We deserve a reprieve!
City Market is opening officially downtown on 104th Street tomorrow: It’s Summer in the City!
The garden was off to such a slow start due to the almost year long winter we all endured; however, I am stunned at how eager the my tenderlings are to burst into fullness! The minute the sun warms the Earth, little green bobbins are rearing their heads as if there was a game of underground Dominos taking place.
I have planted some tomatoes, but will be purchasing others from Inspired Market Gardens, tomorrow. My little seeded plants did not grow strong. Some didn’t survive, but I did try. And I will again.
I can see how much water celery and celeriac need: daily watering. Wet, wet soil. Apparently, according to Kevin, they are actually marsh plants. Now, that makes sense. We transplanted the honey berries from the front to the back this year, and they are thriving. I am so happy about that. I haven’t harvested them yet as they were too hard to get at before, so I am eager to see what I will do with them. They are not so flavourful, but I love the elongated oval shape and they are apparently very nutritious.
I love my kitchen garden. It is literally two steps out my back door. How I wish our summers were longer, but at least I thoroughly enjoy the time we have! Do you see what is hiding in the middle of my chives?
Nodding Onion! I am so thrilled! Thank you, Kevin! The first time I tasted it was at Kevin’s house last year, and it is really delicious. Well, a different depth of flavour, or kind of allium flavour: can’t have enough of those. I did plant seeds, too, but apparently they can take two to three years to germinate, so I am very thankful for my little protected clump!
See the little row of French Breakfast Radishes standing at attention? Yum, yum, soon!
I am also crazy over tomatoes. I can never have enough or grow enough. When I get too many, I oven roast them with olive oil, garlic and maldon salt, then freeze them: double yum! I still have not enough experience growing the varieties I have to say which are my favourites, yet, but should be able to by the end of this summer.
I love the fern leaf dill, above, and have planted the regular dill there, too. I still need to plant chervil and a couple of other herbs. If you look closely below, you will see the leeks (in between the bigger bedding leeks) that I seeded. I hope they thrive.
It was a currant bush when I bought it (supposedly) and has currant leaves, but this is the first year it has flowered and I haven’t been home during the summer for years, so I am curious as it doesn’t look like my currant bush flowers. Anyone know?
Last year Wendy gave me a little starter in the fall and I am thrilled to see the beautiful rhubarb I will have. It won’t be enough, of course, but I am still thrilled. Thank you, Wendy.
I also love herbs and leaves in salads and cannot get enough variety. Usually I plant these two or three times throughout the summer (but that was so long ago, as this is my first summer home in years)! I am happy we are travelling in the fall this year so that I can really enjoy the garden. I should add my parents are also happy as they are very tired of watering it for us!
I planted Swiss Chard in clusters throughout the garden as my parents love it: the rainbow chard, so it will look pur-dy, too!
Oh, how I adore black currants. I love sassis sorbet and the stringent fragrant leaves has me in a tizzy whenever I walk by my bushes.
I have a hard time cultivating these. They tend to get worms or big brown spots all over the leaves. I am working at it. Advice is welcome! These fruity jewels are a gift and I cherish them. My grandmother grew all three: black, red and white. I have not seen any white currant plants since I was a child in her garden.
This was a big lesson: lavender will come back if you don’t cut it down to nothing! I got this lovely clump from Kevin, but I have never left it in the garden long enough after the snow melted to see if the needles would grow on the stems!
Love the flowers in the front. I got most of them helping other people do their spring cleaning in their yards. I took their “throw-aways” as my reward… and look at this now! The evergreen arctic primrose is prolific and usually blooms in March and again in September. Most people come up close as it is almost blooming like this when the snow has barely melted. They cannot believe it is real. Two of the peonies are over 100 years old. They are from my grandmother’s garden. I cherish them. I have a lot of basil planted behind the primrose… and mint.
The winter was hard on my raspberries this year, but they are finally rebelling and rearing their heads.
Please come and get this compost! We ordered three yards and barely used one. If you have a truck, I will (almost) pay you to take it away! I said almost… but you are welcome to have it free! Great stuff.
I have planted beets and will be planting zucchini in the front bed, as well Can you see the beets?
I have never liked yellow flowers, but they are pretty….
I can’t wait to go to the market tomorrow to buy what I need to finish the garden goodies.
And let’s not forget my indoor Meyer Lemon tree! Look! Exciting, eh?
So, here’s to another gardening season. I just cannot wait!
You have such a beautiful garden. I love the variety and can’t wait to see it in full bloom. ou’re absolutely right about the season being too short. Enjoy it while it’s here!
My dream garden ;-)) I am hopeless in gardening..sighs
Your garden in stunning. I think a garden is what I miss the most from home. Here is our temporary apt there is no where to plant and littel space for my pots. I will enjoy your until I move home again, thanks for sharing
sweetlife
Sweetlife Bonnie!
If you lived closer, I would share with you in person. That is the beauty of a garden: sharing the produce with your friends. This is a very small effort, but I am trying to use every space I have since Vanja is very firm against digging up more grass to plant food. I know I will still have extra to share with the little I did plant!
🙂
Valerie
I’m amazed at how much you have growing in your garden already in Zone 3. I don’t even dare put the tomatoes in the ground until next weekend and we’re in Zone 4B-5. I’ll bet with all of the stone walkways and walls you likely have a warmer mini zone in that garden 🙂
Everything looks beautiful!
Susan,
Normally, people here put nothing out until the May 24th weekend, or the week after. However, I plant earlier, and this year, because we had such a long and painful winter, I decided that we “should be blessed with” no more snow or cold weather… so took a leap of faith and I think I am good. Last year, I waited as it was such a cold spring and put my tomatoes in the last day of May, and it unexpectedly snowed that night! Unreal! So, yep, I am going for broke!
I would love you to post yours when you get it in!
🙂
Valerie
Wow! What a great garden. You have almost everything!
Hey, Sarah!
I have to start reading and responding. I have missed you. I have hardly been posting! Great that you see my garden cup 1/2 full. I know I am missing strawberries, the gorgeous plum tree that grew huge lush plums that I don’t have any more, potatoes, peas, a chokecherry tree…. you know how it is once a prairie girl, you want it all out the back door. But, you are right. I am so fortunate, and particularly to be at home this summer as we will be going to Europe in the fall, instead this year. We’ll see how that goes!
🙂
Remember – if you are ever in Edmonton, I expect a visit!
Valerie
Hi Valerie!
All through this post I kept thinking of my parents. They love gardening also, but do not have a huge garden like you do. They would be absolutely amazed (although my Mom is absolutely amazed at you already haha) with your garden. Look at all the beautiful variety you have! I LOVE that you have peonies from your grandmother’s garden! Those would be my favorites for sure. My Dad is the gardener in the family. He will plant anything Mom asks him to, but I think he has a little obsession with tomatoes. Teehee.
Oh Valerie, you crack me up —> “I have never liked yellow flowers, but they are pretty.” Another “but” my dear, but your front yard is filled with yellow flowers. Lol. Only you, my dear, only you. I can see Vanja shaking his head right now and smiling his sweet “I love my Valerie” smile. Teehee. By the way, I’ve started teaching Mom to use the Internet (with A LOT of patience) and this reminds me to add your page as a bookmark. I’m keeping her far from my blog for now in fears that she’ll go and try changing all my recipes. Lol, JK (but not really 😉 ). Glad to hear you guys have decided to vacation in the fall instead so you can fully enjoy your garden. I’m sure your parents are glad also ;). Kudos to them for taking care of all of this every year. Have fun with the garden, my dear. HUGSSS!
LeQuan!
We’ll have to have the kids over for a play and a picnic in the park. You don’t even have to cross a street to get there from my house! Yes, it is so ironic that yellow flowers were my least favourite all my life.. I love the blues and violets and dark purply pink colours. But, when you get a big clump of Arctic primrose because you helped a friend garden, and they are free… you plant them. I had no idea they would be so prolific. The bloom twice in the year, as I said, and boy do they thrive. I agree, they are gorgeous. If only they were purple, or blue or a deep violet.
🙂
Valerie
Lol! I’ll remember not to get you yellow flowers. Blue or purple, got it! Haha.
It’s paradise…it blooms inspiration!
This is a paradise garden, absolutely georgeous! Valerie Love it! gloria
I admire all the things you have Valerie, you dont have dogs?? my dogs break a lot of plants. x gloria
Gloria,
Maybe you can see when you look at the lawn that I do have a baby sister. My mom and dad have a little Maltese cross and she is the love of my life – after Vanja, of course… and my children. I get to baby sit her a lot, but she is far too dainty to break any plant. She sniffs, and enjoys and sits beside me while I garden, but nope. We are just lucky. You’ll have to look your doggies in the eye and give them that “who’s your daddy?” look!
🙂
Valerie
Dear Canadian foodie
I want to give you a prize. Look to me.
http://usubufood.blogspot.com/2011/05/szezamos-bundaban-sult-sparga-remoulade.html
Spring is such a game of chance, waiting to see what pops up, and what was a miss!
Wow, this is seriously impressive, you have so out-shined my little patch. This year I’m trying to grow strawberries, cucumber, two types of tomatoes and sage and mint. I haven’t had much success in the past, so we’ll see how it goes.
*kisses* HH
HH
What tomatoes are you growing? Advice? Though you didn’t ask for any: water water water and fertilize the tomatoes regularly with tomato fertilizer (once a week). I even use Tomato Set which is a spray that I spray into each flower to ensure fertilization. That way every flower will become a tomato.
🙂
Valerie
Your garden is a feast for the eyes! My light conditions are less than optimal…do you know of any tomato varieties that can tolerate shade for part of the day?
Liv,
I don’t know of shade tolerant tomatoes, but Gwen of Inspired Market Gardens would definitely know. Her number is on their website. She is usually at city market every Saturday. Give her a call!
🙂
Valerie
What a beautiful garden, Valerie! I can only wait to see until everything is in full bloom!
Oh your garden…just amazing! So much is growing, so much is thriving. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful post with me. I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow. You and your sweet blog always makes me smile.
Your garden is looking great! I think I need to add some of those yellow flowers because it’s such a lovely bright color so early in the season. Has no one claimed your compost yet? I can never have enough and I’d love to take some off your hands!
Evelyn!
A couple have taken some of the compost – but there is still a huge pile. Please come and get it!
🙂
Valerie
Gorgeous garden! I love your integration of flowers with vegetables, the soul needs nourishing with beauty just as much as the body when it comes to what we put in our yards! I am surprised you didn’t like the honeyberries, we were so very impressed that they were a tasty treat just between blueberries and saskatoons. I have three bushes and adore them!
Ah welcome spring and all it’s beautiful gardening posts 🙂
Karlynn,
The honey berries from my bushes are really sour and the taste is not very pronounced. Just sour. Hard to like. When yours bears fruit, we will have to compare. I have two bushes: a male and a female.
🙂
Valerie
WOW. What a beautiful garden Valerie. I kept looking at every picture thinking, “I want that!” (and I’m not even a gardener)
Did you purchase anything from the Enjoy Centre? I went to there this weekend for the first time, and wanted to buy everything! (again, and I’m not even a gardener).
Interestingly enough, I was given two potted plants (a cypress with some shrubbery and a lettuce planter) for my birthday this past week. Maybe the universe is telling me something…I should start gardening!
Thank you so much for the compost, Valerie! It’ll make for healthier veggies this year for sure.
Evelyn,
Sorry I didn’t get out to say good bye! Suddenly, you were gone! I thought you’d be back for the rest…
🙂
Valerie
Hi Valerie!! LOVE your garden!! I’m looking forward to making a new one at the new house. LOT’S of food/useful plants!!
I’m going to try my hand at espalier…WooHoo!! This has been a BIG dream of mine!!
I have to disagree with your exquisite taste buds…. 🙂 I simply ADORE my Honey Berries!! I have 4, and poor dear David has never had a single berry!! I hoover them up like some sort of super powered vaccume!! To me, they taste a lot like the wild blueberries I had every summer, in my child/teenage-hood. I have blueberries in my yard, but boy those Honey Berries…OH MY!! 🙂
Great post!!
Nic xx
Nicole!
Are you going to try the espalier with apple trees? When we were in Camel a summer or two ago there was a museum garden that had a row of them perfectly growing next to a fence and looked like a cross stitch tapestry. Fantastic! There is nothing more invigorating than a new home and a new yard to landscape. One of the best things we did was to rake in 3 inches of finely sieved compost on top of the black dirt before sodding.
🙂
Valerie
I am in LOVE with your yard!!!! Question..is your raised garden right up against your fence or is there stone blocks between them?
Hi, Tara,
We put pressure treated boards up against the fence and then heavy duty poly stapled over that before putting the dirt into the beds. There hasn’t been a problem with the fence as a result.
🙂
Valerie
Wow-you make great use of your garden. I love fresh tomatoes and herbs. That rhubarb looks amazing.