When we purchased our home 3 years ago, it was important that we establish our garden system as soon as possible. We moved at the beginning of September, and purchased 3 apple trees, and a cherry tree a month later. Best decision ever. We purchased trees that ripened at different times so that they didn’t come on all at once. Our first to ripen was Sunrise, which has the most wonderful eating apples and provided apples all through August and September. We didn’t need to purchase a single apple until a week ago. This should stretch out longer as our trees mature. The Elstar is a mid-september bearer, which didn’t produce much this year but I look forward to later years. Lastly, we have what was supposed to be a Jonafree, but the apples are not red as they should be but are green and large. It was definitely tagged wrong. From what I can find it seems to be a Granny Smith and boy did it produce! Luckily it ripens mid to late October. There are so many apple varieties out there, so how do you choose? I would suggest staying away from the big box store sellers and go to a reputable garden center that has purchased trees that are specific to your growing area. With a little research and suggestions from the garden center you can find the perfect apple tree(s) for you. Some things you may want to consider before you go shopping.
Once you have decided on a variety and have purchased your tree(s), there are a few things you can do to grow strong healthy apple trees.
There are no guarantees that everything will go exactly as you plan, such as my Jonafree was labeled wrong. By taking the time to research apple trees, and knowing what you want from your tree you will have far more success and be happy with your choice. Happy growing!
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Zucchini or courgette? Both terms mean the same thing, which is small squash. Courgette is French, and the more common term used in French and British speaking countries. Zucchini is Italian, and the more common term used mostly in North America. I love to grow zucchini in my garden, but not everyone loves it like I do. One of my favorite ways to eat zucchini is stir-fried with garlic and olive oil, and only one of my daughters is in agreement. As for the rest of our family, I sneak it into stews, salads and sauces and they don’t even know it. The reality is that it doesn’t have a strong flavor and unless you visually see the zucchini you wouldn’t know it was there. In fact you may ask - why bother growingit if you are having to sneak it into meals? Here are a few good reasons to grow zucchini:
The flower of the zucchini plant is also edible. They can be dipped in batter and fried, used as part of a stir-fry or added to a salad for something pretty and unique. I prefer just adding them to a salad by cutting the blossom into strips. To me zucchini tastes sweet; a cross between a small zucchini and young lettuce. To harvest zucchini while small, you can twist it at the stem and it usually comes off easily. The larger it is the harder it will be to remove it without using pruners or a knife. I have tried twisting large ones and have ended up with broken fruit. If you wish to harvest the flowers(blossoms) choose the male flowers as squash produces more male flowers than female, especially when it first starts flowering. The female flower will always have a mini version of the fruit on its stem below the blossom. Here are some tips for keeping your zucchini plants healthy.
Peppers are grown as annuals in many places, but they are perennials and given the right conditions will live for many years. However, they do need warmer weather and grow best with daytime temperatures between 70-80F(21-26C). If the temperatures start getting too warm 90F(32C) or warmer, then it could harm the flowers resulting in poor fruit. The ideal night time temperatures for peppers would be between 60-70F(15-21). When the temperatures start dropping below 50-55F(10-12) it will slow the growth rate considerably. Fall is here and our temperatures are dropping. The temperature highs have been anywhere from 52F-63F(11-17C) with lows of 45-4F(7-10C), and they are calling for highs of 48-52F(9-11C) next week with night time lows of 43-46F(6-8C). It is not low enough to kill the plants but the growth is coming to a halt. Temperatures will continue to drop as the month progresses therefore, the time has come to bring the peppers inside if we wish to keep them for next year. I plan on bringing in half a dozen pepper plants to overwinter. First the peppers need to be severely pruned, leaving a "Y" branch for growth come spring. Then they will be sprayed with a bug solution to ensure no unwanted guests are brought into our home. If you are doing this yourself you can use neme oil, dish soap solution (Dawn 21/2tbsp to1 gallon water), or another form of insect repellent spray. Once this is done the peppers are dug up keeping as much of the root ball as possible, removing as much of the excess soil as possible without harming the roots. There are usually a few worms intertwined so I want to leave those behind to continue to work on my garden soil. Using small pots just large enough to hold the root ball will keep the growth minimal. Finally, adding indoor potting soil, not garden soil to minimize a chance of bug infestation, and then transferring them to a window that doesn’t receive direct sunlight. When it gets closer to spring they will be moved to a window with direct sunlight preparing them to return to the garden. My goal is to keep them somewhat dormant until spring. The larger the pot the bigger the pepper plant will grow, therefore I want to keep the pot as small as possible. The pruning will force the plant to be thicker and provide a stronger central trunk. After transferring the plants they will need watering, but not too much as they do not like to sit in water. The peppers will require very little watering while overwintering and can be allowed to dry out before rewatering. Even with doing everything right there is a possibility that I could lose my pepper plants, but if all goes well the peppers will be far more fruitful and fruit much earlier in the season. After all gardening is often not without experimenting so why not give it a try. Happy gardening! Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend Canada celebrates a wonderful tradition where we gather as family and friends. We have often invited others to celebrate with us, however 2020 has proved to be a very different year. This year will be smaller and limited to close family, but we still have so much to be grateful for! Since this is a very traditional event with certain expectations we will not be planning any huge surprises other than one or two different sides. Therefore there will be turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. Where I get excited is with the sides since I hope to use what I can from the garden. My pumpkins will be displayed on our front porch, and smaller pumpkins will be used as extra decor inside. I will gather herbs such as parsley, sage and thyme for the stuffing. There will be pickles and pickled beets that I have canned. Fresh from the garden will be green beans, potatoes, carrots and salad as sides. For those of you who wish to have your own thanksgiving garden this is a great time to reflect and gather ideas for next year's garden. To make sure you get your plants in at the right time I will share what I found to work well and when I started them. Depending on where you live determines your growing season and what you can plant and when. I have found it handy to have a planting guide for my area. Since I live on the British Columbia Coast, I would have a much different zone to those who live in the Interior of British Columbia or anywhere else in Canada. Our climate is much milder and rarely goes below 0C/32F. Therefore, I can keep carrots, and beets in the ground through the winter. They won’t grow but I don’t need to pull up more than I need for a meal. I can also overwinter Kale and keep other greens in the garden with a cover overtop. Blue Lake 47 bush beans for example, take 58 days from direct planting to harvest. The planting chart says I should direct sow no later than mid July. I planted my crop July 14th with 58 days to harvest. I could expect a crop starting around September 8th and with continual picking be able to harvest for one or two months. Since this is a fall crop you will probably have a shorter harvest period as the nights get colder and the plant produces less flowers. Your other option is to work backwards from your first frost date and allow enough time for harvesting. With bush beans you would require about 10-12 weeks before. In general I plant my fall crops mid July that would include any greens, beets, carrots, broccoli and other cool weather crops. You can get a second crop of potatoes by planting after you harvest your spring crop. These should keep you going well into late fall. Whatever you choose to grow, the fact that you have grown it will make your thanksgiving celebrations all the more sweeter. The knowledge that we have grown so much of our own thanksgiving dinner is one more reason to be thankful this year. Happy Harvesting! For a long time beets (beetroot) were used medicinally as a laxative or to cure fever, and the leaves were popular as a tasty green to be eaten as a side or in salads. It took awhile before the root itself became a popular vegetable that we now eat grated in salads, blended as a soup, roasted for its sweetness, or as the ever popular pickled beet. The leaves however, have always been popular as a tasty green to be eaten as a side or in salads. Beets can be one of the easiest vegetables to grow since they are rarely troubled by disease or pests, and require little maintenance other than planting and thinning. Where you can have issues with beets is usually because of the following problems.
After I removed my potatoes, I added a small amount of compost to the soil and planted Ruby queen seeds on July 14th. I planted them alongside my bush beans. They also are good companions with cabbage, lettuce and kohlrabi. They should not be planted by pole beans as they stunt each other's growth. I have been harvesting small amounts at a time since they tend to have a short shelf life once picked. If you are looking for a good winter-keeper then you may wish to try Lutz Green Leaf. They grow a much larger root than the average beet and tend not to be as sweet. It is a trade-off, but they can be stored for several months. However you prefer to eat your beets they are a great addition to your garden and your diet. They are a low maintenance vegetable that are great for the beginner gardener. Keep in mind that they need light airy soil and thinning and you will have great success. Happy gardening! New to gardening? Then I would recommend growing beans. Over the years I have had garden beds of varying soil types and have always been able to grow beans. There is probably nothing easier to grow in a garden. Infact, I have a 2 foot bed that is doing poorly this year and after trying to grow carrots, radishes, and beets that all failed, I decided to plant bush beans, scarlet runner beans and lettuce. These had a slower start but still produced crops that we have been able to enjoy. Why did they grow where other crops didn’t? Beans along with the lettuce require very little in the way of maintenance other than regular watering. They aren’t susceptible to many pests or diseases, and germinate easily from seed. Beans grow best in full sun once the soil has warmed to at least 60F and all the danger of frost has gone, but will produce a decent amount of food when grown in partial shade. They also put nitrogen back into the soil, rather than taking it from the soil which can help future crops. Plant 1” deep and approximately 6” apart and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 1-2 weeks. This year I planted 3 varieties of bush beans, Blue Lake 47, Royal Burgundy, and Golden Rush. I also have planted Scarlet Runner beans, which is known for its beautiful red flowers making it also an ornamental addition to the garden. There are thousands of bean varieties that you can grow and enjoy but may be a bit confusing so let's take a closer look. First, there are pole and bush beans. Simply put, pole beans grow like a vine and require something to climb up such as a trellis, and bush beans which grow in a shrub like form require no staking or trellis. Beans are also called by a variety of names such as filet, snap, string, shell or green beans? What is the difference? You can divide them into 3 categories
Let a few pods stay on until they turn brown and you can have an endless supply of beans. Leave Scarlet Runner beans in the ground in warmer zones 7-11 and they will come back producing new shoots as the soil warms up. Whatever the variety you will love the ease and satisfaction of producing a crop of beans that require little of you or the soil. Never had fresh beans you will never go back to frozen or canned beans. Pick them young before the beans start to form and you will enjoy their sweet taste. Happy gardening! Spaghetti Squash, have you ever tried it? If you are looking for something a little different from acorn or butternut squash you should give spaghetti squash a try. It has a very mild, slightly sweet neutral flavor. It is a much milder squash with a unique texture. When cooked you can run your fork through the cooked middle and get noodle-like strands! This low-calorie substitute for pasta spaghetti or just as a nice side dish is very easy to grow. You can average about 4-5 fruits per plant. I planted my seeds directly into the soil on May 12th, once I was sure the night temperatures were getting into the low double digits, adding compost to make sure it had good fertile soil. I planted them against a trellis for climbing in my raised bed to allow room for other garden plants. The only concern with doing this is that the fruit can get heavy and separate from the plant before it has fully ripened. I know because that is exactly what happened to me. I came out one morning and one of the squashes was sitting on the ground after separating at the stem. What do you do with a green Spaghetti squash, well like anyone else would do? I went to the internet and checked whether you could cook and eat unripe spaghetti squash and it turns out you can. Think of it like zucchini (courgettes), and treat it the same. Since I love roasted vegetables, I then cut up and roasted my unripe squash with olive oil and garlic, and it was delicious. I ate my first ripe Spaghetti squash 119 days after planting. The package said it would take 105-115 days to maturity. The maturity date is the average number of warm sunny days required between the day the seeds are planted and your first harvest. However, we had an unusually cool start to our summer so I am not surprised that it is taking a little longer for my fruit to ripen. This is always important to remember when considering when to plant seeds so that they will successfully grow and produce in the garden. What else to consider when growing squash.
Spaghetti squash is very easy to grow and makes a great pasta substitute. If you have never had a chance to try growing spaghetti squash, it is well worth the space and effort. Happy gardening! Corn can be a little trickier to grow but with a few tips you can have a wonderful crop of corn. My perspective is from that of an urban gardener, not a farmer, therefore I wish to share what works for those who are growing corn in smaller areas. First, here are a few things that you should know about corn that makes this crop a little different.
This year I planted Bodacious(yellow) corn. Maturity date is 75-90 days. I planted my corn June 1st directly into the ground, and started harvesting my corn August 18th. We have been picking the corn as we eat it. This is a wonderfully sweet and delicious corn. The ears are to be 8” long with 7 foot tall stalks. Ours produced 9-12” ears and the stalks were just over 7 feet tall. I was extremely happy with the results. Here are some tips to help you when planting and growing corn.
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