What is happening to the honeybees?

For the last couple years, bee colonies have been collapsing in North America. From the information out there, it appears that this phenomenon could seriously affect our food supply. It is not just a problem in North America, however, countries all over the world have been reporting bee shortages.

Bees are extremely important in many crops such as almonds, berries and other fruits and vegetables; in the United States, honeybee pollination activities are estimated to add about $15-billion (U.S.) a year. It is clear that this is something that is causing fear and worry, and unfortunately, the cause is unknown. There are many theories as to why the bees are disappearing, but these are only theories.

I have a beautiful, white flowering shrub at the front of my house. Yesterday, I noticed that there was an unbelievable number of honeybees feasting on the flowers. I am happy that my gardens are able to provide for these bees. It seems like I am seeing and thinking about bees a lot these days. Just the other day, a co-worker offered me some tips for my pepper plants. She told me to put some honey on the blossoms and it will attract bees, making for more fruit. I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I thought it was interesting considering the interest I have taken in bees.

So, I don't know if there is much I can do to help the bees, but I will try my best to keep my garden blooming well for them....

New idea for my carrots

For some reason my carrots are not thriving in my raised bed (on-ground), so I planted some in planters where I put some nasturtiums. I hope that they are compatible. I feel like I am running out of time this summer to get my carrots going, so I thought I would try this. Also, it didn't help that we had really big hail the other night....it tore apart my lettuce plants and ripped off some branches on my tomatoes. But, the tomatoes seem ok, but my lettuce is hurting. I am going to plant some more lettuce as well.

I am trying not to obsess about the plants that are not doing well...carrots and now my lettuce. My cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers are growing well, so I am concentrating on that. It is easy to get frustrated, but I am new at this.

I will be posting pictures this week....

Carrots not growing

So...I am having a problem. I keep planting carrots, and while a lot of them come up....they mysteriously disappear. I don't know if bugs are eating them, but I have put mesh around my garden to keep rabbits and small animals out. Could it be birds? If so, I don't know why they aren't eating my lettuce and cucumbers. I don't know what is going on. It is very frustrating. I am going to plant a couple more rows and then see what happens. I wonder if anyone else has this problem?

Garden progress

So...it has been a little while since I posted last. Lots going on though...and I went away for a week. I left my budding garden in the care of a friend while I was away. It survived....only it looks like two of my pepper seedlings were eaten by something. Luckily I had started a lot.

My front yard had changed a lot in the week I was gone. My purple columbines bloomed, my yellow tulips had a feathered red colour at the petal ends, lilacs were in full bloom as well as some white flowering shrubs with an unknown name.

My backyard has also changed...I had planted some hostas that my mom gave me before I went away. They were doing great, lilacs, magnolia, pink flowering shrub and bleeding hearts.























I am going to plant the rest of my nasturtium seeds in planters this weekend as well as my morning glories. There is supposed to be beautiful weather this weekend (maybe a bit on the hot side).....so I am looking forward to it.

Lee Valley Garden Tools

I was at a garden show in Stratford, Ontario a couple months ago and I signed up for the Lee Valley Garden Tools catalogue. My husband is a big fan of Lee Valley, and so I thought I would see what they have to offer in the way of gardening. I have received the catalogue, but I haven't tried any of their products. I am specifically interested in a couple of their products and I am wondering if anyone out there has any thoughts on them.

The "Upside-Down Planter" - used to extend the growing season of tomatoes (can be moved easily when there is a danger of frost) and requires no staking or weeding. The product description also includes that it keeps plants safe from earth-borne insects and can also be used for cucumbers and peppers. Wondering if this works as well as it seems that it theoretically should.

"Super Red Mulch" - when put on the soil under tomatoes, Lee Valley claims that it will increase yields by up to 20% over black mulch. It works by reflecting a certain spectrum of light back to the plants, stimulating rapid growth and development.

I am interested in many of Lee Valley's garden tools, but these were the most intriguing. Since I am at the beginning of my garden journey, I am trying to learn as much as I can before making gardening purchases. Looking forward to hearing any feedback.

Food crisis and urban food production

So, I am sure that most people have heard about the current world food crisis in the news. Many developing countries are struggling with food inflation and limiting their exports of staple foods such as wheat and rice. This is driving the prices up and resulting in panic and riots in many of these countries.

For me, this really drives home the cold, hard facts about global food production. I hope that it makes more people more aware of where their food comes from. It is sometimes astounding to me that a lot of people that I know prefer to not think about the fact that the chicken that they are eating was actually a living bird. Or that the banana that they are eating travels thousands of miles before it ends up in their hands. Our modern society has put us so out of touch with the world outside of the North American bubble. I think that the distance food travels has definitely been more prominent in the media, and it is for this reason that more people (in my experience) seem to be thinking more about "buying locally". I wonder how long it will take for these same people to start growing a garden.

Now, I don't think that having a garden is going to save the world, but I am comforted in knowing that some of the food that I am eating is actually produced by myself. Lately, I have been coming across a few stories of individuals and communities coming together to find alternatives to the current food system. I find this very encouraging and I enjoy reading these stories. Change begins with individuals.

Garden in the spring

So, with all the bulbs coming up and spring flowers blooming, I thought this was a good time to post some pics of my gardens.

Front yard:













Back yard:




























Seedlings:












My soil comes tomorrow! So, time to get my gardens ready.....

I don't learn until it happens to me....

So, I don't know about the rest of you gardeners out there, but I have discovered that when it comes to gardening, I have a hard time retaining the "what not to do" advice until I try it and inevitably fail.

For example....do not start morning glory seeds indoors in peat pots before planting them inside. It does not work. My mom told me that, but for some reason, I wanted to try it anyway (this was a couple years ago when I dabbled a bit in gardening). They barely survived for 2 weeks, and then it was over. Well, I can now say that I will never forget that morning glory seeds must be planted outside directly where they are to grow.

I am going to give morning glories another try. I have some "Picotee Blue" seeds to start and I am very excited. Unfortunately, my dog chewed the package (but didn't appear to damage the seeds) and I can't tell which company they are from. I bought them at the Stratford Garden Show and since I bought a bunch of seeds from different places, I just don't know where they came from. I will find out though. It's too early to start them obviously, but I am excited to give them another chance.

Seedlings upended, but not a disaster

So, a crazy thing happened....a bird flew down our chimney and was flying around the house. My dog went berserk chasing it and she knocked my seedlings and seeds off the window sill. I couldn't believe it. I was able to re-plant all the seedlings, and I had to re-plant the seeds. It has been a couple days and the seedlings are fine and a couple seeds have sprouted.

So, it was all good...we caught the bird in a blanket and were able to get it outside fairly quickly.

I got out in the yard today since the weather was great. I pruned some bushes (name unknown) that were spilling over onto the sidewalk. I also swept the deck and raked up some leaves that I put into the composter. It doesn't take long for our composter to fill up (with all the trees and shrubs we have) so I got some paper yard waste bags (lots of them).

I need to order a big load of topsoil....ASAP. Now that the snow is gone, I need to get on it.

A lot to do......

Peppers are up!

Well, it has been 3 weeks, but my chili peppers and jalapeno peppers have come up. It has also been quite a bit warmer in the last week, so I wondering if that had anything to do with it.

One of the Nasturtium seeds that I planted first is now bursting out of it's peat pot. It says on the seed packet to start the seeds 8-10 weeks before last frost, so I am surprised at how big it is getting already. I wanted to show a picture, but it will have to wait...I can't find my camera.

In addition to a picture of my Nasturtium, I want to take some pictures of our now snow-free front and back yards. Now that the snow is gone, I am more aware of how much work I have to do. I am planning on ordering a big load of topsoil (which I need to do ASAP) and I have a lot of clean-up in the mean time. Leaves, twigs, pond removal etc....

Should be fun, so I am looking forward to the weather warming up again.

Finally

So, some seedlings have finally come up...Honeywort, Sweet Cherry Tomatoes and more Nasturtiums. I still haven't had success with any of my pepper seeds. I am not completely discouraged yet.

We have quite a few bulbs coming up in the front lawn right now. The funny thing is, I planted a bunch of daffodil bulbs in the fall and I have no idea where....there were already some tulip bulbs in the front. It is a mystery.

Do most people have some sort of garden map? I guess I just don't know mine very well yet. It is a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of plants and trees on our property and I don't know what all of them even are. I guess it will take some time...

Only one came up...*sigh*

So, only one of my nasturtiums has come up (it has now been 12 days)...and none of my peppers. I think I was right, my house has been too cold and I think I planted them a bit too deep. My inexperience is definitely showing. Well...it was a nice warm day today and I turned the thermostat up and I have started some more. Hopefully with more success.

I don't feel too frustrated yet, but the warm sunny weather today probably helped.

More seeds started

So, I started another 4 seed types. I am pretty excited about these ones. Here they are:

2 x Honeywort (Cerinthe major purpurescens) from Florabunda Seeds












2 x Golden California Wonder Pepper (Capsicum annuum) - Organic from McKenzie Seeds










2 x Sweet Cherry Hybrid Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) from McKenzie Seeds













2 x Big Beef Hybrid Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) from McKenzie Seeds


I am a bit worried that the pepper seeds that I started last weekend won't do very well. We have been keeping the thermostat in our house a bit low and it might have been a bit too cool for them. The weather is warming up though and I have turned it up, so I also started a couple more of the jalapeno and chile pepper seeds that I started last weekend, just in case.

I have had one of my Nasturtium seeds peek through today.....but only one so far out of the six that I planted.

Slow Food Movement

So, in my internet exploration for articles and information about growing your own food, I came across the Slow Food Movement. This is a relatively young organization that was started in Italy in 1986. Here is an excerpt from their philosophy:

" Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work."

The members of this organization call themselves "co-producers" instead of "consumers". They believe that by being informed of the food production process and actively supporting producers, they become part of the process. It is now an international organization with over 80,000 members in 850 local chapters. As of now, there is not a Canadian chapter, but the slow food idealism has started.

The Walrus just published an article by Murray White about Vancouver Island's slow food rebirth. In his article, he discusses how Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island is seeing some economic hope with the slow food movement since the faltering of the forestry industry, once the island's lifeblood.

The movement has been criticized for being "elitist" and discouraging nominally cheaper alternative methods of growing or preparing food. Slow Food proponents respond by claiming to be working towards local production and consumption which will exploit "best practices" of science and professions worldwide but ultimately prove cheaper due to less reliance on transport and energy and chemical and technology intensive methods.

Seeds started

So, I went ahead and started some seeds this weekend. The packages say 8-10 weeks, so I start seeds in 10 peat pots. I am planning on starting some more this weekend, to stagger them. Here is what I started:

2x Chile Pepper Cayenne Blend (Capsicum annuum)
2x Chile Pepper Early Jalapeno (Capsicum annum)

These two seed types I bought at a Garden Show in Stratford, Ontario from Botanical Interests.

I also started:

6x Nasturtium 'Golden King' (Tropaeolum nanum) (pictured above)

These were also purchased from the Garden Show, but these were from Florabunda Seeds.

I planted them all last Friday...it has now been 3 days and I am antsy to see them come up. In two weeks I am planning on starting the rest of my seeds.

Starting seeds in Canada

So, in my eagerness to start my garden, I thought that I might start some of my seeds indoors this weekend. After realizing that it is a bit too soon to start, I have decided to postpone my seed-starting until next weekend. There are a lot of resources out there, on the web as well as books and magazines. Newer Canadian gardeners need to realize that most information out there is for warmer climates, usually in the US. Most Canadian gardeners that I have talked to usually aim for planting after the May long weekend. That is 9 weeks away, and while some of my seed packets say "plant indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost", I think that I am going to wait until next weekend to start these seeds.

I have found a couple resources on the web that have given helpful hints to starting seeds indoors. Of them all, the most important seem to be:

1. Use sterile soil (or another sterile medium). To make your own, you can take your own soil, sift out clumps and stones and then bake it. I bought a bag of soil.

2. Fill pots or flats (I am using peat pots) to within 1/4 inch of the top with your potting mixture and level the surface. It's a good idea to water the soil and allow it to drain thoroughly before sowing the seeds. Make a hole for each seed with your finger. Keep in mind that most seeds need to be planted four times as deep as the seed is wide. If your seeds are very fine, cover them with a fine layer of soil.

3. Soil should be kept evenly moist but not soaking wet. Too much moisture will cause the seeds to rot. Use a fine sprayer to water newly planted seeds and tiny seedlings or, if possible, water from the bottom. If you can, slip your pots and flats into plastic bags to keep the humidity and moisture even and reduce the frequency of watering.

4. The care you give your seedlings in the weeks following germination is critical. Keep it moist, but not dripping. Small pots and flats dry out quickly, so check it often. If your seedlings are growing in a windowsill, turn often to encourage straight stems.

5. It is important not to start seeds indoors too early. If they outgrow your flats or small pots you might try thinning them and transplanting the largest to bigger pots, but for the most part you want to plant them outside just as they become large enough to survive transplanting.

So, with all these points in mind, I will be waiting until next weekend.

Food and Peak Oil

So, one of the reasons I have taken such an interest in gardening is to be able to grow my own food. As a kid, I loved helping my mom in the garden, and I have missed that since leaving home, going to school and basically just getting busier with other things in my life. I have been doing a lot of research and I am starting to realize that modern life is causing me (and most people) to lose my connection with nature and the outdoors. We lead such "busy" lives, and it leaves us no time to even prepare food.

There is another reason why I want to grow my own food. The current "buy local food" trend has made me really think about this issue. In a recent article posted on kitchengarden.org, the author discusses the association between oil and food supply. While most people are coming to accept that the era of cheap oil is coming to an end, many do not fully grasp what impact this is going to have on the world's food supply. The North American food system is completely dependent on oil (farm machinery, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, food processing equipment and of course, transportation). As oil gets more expensive, logically, so will food.

So, with these issues in mind, I am planning on taking the "buy local" lifestyle even further....buy eating food grown in my yard. I want to depend less on manufactured food, so I am also starting to bake my own bread. I have been asked if I will have enough time to do all of these things. Well, I believe we make time for things that are important to us. Also, I sometimes think about how fast society has changed and about our ancestors (not even that long ago) didn't have the luxury of running to a supermarket for every last little thing. We may think we're too busy, but are we really?

Under snow

So, my last post had pictures of our front and back yard in May 2007. Check out the snow we have now...

I am planning on starting some seeds indoors this weekend. It's hard to be motivated with snowbanks that are 4-5 feet tall.

In the beginning...

One of the important features that I was looking for in the house that we bought was the gardening potential. We moved into our house in May 2007 and while I was motivated...I wasn't ready to take the gardening plunge last year for a variety of reasons. One, I wasn't sure what plants were already in the yard and secondly, I just wasn't committed yet. I grew up with a mother who has the greenest thumb that I know, and I was slightly intimidated. My mother used to give me plants to spruce up my apartments when I was in university and inevitably, they would always die. So, I wasn't sure that I had it in me. But, as I have grown up, my indoor plants have started surviving and some are even thriving.

So, when we first toured through the house that we decided to buy, I was thrilled to see that there was only one patch of grass in the front yard, and none in the back. The previous owner had spent a lot of time and money on trees, shrubs and perennials, but due to illness, wasn't able to continue with the upkeep needed for such a property. He seemed very happy to hear my interest in the beautiful yellow magnolia tree, pink peonies, lilacs, grape vines etc, etc.

One thing that I wasn't thrilled about...the two ponds. Unfortunately, they were not well constructed and the lack of care had left them rather sorry-looking.

So, the first summer was dedicated to pruning, pruning and more pruning. Our lot is not very big, and I was amazed at how much vegetation was growing on it. We have multiple cedar trees of varying heights, a maple tree, lilac trees, a magnolia tree, shrubs and a couple unknown trees. I did plant a few annuals in planters and grew some tomatoes in pots, but that was about the extent of it.

So, here I am, mid-March getting set for my first full gardening season in our new house. I have lots of plans and I hope I am not getting in over my head. Now to tame the wild jungle....