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Dear <<First Name>>,
We’re heading to the coast to visit family, and preparations have kept me away from the computer. Neighbours will be checking on the house and yard – what would we do without them?! I’m hoping to bring back BC cherries as a treat and thank you.
Bucket Garden Workshop
Drills and jigsaws were buzzing and whining, but we had a great time making bucket gardens on June 2. After a discussion of the how’s and why’s, it was a pleasure to see the sharing of tools, mentoring and working together to make 10 self-watering buckets ready for planting!
Andrea sent a photo on June 27 and said: “The bucket system is amazing. I almost never have to water and the tomato plants I planted in them, although planted after the ones in my soil garden, are way bigger and happier.” Here is a photo of Andrea’s buckets and her black cherry tomatoes.
Christine also sent a lovely message and photo: "It is unbelievable how my bucket has taken off. I have tomato buds and can hardly control the growth! The bucket is such a great ecosystem." Her photo is posted here.
Discoveries in the Garden
Check out the full blog post here.
What I love about a natural and edible landscape is the experimentation it allows us to do and the observation, learning and pleasure we derive from interacting with an evolving ecosystem. When you spend some time observing the changes and taking stock of what’s happening in your yard, you can make some interesting discoveries. Here are some things that have captured my interest in my yard this summer.
Arctic Beauty Kiwi is Growing Fruit!
I planted a pot with a male and female kiwi and in a fairly dry spot in almost full sun about 7 years ago. Some sources recommend that it be grown in part shade, in well-drained soil that should not be allowed to completely dry out. My kiwi certainly does not have the benefit of perfect conditions and while it has grown a little bit every year, it’s still only about 4 feet high. It now receives a little bit more shade from spruce trees in the area, and in April the temperature barely dipped below freezing. These conditions were favourable and for the first time, the vine is growing a few kiwis. They are still very small and I don't think there is more than a handful, but it’s exciting to see this exotic fruit develop into a berry-sized treat in our cold climate!
Sea Kale Here to Stay?
Permaculture aficionados love to find unusual edible plants, especially when they are a perennial, reducing the amount of work it takes to plant every year. Sea Kale is an edible perennial listed in “Perennial Vegetables” by Eric Toensmeier and other sources. Many years ago, I met some friendly folks from the Devonian Botanic Garden who were selling seeds, and I was excited to discover sea kale. I planted the seeds but only a couple of them grew. Outdoors, they did not thrive and I lost one to a pest. After moving the remaining plant once, it seemed to be doing better, but the plant was small and I almost forgot about it. However, to my delight, it has almost doubled in size this year! Sea kale is listed in some sources as a Zone 5 or Zone 4 plant. So that’s a bit of a stretch for our gardens, but with a warming climate, we should be able to grow it in Edmonton. My spot in my Edmonton front yard is proving to be pretty good. It receives almost full sun and in winter, the plant is under a pile of snow from the driveway. I have renewed hope that it’s here to stay, and next year I may be able to harvest some leaves in early spring. For more info, visit this online info.
To grow your own sea kale, you can contact a local garden centre to ask if seeds or plants can be ordered in. Apache Seeds had some seeds this spring from Sutton (UK), but you’ll have to put this on the list and make some calls for 2017. If you want to order your own, this Canadian company has it listed.
Farm Visits and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture
This month I had the pleasure of visiting two permaculture-inspired farms. I’ve lived away from the farm and in a city for about 25 years now, but I still feel a strong connection to farming. Therefore, I love having a chance to spend a day at a farm once in a while.
My first visit was Stony Creek Farms near Rochester, about an hour north of the city. There was a call out to help with chores after one of the owners was injured. I carpooled with Stefan, and the two of us arrived just in time to feed and water the pigs, impressive Berkshire/Tamworth sows and cute piglets. I got the job of milling wheat and peas, then mixing that with water and some milk to create a healthy mash. It was dusty, noisy work, but I stuck Kleenex in my ears and was happy to grind away. Then I spent some time helping Stefan with building frames for a chicken coop – I love sawing and drilling to build useful stuff! Next came the sheep, as they needed some hoof trimming before being sold to a new owner. In teams of three, we managed to flip each sheep on its back and hold it while the more or less willing animal got a pedicure. Soon a few hours had slipped by and it was time for a nice roast, salad and some pasta. We were all dirty and tired, but happy to dig in and lend a helping hand.
Stony Creek Farms offers “beyond organic” meat and veggie shares, and you can learn more about the farm here: http://stoneycreekfarms.ca/
Another fascinating visit was an organized tour of Grassroots Family Farm. Takota Coen and his parents run this organic farm and CSA. Takota explained how permaculture is about creating connectivity to increase the health and productivity of people, plants and animals. We saw how the Jersey cow and her calf grazed under rows of fruit and nut trees, reducing competitive grasses and fertilizing the plants. Sophie’s milk is added to the pig mash as a pro-biotic and to pre-ferment it. The free roaming chickens get some of this healthy grain mix while cleaning up what the pigs drop or do not eat. Animal manure is composted right along with straw bedding in the spacious, wind-protected pig corral. Both pigs and chickens help this process and reduce pests with their natural tendency to dig and scratch.
Out in the fields, we also got a tour of an extensive water harvesting system and swales that provide moisture to long rows of fruit trees and berry bushes. Melt and rainwater collects at the lowest point of the farm in a dugout. Water is pumped to the highest point on the farm with a solar powered pump. A  small pond at the top of the hill holds this transported water. Takota can lower a standing pipe in the pond to direct pond water into a series of swales. These are ditches that follow the contour lines on the hillsides. Water will spread out in the swales and then slowly percolate downhill, feeding the pasture grasses and growing food forest. A direct pipe from the pond also provides enough pressure for some direct irrigation of field crops and gardens closer to the farm buildings.
The Coen family has spent time learning about permaculture and from like-minded farmers, taking risks to experiment and making changes as needed. It was a pleasure learning about how they take pride in growing healthy animals, soil and plants for our benefit. You can learn more about this farm here: www.grassrootsfamilyfarm.ca
For a long list of other fabulous and fascinating Alberta farms that offer direct sales or CSA shares, you can visit http://www.csaalberta.com/
Wishing you all the best with the growing season,
Claudia Bolli, Wild Green Garden Consulting, www.wildgreen.ca
If you would like help with your plans, please contact me for a consultation or design, claudia@wildgreen.ca.
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