them.

If you want to can rake some up and move them to your garden bed. Spread them around so that water and air can get through and enter the soil.

Another excellent way to grow healthy plants is to use a foliar spray.  Plants are able to absorb nutrients through their leaves and they do this very well. This means that foliar spraying, spraying the leaves, can be very effective when used at the appropriate time.

The appropriate time is when the plants are growing fast and getting ready to bloom. This is the perfect time to spray a fine mist of liquid seaweed or compost tea being sure to cover all the leaves. Do this either in the early morning or the late evening as that is when the leaf pores open to regulate the passage of water, oxygen and carbon dioxide through their leaves.

Starting Seeds Indoors: Podcast

Hi, please check out my first podcast working with the Renfrew Public Library. Here

Food Forest: An Introduction

This video will introduce you  to the Food Forest. 

Seed Staring Indoors

Hi, are you a tomato fan? This video is for you.

Attracting Birds to Your Garden.

This video will help you create a garden for the birds that visit, live in your community.

Rooftop Gardening

When considering your gardening options look up.

There are always options and that is the approach that I take to gardening and most other aspects of my work and life. When it comes to gardening if you want to grow something green you can. Your desire and imagination will wake up the creative energy that is needed to overcome obstacles and enable you to design a garden to fit your space.

If you can’t grow in the ground, use containers or raised beds, if you have limited space think vertical.

One area that is often overlooked when planning a garden is the rooftop.

Now your house may not have a roof that suits a garden; it may be too slanted or does not have easy access for regular gardening chores.

It is important to make the distinction between a rooftop garden and a green roof, while there are some similarities, they generally serve different purposes.

Green Roofs:

Green roofs are a roof that allows plants, trees and shrubs to grow in a specially designed light-weight growing medium.

The three main types of green roof systems are:

• complete systems where all the different components including roof membrane are an integral part of the whole system
• modular systems that are positioned above the existing roofing system
• pre-cultivated vegetation blankets that consist of growing medium and plants that are rolled onto the existing roofing system with drainage mats and root barriers as required

Rooftop Gardens

The rooftop garden is simply a garden, usually in containers, that is located on a rooftop. The rooftop may be a house, an office building, a garage, shed or any other structure that has a suitable surface and is strong enough to take the extra weight.

BE sure that the roof you choose can handle the extra weight, or you may get a major surprise. You may need to consult with a structural engineer before proceeding, remember that in addition to the garden, there will be at least one person adding to the overall weight.

If you are ready to proceed in the design of a rooftop garden the process that you are beginning is similar to combining interior decorating with landscape design.

Step One:

What is the purpose of the space? If you are looking to grow a container or two of herbs and vegetables that is one thing; if you are planning a community garden that is another.

Or, are you designing an outdoor space for relaxation and entertaining that incorporates flowers, shrubs and trees into the design?

It is possible to set up an orchard on the roof as long as the containers you use are big enough.

Step Two:

You know the space’s purpose; now what do you want to grow?

Step Three:

How much time do you want to devote to gardening? If your time is limited you may want to keep the garden element of the design small, you can always add later, enough so that you can give the plants the attention they deserve.

Be sure to make notes as you go; you will want to refer to them as you proceed.

What you do next will depend upon the answers to the questions raised in the first three steps. If you are adding an outdoor room to your home then you need to think about furniture, for example; if you are growing food, then all that is left to do is decide what food you want to grow.

Some considerations, the weather conditions on a rooftop, much like a balcony, will be different than those at ground level, there may be little to no shade so it will be hot and the winds will be stronger.

The combination of heat and strong winds means that the soil will dry faster than it will in the garden and therefore, the plants will need watering more frequently.

This brings us to another point, water overflow; containers can be designed to catch excess water so that it does not puddle on the roof, making for slippery conditions and added weight. I suggest you hand-water your rooftop garden so that you get sued to the plants’ needs and thus avoid excessive watering.

A rooftop garden is an ideal place to grow native perennials. They will be able to handle the ecosystem and you will be helping maintain the native plant population. This will also encourage native butterflies and birds to drop by for a visit.

Bees, Butterflies, Birds

The three Bs, birds, bees and butterflies are a gardener’s good friends. If you make a few wise plants choices, refrain from engaging in chemical warfare and understand that Nature will provide what you need, then you are well on your way to creating a great garden; one that will provide the fruits, herbs, flowers and vegetables you seek to grow.

The plant choices you make need to be those that provide for the needs of the beings you wish to attract to your garden. Herbs are a great place to start and can be incorporated into a garden bed or arranged throughout your design.

Bee and Sunflower

Bob Ewing photo

• Flowers and Herbs That Attract Butterflies
  - Flowers and Herbs That Attract Butterflies - Nicki's Garden - information and resource guide

Plants

Dill and mint, for example, will bring the butterflies to your garden. Be sure to consider the whole butterfly family and choose plants that provide a place for the butterflies to lay their eggs. If you also provide them with a drink of water, they will hang around.

Sunflowers will attract all three, bees and butterflies first and then as the seeds develop the birds will drop by for their snack.

There are two things that butterflies are seeking: one is nectar, the food that adult butterflies need, and the other, host plants, the place where the female will lay her eggs and the food that caterpillars need. Both are necessary to create a successful butterfly garden.

Birds like seeds, nuts and berries so plants shrubs and native grasses to get their attention. Shrubs also provide them with shelter so they have a place to fly to when they feel the need, which can happen quite frequently in an urban backyard.

The plants you choose will do the job best when they are native to your area. The bees, birds and butterflies will recognize them and make a point to visit.

I suggest that if you are just getting started then take a trip to your local public library or talk to a naturalist society and find out what birds and butterflies are native to where you live and the plants they demand. Butterflies, especially, can be very fussy about what they eat and where they lat their eggs so get those facts first and then plant accordingly.

The three Bs, birds, bees and butterflies, provide the gardener with a number of services, pollination, pest control and beauty, for example. The plants required to make them feel at home in your garden are all plants that even the vegetable-only gardener can appreciate.

How to Start a Vegetable Garden

Bob Ewing 

 more

Contact Author

How to start the vegetable garden

. There are three things that you must consider if the garden is to be successful; sun, soil and water. The garden will need six to eight hours of sunlight per day in order to produce vegetables or flowers.

Soil comes in three basic types, clay, sand or loan. The ideal soil is a sandy loam. There is a simple way to determine the type of soil in your garden. Pick up some soil with one hand, roll it into a ball. If it forms a ball that break apart readily it is loam. If a ball does not form, it is sand. If a ball forms but does not break apart easily, it is clay.

This primer will help you plan and design your first garden; it does not matter what you decide to grow, vegetables, flower, herbs or all three, the steps are the same.

Step One:

There are two questions you need to answer at this point.

1- What do you want to grow?

2- How much time to you have to garden, each day, and week?

It is important to match your schedule to your interests; you do not want to start a garden that is too big, as it is likely to become a burden and that will take all the fun out of the project.

It is equally important not to put in a garden that is too small as your yield, what you get back for your labour, will be smaller than you expected and you will be disappointed and perhaps discouraged.

Step Two:

Now is the time for the garden plan. Don’t panic, this is simple; a plan helps you stay on track, makes maximum use of your gardening time, is fun and can be changed whenever you desire.

You now know what you want to grow and how much time you are willing to commit to the growing and maintenance. Now you must determine:

1- Where will your garden grow? The backyard, most likely, but where, well for most cut flowers, herbs and vegetables you want a spot that gets full sun for 5-6 hours a day, minimum.

2- How big will it be? The size depends upon what you want to grow and how much. A good cut flower garden can be fairly small in feet 6x6 will do; same for a herb garden. Now unless you are prepared to convert your whole backyard into a vegetable garden and even then, you are not going to grow all the food your family needs, so pick you 3-5 favourite vegetables and focus on them.

3- Homework time. You need to know the plants you plant to grow, the public library can be a great source of information as can the Internet. You can also visit a local plant nursery and have a chat with the manager.

4- Put the right plant in the right place and it will thrive.

Read this hub, for details on building the garden bed. Speaking of reading, if you are planting seeds read the seed package. The information there is meant to be followed, so do so. If you are using plants then read the tag that should be in the pot with the plant, the same story; if it is, not then ask.

Gardening is a rewarding activity that does not have to be difficult or time-consuming, just be sure to build the garden that matches your needs, wants and schedule.

Consider keeping a journal. Record what you planted, how it fared and anything else that you notice. This information will be valuable when planning next year's garden.

Annuals Can Add Value to the Garden

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers and dies in one year. 

Some love annuals because they make excellent cut flowers; some because annuals are easy to grow; some love them for their brilliant colours while others just love to create a new garden every spring. 

The reasons do not matter as they are all sound; if you love to garden and enjoy bright vivid colours then annuals will satisfy your needs. I am very fond of annuals and cannot imagine a garden that does not have a few. 

They enlarge the palette but perhaps, more importantly, they enable me to make simple but noticeable changes to my garden and perhaps even better, they give me a reason to get out in the garden.

You can add annuals to your garden, throughout the growing season.

Annuals bloom continuously and produce prolific amounts of seed and this requires the production of many flowers; all making a win-win situation for any gardener.

The choice you have when selecting annuals is quite large so you will need a plan. The first step is to consider your climate, the soil and the amount of sunshine available. Now if you have been gardening for some time, you will have these answers. So the next step is to answer this question; what function will the annuals serve? Are you creating a cutting bed or adding a splash of colour to the border.

Annuals not only come in many different colours but heights and their foliage will have different textures and shades so if you have an existing garden and want to add some annuals to your perennial border make sure what you add is a comfortable fit with what is already there.

When you visit the plant centre you may become overwhelmed by the rows of annuals stretched out before you so get a plan before you go. Let's take a look at one of m favourite annuals the cosmos.

Cosmos:

The cosmos is a rapidly growing plant with delicate and graceful flowers. They will grow to between 4 and 6 feet tall. Some years back we had cosmos planted across the front edge of the front yard, creating a lace-like fence between our yard and the sidewalk.

Cosmos will grow well in full sun in most soils. You can start them indoors five to six weeks before the last frost date or you can sow them directly after the danger of frost has passed. The plants should be 12 inches apart and the seedlings will transplant easily. If the location is very windy you may need to stake them.

Worm Composting

An indoor worm composting bin will turn your kitchen scraps into odour free nutrient-rich organic material that you can use in your garden or in small amounts add now and then to your houseplants.

You can buy a ready-made composter or build one. To build your own you will need, a worm box, redworms, bedding material and kitchen scraps.

Worm box:

You can use a wooden or plastic garbage can or storage box. Be sure to drill 3 holes (1/4”) in the bottom for drainage. As the worms eat your garbage, moisture is produced so you will need to place a container to catch this liquid, or one morning you will find an unpleasant puddle needing your attention.

This liquid is great for your houseplants so do not toss it away.

Cover the drainage holes with small rocks or gravel, about one inch of gravel at the bottom of the box will do the trick. Cover the gravel with a screen.

Moisten the bedding material. This can be shredded leaves, sawdust, newspapers or peat moss and fill the box about 2/3 full. You can add a ½ cup of finished compost to speed the process along at this point, if you wish.

Now it is time to add the worms which you can order from a number of sources. Red worms are what you need not earthworms. There are a number of good online red worm suppliers out there, and if you do not want to build your own composter they can sell you worms and worm bins.

Cucumber peel, melon rinds, lettuce and coffee grounds are favourite foods.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to bury the scraps in the bedding in order to avid attracting fruit flies.

Over time the bedding will disappear, and the box will become full of worm castings. You can harvest the casting by placing fresh bedding and fresh scraps in just one spot, and when the worms move in you can remove some of the castings, which you can then use on your houseplants or out in your garden.

Be sure to keep the worm box 2/3 full and your worms and your plants will be very happy.

Small Space Gardening

Small spaces may present some gardening challenges but with a bit of planning and careful thought, you can create a great garden in the tiniest of places. Be it backyard, balcony, or rooftop, the space can be transformed into a green oasis.

To get started ask yourself the following questions:

1. How do you currently use the space? Is it a quiet getaway; a place for you children to play, or pets to roam, for entertaining?
2. What do you want to grow, herbs, flowers, annuals, perennials, shrubs, fruit trees, vegetables?
3. Thinking about a water feature?
4. Do you use it as an outdoor office?

Once you have answered these questions, here are a few more to ponder.

1. How much money are you willing to spend, on hardscaping, plants, watering system and décor, lights, garden art?
2. How much time do you have to look after your garden?
3. What specific challenges do you need to address, sunlight blocked by nearby buildings for example, ugly view?
4. Measure the space and draw a plan. You do not need to be an artist but setting in down on paper will help you focus.

You are now ready to create your garden plan, and, of course, there are more questions.

1. Are you growing in containers? If so, you need to select containers that are the appropriate size for the plants you choose and fit in with your overall décor.
2. Is there a view you which to hide? If yes, then you may want to include a trellis and a climbing plant such as English ivy or you could consider ornamental grasses; it depends upon the situation.
3. Do you want to add lighting, furniture, garden art? If you do they must flow with the design.
4. Think up, small spaces are ideal for growing vertically; you can use trellises and other supports or stackable plant holders for herbs, for example.
5. Fill in all the items that will be in your garden on the plan, again, accurate representation is not the goal, only you need to be able to understand it. Label items, such as a chair, light rose, peas.

We grow beans and peas vertically so why not expand that list. When you make the choice to grow vertical your small space expands, growing up means growing more.

Look to miniature varieties when selecting plants, the popularity of container and balcony gardening has lead to the development of a number of plants that work very well in a small space.

Above all, have fun; this is your space, design it your way.

Glass Gem Corn

While the cobs are smaller than I would have liked, I plant to grow again, next year, probably only three plants along with grex beans, not pumpkins though.

Winter is Coming: Time for New Projects

While the cosmos is still in bloom alongside the house, the gardening season has come to an end. The small garden has been put to bed and I am moving onto new projects, although both are connected to food and growing.

November is NaNoWriMo month. You sign up to write 50,000 words within the month of November. I have started on a novel entitled. "Enough is Enough."

The second project is to grow this blog, the Inquisitive Gardener. A book is in the work, one feature of this book will be a section on "invasive plants." I'll release more details as the days pass.

What are you up to in the offseason?

Native Plants: Resources

Canadian Wildlife Federation: http://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/native-plant-encyclopedia/

The US- Audubon https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

NWF: https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/about/native-plants

Wildflowers (US) https://www.wildflower.org/

Canada: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/native-plants-of-canada.html

The Native Plant Garden, Benefits

a native plant garden will:

• increase biodiversity;
• provide habitat for a wide variety of creatures such as birds and butterflies;
• provide a home for many native plants that are becoming increasingly rare in the wild;
• conserve water;
• and eliminate the need for chemical inputs such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

The other important reasons for using native plants are the practical and aesthetic benefits of native plant gardening: less work and lots of beauty!

Photo: Late Season Visitor

Stepped out on my deck today and spotted this guy visiting sunflower

Native Plant Gardening

Your Garden is an Ecosystem

What you choose to plant in the garden matters. Your garden is an ecosystem and you are one, a major one, but one of the ecosystem's components. Each change you make to the garden matters. When you add or remove plants you impact all the other beings that rely on your garden for food and shelter.

Ecosystems are complex, possibly too complex for us to be able to understand all the connections and actions and interactions that take place within them.

If we do not know what will happen if something changes, it makes no sense to rush in and make those changes.

Bob Ewing photo.

Pollination:

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anthers of a flower to the stigma of the same flower or of another flower. Pollination is a must if the flower is to be fertilized.

Fertilization is necessary if the plant’s flower is to produce seeds and seeds are needed to produce more plants.

The honey bee is not a native to North America and our growing dependence upon the honey bee to provide pollination services as lead to our forgetting the native bees that are able to perform this function and in some cases even better than the honey bee.

Now, one way that the gardener can attract native bees such as the bumblebee or mason bee is to create a garden that appeals to them.

This is a fundamental principle for attracting any type of wildlife whether it is, bee or butterfly the garden will design a garden that meets the needs of the beings and they will move in.

The Native Plant Garden

You do not have to include only native plants in the garden. If your garden is already established, no problem, add a few natives in the border or at the back, wherever they work best in the overall design.

If you include native plants that appeal to native bees and other pollinators in your garden you will be encouraging the native bees to visit and that is all you need them to do, drop by and do their thing and then move on.

If you grow vegetables on any scale adding some bee plants to the edges of your vegetable patch will bring the pollinators your way.

When you garden in this ecological manner, and by that I mean you think about creating an ecosystem rather than a garden, you move closer to being one with Nature and serving a vital role in the food chain that goes beyond personal consumption.

What the gardener is in fact doing is creating an ecosystem that meets the pollinators' needs. The pollinators reward the gardener by fertilizing the plants and thus making sure they grow and produce flowers or fruit.

The best way to attract native pollinators is first finding out what pollinators are native to where you live. Then find out what attracts them or what plants they like. A trip to the public library can help or horticultural society or perhaps even a garden centre.

The third step is to design a garden that incorporates a few of those plants that the bee is attracted to and plant them.

Creating a native plant garden is no different than creating any other garden. If you are new to gardening or looking for a refresher check this post out.

Gardening in the Face of the Climate Catastrophe: Part 1

The Climat Catastrophe is real. There has been considerable discussion about this. The deniers are dangerous but I cannot waste any time arguing with them. They are wrong. My focus is on what I can do and what others who garden can do.

Today is September 26, Fall has begun. My cosmos just began to bloom a week ago and are thriving. The tomato plants are healthy and while all the flowers are gone, the tomatoes are slowly turning red. On Monday the temperature was 26 celsius.  The normal temperature for this time of the year is 18.

The glass gem corn and the sunflowers are healthy and I will be harvesting the corn soon. The grex beans have been harvested.

This summer was wetter and cooler in June than last year. We had a long hot dry spell that ran from July into August, more intense than the year before. Many farmers will not have a crop to take to market or if they do, the yields are significantly smaller. this does not bode well for our future food supply.

I have been talking with long-term residents here and especially with those who garden. There is an increasing concern that the unpredictable weather makes it difficult to plan and plant. A few days back I produced a blog on seed germination and climate change,  Soil temperature is critical to plant development. You can read this post, here

So what can we, growers, do?  Stay connected to find out. Also, I'd love your suggestions on how gardeners can carry on gardening in the face of the Climate Catastrophe. Please use the comment sections to share your thoughts.

W

The Small Garden: Early Days- Photo