Category: Gardening

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Bean There, Done That (Newsletter)

fresh beans for polka dot hen produce veggie boxes
Fresh beans are coming your way this week.

I’m drawing a bit of a blank tonight regarding what to write about. This heat and humidity really take it out of me. At least the evenings are cooling off a bit.

The individual days kind of blend together into one big mass. Looks like there’s a few more similar days coming our way. So my deja vu may continue.  

But these are great conditions for the “tropicals.” The tomatoes and cucumbers are growing into a jungle. And the beans, oh my. The beans continue to produce more with every rain. And the second planting will soon be bearing as well. Continue reading “Bean There, Done That (Newsletter)”

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Using the Long Days (Newsletter)

freshly harvested garlic at polka dot hen produce
The garlic harvest begins! Here the largest and best heads of Stella wait to have their roots trimmed. Stella is a softneck garlic variety (no scapes) that has a milder flavour at harvest that deepens in storage. 

Sorry this newsletter is a bit late. Yesterday kind of got away from me. I thought a good night’s sleep was better for the veggie scheme this week than a slap dash, late night newsletter.

So why did Sunday slip away? Well for starters, I tried my hand at a new skill. And boy, do I need to practice. That gal on Youtube made it look easy. Continue reading “Using the Long Days (Newsletter)”

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A Beautiful Summer’s Day (Newsletter)

cup plant blooms at bird's nest garden farm
Cup plant reaches for the sky in July

Haven’t we had some beautiful days lately? I’m taking time to appreciate the beauty of the flowers and the activity of the birds these days. Time is passing and I don’t want to miss a thing. 

The second brood of robins that live over the garage have fledged and moved away from the house. So too, the phoebe family that nests every year under the eaves. Continue reading “A Beautiful Summer’s Day (Newsletter)”

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5 Tips for a Successful Backyard Garden

Fresh red and golden beets
Harvesting red and golden beets fresh from the garden.

Preparing for a local Seedy Saturday today has me thinking about my journey as a gardener. On reflection, I realize that I am entering my 27th year of growing veggies, herbs and flowers. Wow. 27 years!

Growing in downtown Kitchener, then growing in small-town Wiarton paved the way to growing on our rural property and finally growing for market. I guess I might have a little to share with budding enthusiasts, after all.

Continue reading “5 Tips for a Successful Backyard Garden”

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Spring – It Is About Time

daffodil fresh wiarton
Early bloomers brave the blustery spring weather.

Spring is here. No really. I think this time it’s going to stay.

Not like all those other times we had our hopes dashed. Don’t even talk to me about April when the most snow we saw all season fell. Of course, we had taken the snow blower off the tractor.

As the snow piled up, I watched all of my precious crop planning get backed up further and further. The temperatures stayed too cold to work in the unheated green house. And it continued to snow. Continue reading “Spring – It Is About Time”