Do As I Say, Not As I Do

I don’t like to live by the mantra of the title of this edition of the blog however, I think the following submission (admission) will probably qualify.

I have big plans for my humble half acre, and ever since I moved onto it there have been significant yearly increases in garden space. There was no garden space to speak of when I purchased my home and so each year new patches are established. However, the focus has been on the main growing season and setting up gardens where that will work (enough sun and so forth). And although I’ve figured out  where the best locations are to locate fall and winter gardens, I’ve yet to build the gardens in those locations.

Instead, I’ve planted where I have available space. This is partly me trying to be efficient, and partly out of necessity (since I have no area set aside for the fall garden). And furthermore, while I preach that the sun changes it’s angle in the sky, the daylight hours are less, and generally you may very well need a completely different location of garden, I have nearly failed in my fall garden plan this year due to not heeding my own wisdom!

My fall/winter garden is in two locations, both summer garden areas. One area will likely yield a decent crop of brassicas while the other receives only a few hours of sun every day in the fall; far from the minimal amounts required for decent growth. The presence of large trees, and the dropping angle of the fall sun drastically changed the feeling of my hot summer garden into a rather dark, and cool fall garden very, very quickly back in September. I had a feeling this might happen, but I planted the garden anyway! No big deal, right?

Not exactly. It’s taken at least twice as long to get enough greens to make a salad. And some plants just didn’t get the start they needed and so there’ll be no crop to speak of! September is a critical time to kickstart a large chunk of the growth of those fall veggies due to the (relatively) longer hours of sunlight, and warmer daytime temperatures. So, it’s important to have the garden located where it’s going to get that head start especially because we all know the days get colder and shorter (in terms of daylight) as fall progresses. If you’re fortunate enough to have south facing exposure and no large trees or structures to block or reduce sun from reaching the fall garden, good for you. If this is not your garden, then there’s a good possibility that you may need to have your fall/winter garden located in a completely different location than your summer garden. And there’s a wealth of crops that can be grown throughout the fall and winter seasons (particularly in coastal locations) so it really pays to do your homework, and not just put those seeds into bare patches of soil because that’s where the available room is!

Study your growing areas and potential growing areas throughout the year to identify the best places to grow your various crops. It’ll pay off with loads of greens when everyone else has gone back the grocery store. Alternatively, you could plant in pots and move the pots to prime locations. Trust me, next year I will have the fall/winter garden plot constructed and I’ll be eating salads regularly, eating snow peas off the vine, and making Popeye proud with handfuls of spinach.

 

Drip Irrigation-How much water can you get from “dripping”?

Ok, I’m the first to admit that I completely misunderstood drip irrigation before I researched it and started working with drip systems. I thought, what good does “dripping” water onto your plants possibly do? I mean, really how much water can possibly come out? Well, a lot! And frankly, the science of how water moves in the soil is very interesting and perhaps more importantly to us gardeners, it makes perfect sense how drip irrigation is really effective.

Very briefly, water not only moves down (by gravity) into the soil but it also moves sideways or horizontally. The type of soil you have determines how far water will move horizontally. In sandy soil water moves less far than in clay soils. So, basically water comes out of the drip location on the tubing and then spreads out, and if you’ve done your homework, properly setting up your drip system, the water will reach your plants.

Drip systems are awesome on so many levels. I’m not going to get into the components of drip irrigation because there’s plenty of information already on the internet about this topic. But I do want to emphasize how convenient having your  garden set up for drip irrigation is, especially once you’ve included either a mechanical, or preferably an automatic timer. Your plants’ growth is limited by the amount of water received and honestly, I believe most people don’t water enough. I know I wasn’t and this became very apparent when I set up my first system. The garden area with automated irrigation had significantly larger plants and was more lush in general than areas I had to hand water. Between this demonstration and the convenience of having my garden watered for me, I was hooked on drip irrigation after the first bed I installed drip irrigation.

So, the moral of the story is, a little drip goes a long way. West Coast Foodscapes has the expertise to evaluate you irrigation needs and set you up with a personalized system that will give you more free time, help create larger plants which in turn create more vegetables and fruit and isn’t that the point? Contact us for a free consultation.

 

Ch-ch-Changin’

It’s around that time here on the coast, when gardens are beginning to fill out and excitement builds. There’s lots to do but we’re seeing results (hopefully!). Now, and anytime during the year, it’s important to maintain perspective in our optimistic gardener brains because not much in life is static and unchanging and the vegetable garden is no exception.

Some years some crops fail while others are a smashing success. Perhaps your garden is only a year or two old and therefor not as fertile as you’d like. Or maybe you planted the cauliflower too late and it never worked out. Also, while a few ostriches out there like to pretend global warming isn’t real, it’s very real effects are being felt. For instance, notice how spring has disappeared from the radar every year now? We go from winter to a couple of warmer spring-like days to summer temperatures within the span of a week (or usually less!). These are some of the extremes scientists have talked about with regards to global warming. All these things wreak havoc on poor, sensitive gardeners.

How do we as gardeners deal with all the challenges? A good question, with many answers. More to the point of this blog post, adapting to change. No two gardening seasons will be identical and sometimes your best efforts will be wasted on some crops. And no your brand new vegetable garden isn’t going to be as fertile as your neighbour’s garden, which has been the welcome recipient of wonderful compost and healthy and organic gardening practices for many years. Just accept this fact and move on. It takes time to build a great thing. And we can adjust our own gardening practices to predictably unpredictable weather. Life has enough stressors and gardens should not register in this life stressors category. Gardens are our sanctuary.

Do your best out there in the garden and expect that you’ll receive some pleasant and some unpleasant surprises. And more importantly, enjoy the process. Watching your little green babies grow up is a wonderful experience and sometimes, it’s wonderful for that caterpillar eating the leaves off your green baby, too!

 

 

They’re just flowers, it’s ok to use a synthetic fertilizer, right?

If you aren’t eating the plant, it’s ok to use a non-organic (synthetic) fertilizer, right? Did you answer this question with a “yes”? Think again. There is a lifetime of science demonstrating the long-term negative ecological effects of synthetic fertilizers (And if I say ecological or environmental, at the end of the day it means you and me. We don’t exist in an impenetrable bubble on this planet!). Let’s touch on one simple scenario: You give your flowers some synthetic feed, diluted in water, on the edge of your driveway. Some of the water soaks into the soil and because you have a sloped driveway, some of it runs off into the storm drain. This joins all the other run-off (from the thousands of people doing the same thing on a beautiful Saturday morning) and eventually finds it’s way to our beautiful and life-giving ocean. Even if you live 1000 kms from the ocean that run-off flows into a watercourse somewhere where you live, and it is poisoning it. And yes, the run-off may even be reaching the ocean so very far away from you. What’s the big deal? Well, synthetic fertilizers are the major, if not sole, culprit for ocean “dead zones” (places where ocean environments have become toxic to most of the life that used to thrive there!)There are at least 400 of these dead zones around the world. We all love to see whales. We love to eat salmon or prawns. We love to wonder at the beauty of the ocean. Why would you ever want to put all that you love at risk? We certainly wouldn’t do this with our loved ones. Synthetic fertilizer is a quick “fix” with long-term repairs required. Think bigger than that flower bed, just because you aren’t going to be eating it. Everything is connected in our world.

It Takes Courage to Swim Upstream

Today I overheard a salesperson speak with a customer regarding fertilizers. The salesperson stated that she doesn’t use synthetic fertilizers. When the customer mentioned that the fertilizer wasn’t for an edible plant then the salesperson said okay, then go ahead and use the synthetic fertilizer. And the customer readily agreed.

I happen to know this salesperson, and I know she believes in organic methods. Yet, she did not take the opportunity she had before her to influence someone’s way of thinking. It was right there for her, the customer trusted the salesperson’s knowledge. It was so easy. And it was an opportunity to have one fewer person using extremely harmful products–harmful to our environment, the organisms in our environment, and to the health of humans–one of those organisms!). I was disappointed to say the least.

For me, I’m happy to say that I do not, and will not, EVER advocate for products (or methods) that I know cause harm. It is completely illogical and ethically wrong. Humans just don’t make the connection between the health of our world and our own health and yet it is intrinsically linked. If we poison our land, water, and air we are really poisoning ourselves.

So, when I work with my customers I am imaging that their garden is my garden. I don’t put inferior soil into their garden beds, nor do I use harmful fertilizers, nor do I choose seeds that might be compromised, etc.. People in positions to influence need to be courageous and be honest. If a product is harmful say so. If your heart knows it, share it. I have an opportunity to influence and I intend to use it.

Gardens Take Time…Remember to Breathe…

(That part about remembering to breathe was for me as much as anyone! I always want to get everything planted all at once.)

While meeting with some potential clients today at their home I was reminded of how excited we all get about our gardens, and how we all want to do everything all at once. Nothing wrong with this feeling. This is love. It is passion for plants in all their gorgeous forms. But the enthusiasm must be tempered with the reality that beautiful gardens take time to build.

Where do you start? The answer to that really depends on what you have to start with but equally important, is developing a plan. The plan doesn’t need to cover everything you want to do for the next five years-but if you have it figured out already that’s fine, too- but it should at least give a rough outline of the direction you are headed in. Budget, experience, expertise, and your ability to envision your dream garden will all be factors in helping you plan (or helping me plan with you!).

Come up with a short list of what you think you can afford to do this year. Or what you realistically have time for. And if an existing garden is new to you and you’ve never seen it in bloom, perhaps giving it at least a couple seasons of observation before deciding to rip out those “mystery plants” is a good idea. Or bring in the bobcat! It’s your yard. But creating a plan is a great start.

Your home is your retreat and this includes the garden. So it’s important to give your garden dreams the time and consideration they deserve. Doesn’t meant don’t start this year, it just means you have many wonderful years ahead to create your beautiful garden. One step at a time. Remember to breathe.

Some Exciting Stuff Happening

Winter has been a busy time for West Coast Foodscapes. There’s plenty to plan for the upcoming growing season and much of the work has already began.

We are working on a demonstration garden for the farmer’s market grounds in Powell River. Why not have food growing in a garden right on the site of a gathering place where people come to buy food from farmers and artisans! So, that’s exactly what Juhli Jobi, manager of the Powell River Farmer’s Market, asked us to do. The garden will come to fruition over several seasons and it will create a social focal point in a space at the market grounds otherwise not very noteworthy at this point. A huge thank you to Juhli for asking us to make this come to life. We’re excited to see how the project evolves.

Another project we’re excited to be working on is a community mixed ornamental/edible garden for the hospital in Powell River. West Coast Foodscapes has designed the garden already, and is contributing to further planning of the project. Vanessa Sparrow, Coordinator for the Powell River Food Security Project, has spearheaded this brilliant proposal which aims to help stream local food into the hospital system as well as, local residential-care housing. The 50’x50′ initial plan for the garden’s footprint will showcase an assortment of mobility-friendly garden beds and paths, featuring fruit trees and bushes, and various ornamental and edible plants. The future plans for this garden in future years is ambitious and very exciting. It’s sure to be a very positive contribution to the city’s already vibrant growing culture. We also want to thank Vanessa (and Juhli again) for including us on this one.

So ya, we’re busy. This is our first full season and it’s already very promising. But we still want to hear from you and help you achieve your food growing dreams, no matter how modest or expansive your vision is. Growing food is so rewarding. So if you’ve been waiting to make it a reality, don’t wait any longer, let’s make it a reality together! Let’s Get You Growing!

Seriously, What the Heck is Food Security?

Food Security. What does this mean exactly? There’s different ways to answer this but here’s one thing food security means. Take this analogy: You rely on the grocery store to have all the items you need, when you need them. If they do, that’s food secure. If they don’t, because the trucks that bring in all the groceries couldn’t make it here from California because the cost of diesel got too high, or we ran out of diesel, or Trump decided to close the border because someone’s social media tweet annoyed him, that’s food insecure. In other words, the last few generations have placed alot of reliance on the prevalence of grocery stores on the corner. That’s a whole other story. And we don’t stock the pantry like the old days. The grocery store IS our pantry now. So without these grocery stores how would you eat? If most of our food gets shipped to us from somewhere far, far away then we are at the mercy of this system and things can and will go wrong. Not just from the shipping side but also from the growing side. If you haven’t noticed, California has no water! California has been feeding Canada and the US for decades. That has worked beautifully in the last half century due to the technology to tap our earth’s aquifers (underground water sources) and irrigate otherwise unproductive lands (California is mainly desert or semi-desert by nature. Not strawberry fields forever!) Now those aquifers are drying up rapidly and things are going to be changing in the way we receive food. And in the not-too-distant future California will not be pumping out food for the masses like they do now. This is food insecurity. And times are changing. Does this bother you at all? We’re not going to starve, but we are going to have to make adjustments. One of those adjustments is to grow at least some food where you live, or in a community garden or in your neighbour’s garden, or buy from local farmers. Growing food is magical but not mysterious. The smiling and well-fed (on local and nutritious food!) folks at https://www.westcoastfoodscapes.ca want to remove the mystery and paint your thumbs green. Or, leave it to us and we’ll manage that garden for you. We just want to see fruit and vegetables springing forth from the places you live. We all win in this scenario. And become much more food secure in the process.

November is for lettuce not just moustaches.

Here in the Pacific Northwest in November you can do more than just try your hand at growing a moustache! How about growing a food. . . garden. In November!

These crops were planted late in August. We have romaine, mesclun lettuce, beets, carrots, cilantro, parsley, spinach, and butter crunch lettuce. Some crops need the hoop house protection we’ve provided whereas others do not. Recently we’ve had some sub-freezing temperatures and everything still looks great. Years ago I never would have imagined I’d be filling a salad bowl up full of fresh, organic greens from my garden in November. Yes, it’s possible. It’s easy. And you can do it too.

Fall: Like it or not, it’s here.

Summer gets all the glory when it comes to gardens. Sure, it’s the time of year when the majority of our garden crops prefer to grow but just because it’s fall doesn’t mean you should put down the watering can just yet. Right now the West Coast Foodscapes garden is still producing the last of the tomato and pepper crops. Two different generations of carrots are coming along, as well as, beets, radishes, scallions, cilantro, spinach, parsley, thyme, swiss chard, snow peas, and numerous lettuces. Some gardeners are still growing their pumpkins, strawberries, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.. So, I’m still making salads from my garden, and will continue to do so for some time to come, while some of you may have called it quits weeks ago.

Ok, I get it, some people like to mellow out and take a break until next spring. I can appreciate that. Personally, I am heartbroken when I have to return to the grocery store to buy the items I normally grow in the garden. Seems so wrong! Especially when it’s easy to just carry on and plant more seeds. It’s all about routine and setting time aside. Remember how exciting it is to see those plants start growing in the spring? Well, it’s no less exciting in October. And for those of us on BC’s South Coast, the growing season can be significantly longer than most Canadians enjoy. In fact, many months longer.

At a bare minimum, this is the time of year to get new garden beds started. Get them built and give those earthworms time to “move in” and take up residence. And equally important, plant one of the many cover crops that can still be sewn in fall. Cover crops is a topic all unto itself, but for now let me just say that cover crops are plants that you grow  to help build up the quality of the garden soil. Many of which can add more nitrogen to the soil than they take out while growing! And your summer plants need nitrogen.

So if you haven’t grown food in your garden in October before it’s time to reconsider what’s possible. And thereby be able to continue to put nutritious food on your family’s table.