I remember planting the garden with my parents one spring in my teenaged years. It was a wildflower bed that surrounded their small pond. It was beautiful and wild and colourful and AMAZING! I loved the striking and informal look of the variety of colours and textures. The staggered bloom times ensured that flowers were growing and bloom from spring until fall. I loved it. It is certainly the garden that stand out most in my mind out of all of the years that I got my hands dirty alongside my parents (shout out to Mom and Dad reading this!).

The first spring after moving into our current home, I had an infant and was recovering from a terrible bout of shingles (yes, it happens to young-ish people too!). I did not have the ability to get into the garden much that year, aside from planting a couple of raised beds using the little energy that I could muster. One of my efforts was to throw a some wildflower seeds onto the surface of the existing beds and praying for a few blooms. Well, that didn't happen. The soil was like dust and the only things that the garden could grow were dandelions, creeping buttercup, and bindweed. I wanted those wildflowers so desperately. The next spring, I got into the garden as early as I could and weeded it and amended the soil enough to breathe a bit of life into it. Then, I repeated the scattering and praying routine. Voila! It worked! The scrappy little seedlings were fighting their way out of the ground and soon enough, the blooms began to open. I had wildflowers blooming right though November (!). It was a beautiful sight to behold. The tangled mess of colours and textured spilled from the beds. 

One of the biggest benefits of planting is welcoming beneficial insects to your garden. They will reward your botanical generosity with abundant pollination. Your crops which require pollination will result is greater and more reliable yields. This past summer I listened to the bees humming in harmony a song of happiness. Watching the honeybee and bumblebee traffic was mesmerizing. I believe that thanks to our wildflower garden, we had a colony of cute little bumblebees make themselves at home in one of our abandoned bird houses. It was so fun watching them come and go over the summer. I’m hoping that when the weather warms up, that we’ll see their sweet fuzzy faces emerge again.

I had three bird families nest on our property. I had a wide variety of bird visitors that we had b=never had before. The hummingbirds visited many times daily. Our garden was alive in more ways than one. Not only was it blooming, but the creatures that had invited themselves over was a real treat.

It truly was a garden for all the senses; sight, touch, taste (the dill!), smell, and sound. I think most of the pictures that I took of my garden last year were the wildflowers. I was in love. So much so, that part of me is considering planting a wildflower garden in our front yard as well. 

I urge you to consider dedicating at least part of your precious garden to wildflowers. Let the flowers that are happiest in those conditions really shine! Embrace the tangled, wild mass of blooms and leaves invite birds and insects to your garden. Let the perennials spread and the flowers self-sow. There is beauty in letting nature take the reins.

Should you plant wildflowers and then wish to try something new or different the next year, clean up is usually pretty quick and easy. The only consideration that you might want to weigh is selecting a wildflower seed mix which is curated for your area to ensure a higher success rate and you are not sowing seeds which could be considered invasive (or aggressive propagators) in your garden.

So there you have it- get wild! Try out some wildflowers in your garden. I don't think that you'll be disappointed. 

So, I spent the day up to my eye balls sowing every seed I could find that was within the appropriate window for being planted inside or outside. I planted reusable nursery cells, egg cartons, used plastic cups, and old bedding plant pots. I have been falling behind since we started on our front yard landscaping project - we've moved 21 (twenty-one!!!) yards of soil by shovel and wheelbarrow in about a week and a half. Phew!

I pulled out all of my seeds, old and new, to take an inventory of which vegetables and flowers I have. Well... it turns out I probably have a seed library that rivals some mail order seed companies. Ooops. It's hard not to keep picking up packets of seeds when you see a new variety you want to try. They seem inexpensive on their own, but it starts to add up quickly when you plan your garden for the year. 

I think I am going to try to rehome some of my beautiful little seeds to other loving gardeners this year. I won't be able to plant them all this year or even next, so why not share the love? I want them to be used within their peak viability time frame as well. Also, it feels good to connect with other people who get as excited to see parsnip or artichoke seeds as you do.

So, how's a gardener supposed to do that? I'm not one to take on fussy, time consuming projects (that don't involve gardening). I decided to make seed packet templates that don't involve any intricate cutting, gluing, and folding. I look at some of the templates out there and I get scared away by all of the intricate cutting and gluing. No thank you, very much!

To make these seed packets, all you need are standard-sized #10 envelopes (the kind used for 'letter' sized paper), a printer, and some kind of adhesive (sticker, tape, glue, or homemade glue solutions), and a pen. That's it. And #10 envelopes are pretty easy (and cheap) to come by, if you don't have them already.

So, in case, you are scratching your head and asking yourself "why the heck is your website called The Knotty Garden?" It sort of feels like inside joke for gardeners.

I was so tickled when the name "The Knotty Garden" bubbled up from the depths of my brain. In so many ways it feels like the perfect name. Firstly, I love puns, humor, and language games. And I don't always behave, but then again "well-behaved women seldom make history" (Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, 1976).

The word play with Knotty is also a nod to the formal and very structured 'knot' style gardens. These square-shaped gardens usually contain symmetrical, organized compartments (i.e. geometrical knots) filled with culinary herbs and vegetation. These gardens have their roots in the medieval times, though they gained popularity in England and Europe in the Tudor times. 

This play on words seems to capture my garden and me so perfectly. My garden is evolving, unstructured, and sometimes wild. It is certainly not a 'knot garden' by any stretch. It is, however, what I affectionately call my "knotty garden." Sometimes it simply does what it wants - just like its head gardener!

While I have been growing 'cut-and-come-again' vegetables for quite some time, it was only in the last few years when I came across that expression. It describes exactly what comes to mind: you cut off just as much as you need and let the remainder of the plant to continue to grow. The plant will grow to replace what you have cut, so that you can continue to harvest fresh vegetables for weeks on end. Leafy greens are best suited to this kind of harvest, though some herbs are also amenable to this kind of growth.

Cut-and-come-again vegetables can be sown early in the growing season, and often benefit from cooler weather for germination. For more information on when to best sow these vegetables, you can check out the detailed regional planting charts of West Coast Seeds.

Be sure when harvesting that you aren't pulling or yanking on your plant. You might just end up ripping the whole thing out! Use your garden or kitchen scissors to snip off what you need.

Check out the slideshow above for my garden favourites, including chard, lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, corn salad, pack choi, and herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley).

Other miscellaneous cut-and-come-again vegetables include:
Amaranth, beetroot (top greens), chicory, endive, mizuna, mustard, radicchio, sorrel. Similar to other leafy greens, the outer layer of leaves can be removed and the hearts can be left to grow and mature, producing even more tasty leaves!

 (Printable greeting cards make sense. Printing your own greeting card is a small way for you to make a difference in climate change; you can choose recycled paper or cardstock, print from your own or shared printers (with refillable cartridges!), you don't have to drive to the store, buy something coated in plastics/microplastics/adhesives/etc, and it doesn't require a company shipping simple cards across the globe.

​Additionally, it's easy peasy! You can print on-demand, even if you forgot to pick up a card on your grocery run. As an added bonus, they're likely to be less expensive than greeting cards that you would purchase at a big-box store and the product that you get is more unique.

I have a selection of printable greeting cards on Etsy that you can choose from. They're some of my most popular items I have to offer. I currently design them all to be blank inside for you to add your own personalized message. For those with writer's block, here are some greeting card messages that might help get you started: (click 'Read More' below to continue)

Come visit our boards and pins to find out what is inspiring my growing season!

I love to bring my kids into the garden with me whenever possible. I encourage them to explore, have fun, and get dirty! Some days when they are covered in mud, I make a point to tell them that getting dirty outside just means that you had a lot of fun! 

I made this printable scavenger hunt with my kids in mind. I can give them a bucket to collect treasures in the garden as we explore together. You can use this outdoor garden scavenger hunt anywhere! Pack a copy and take it to the park or the campground.

Get outside and have some fun with your little ones!

It is mid-February here in my balmy zone 8. Last year at this time, my uncovered beds were full of thick ice from the repeating snow falls and melts. Today started with frost, but it turned into clear blue skies with no evidence of any recent snow. I took this as a sign that I should plant my first raised bed. Thankfully, I planned ahead and I already had one amended!

One of the most important lessons that I have learned in gardening over the years is "you can't cheat the system." Your soil needs to be amended every year, sometimes multiple times per year. If you don't do this, your plants will know and they will crush your dreams of a bountiful harvest. I have fallen into the trap, more than once (fool me twice, shame on me), of trying to get my seeds in the ground at the earliest possible moment in the season. And sometimes a spell of good weather will entice me outside before I've even had the chance to prepare my beds. DON'T DO IT! Without good soil structure and plentiful nutrients, your crop will flop. It is so disappointing to watch your seeds germinate (or not) and fail to grow properly. While thinking you'll get earlier harvests, you will in fact be set back because you'll have to return to square one and amend your soil and replant your seeds. I've been there, done that.

This year, I have amended the soil in my raised beds with aged, well-rotted/composted mushroom manure. I also have amended a dozen of my large containers with mushroom manure, leftover/used organic potting mix, and organic top soil. Thankfully, I have nurseries in my area that sell in bulk. If you ask in advance, you can bring your own reused bags, containers, and bins to refill so that you don't have to buy pre-bagged stuff. Try calling around. You may be surprised that you can buy smaller amounts without collecting a bunch of heavy-weight plastic soil plastic bags.

Also, I should add, one of my favourite new garden tool investments that I made last year was an electric tiller. It chews through the soil easily to mix it up and make it nice and fluffy. It saves a lot of time and back breaking work. I love it.

So, the lesson here is to amend your soil! Don't get lured into planting your newly curated collection of seeds before you're ready.

In plenty of time for Easter, I have made another round of seed packet downloads to use as a seasonal gift, craft, or favor. I was so pleased at how my Valentine's Day seed packets turned out, that I look forward to making a variety of seasonal seed packets. I'm thinking about all the young budding gardeners that we can encourage and all the bees that we can feed together! Check them out!

​I really like making the most out of my garden footprint. I have a decent-sized yard for a suburban lot, but I want to be able to get as much out of it as possible. This means...growing upward!

If you read my previous post on trellising, you'll know that I'm a huge fan. We have a vairety of trellises for growing food. We even have a just-for-fun conical trellis in the lawn for the kids’ ‘clubhouse.’ 

Every square foot counts, especially when you are growing your food on a standard suburban lot. What better way to maximize your growing area than to grow upward! Not to mention, growing vertically can add another layer of interest and greenery to your garden. 

You’ll first need to make sure that your soil, light/exposure, and trellising structures are suitable for growing your desired vegetables. Once you’ve ticked those boxes, you’re good to go! You might consider adding plant clips or ties to the climbing vines to help them out or encourage directional growth, but this might not be necessary. 

Through my experience and research, I've come across lots of options for vertical gardening: 

Peas; shell, snap, snow varieties. There is a great range of height between these varieties, so check the packet first. Alderman peas can grow up to 9 feet tall, while other varieties are so short, they don’t even require staking! Be sure to check if the variety you select is pea enation resistant if planting later in the season. 

Beans; pole. It’s said that pole beans have better flavour than their bush bean cousins. I am taste testing this statement in my garden this year. I prefer pole beans for their easy picking. My favourite variety is Purple Peacock. The vines and leaves have a purplish hue, the flowers are a beautiful lilac colour, and the beans themselves are a rich purple. They make for stunning plants in the garden as well as being delectable. When cooked, they turn bright green. 

Scarlet runner beans (pictured above). I love these just for their beauty alone. They are also magnets for bees and hummingbirds. After the first year of growing scarlet runner beans, I learned that some people actually eat the small tender beans on the vine. I look forward to trying this out later in the season! Even if you don’t eat them, these climbing vines are as sturdy as they are beautiful. The prolific bright red flowers attract hummingbirds and bees from all directions. I add these to my decorative trellises, my kids’ bean tent, and the pots surrounding our pergola. These fast, tall climbers are a wonderful multipurpose plant. They might even be perennial in your hardiness zone which is a bonus!

Buttercup squash. This is a new vegetable that I am trying in my garden this year. Initially, I was skeptical that I would like it enough to go through the trouble of growing it so I bought one at our local produce store. It was great, so I planted three! The variety that I chose is called First Taste Kabocha which is suitable for trellising and it has a long storage life. Apparently it is also sweet and provides multiple harvests from summer until fall. As of right now, my happiest and most vigorously growing plant is in a large container. 

Pumpkin. Typically, you think of both edible and decorative pumpkins as being either too large for trellising or not suitable for edible landscaping. This is where mini-pumpkins (Jack Be Little, in particular) come in handy. Not only do they add a splash of colour to the garden and provide you with some seasonal decor, but they are also prolific and most certainly edible. Too cute! I can’t wait for them to be ready.

Tomato. If you are reading this post, you probably already know that different tomato varieties have different growing habits; either vine (indeterminate) or bush (determinate). If you want to grow vertically, plop some indeterminate tomatoes into your garden. They don't have grasping tendrils though, so you’ll need to give them a hand by securing them to your trellis structure. You might also want to read up on tomato pruning. My tomatoes are typically prolific producers to the point where I just can’t keep up with them.

Cucumber. Hands down, cucumbers are my favourite thing to eat fresh in the summer. I think i have at least nine plants in four different varieties (last count), and there’s still time to add more if i need to! It’s late May and I already have a five inch cuke that I’m eyeballing. Cucumbers are heavy vines and heavy feeders. They need a bit of space and  a solid trellis. I’ve grown them at both an angle and completely vertical and they seem agreeable to either. Their tendrils will help them to climb but you might choose to fasten them with ties or clips for extra support. 

Grapes. This is another new endeavour for me this year. Grapes are fast growing, hardy, and, of course, delicious! I am growing both green and red table grapes. I have high expectations though I’m sure that I’ll probably have to chase away critters who will try to get them first. If you choose to grow them in the ground, be prepared to try to keep them in check as their bigot can translate to invasiveness. 

Broad beans. I love broad beans but I find that they’re a lot of work. They don’t have climbing tendrils, so you will need to fasten them. I also find they are prone to aphids, rust, and fungal disease. Maybe you will have better luck with them than me. Here I am trying them yet again, so they must be worth it! There nothing like fresh broad beans; they’re so creamy and tender when cooked just right. 

You might also consider:

Kiwi vine. There are people who are head over heels for these little gems. One caveat: some require both a male and female plant in order to produce fruit and some are self-fertile, so choose carefully.

Hops. Why not? It is an interesting climbing vine (well, bine actually) with visual interest and vigorous growth. It’s also a perennial. This would be a fun plant to consider, especially for a hobby brewer.

Melon. Melons are heavy in comparison to most other climbing fruits and veggies. If you decide that you’d like to give it a go, you’ll need a very sturdy trellis and melon hammocks/slings (yes, this is a “thing”). 

You may have some degree of wiggle room on meeting all the perfect conditions for growing for these plants. I once heard a saying that “if you don’t plant it, it won’t grow.” That is to say, gardening is a learning experience through trial and error. If it doesn’t work, oh well! You’ve learned something for next time. You won’t have any success if you don’t try it at all. 

Now that you’ve decided on which vegetables you want to grow, you’ll need to make your trellis. 
​

I am very thankful that I am fortunate enough to have a fairly large backyard which also has great light. It's north-facing but it's big enough that it is not shaded by the house, so the fence that you see in the photos is actually south-facing. All of my beds are arranged at the back of the yard. This includes three raised beds and one in-ground bed. 

While I have a generous yard, it is not a farm by any stretch. So in planning my garden, I knew that the footprint of the yard alone would not be big enough to fit everything I wanted to grow. This is where you need to get creative. And vertical.

By planting upward and getting creative with various forms of trellising, you can greatly expand your growing room. This is how I squeeze every square foot out of my garden:

1. Find tall and climbing varieties. My absolute FAVOURITE things to grow in the garden are beans and peas. The flavour and texture (and beauty!) of freshly picked beans and peas almost make them seem like a different vegetable than the ones you find at the super market. Other vertical veggies include cucumbers, some squash, and tomatoes. I'll have another post to talk more about varieties of edibles to grow vertically.
2. Trellis your beds. Each of my raised beds has a trellis approximately 8 feet tall on the back. On these trellises, I grow beans and peas. They LOVE it! The get all the sun they need and they don't shade anything below. 
3. Trellis your fence. I have a 6 foot tall net trellis stretching the length of my backyard. I can plant in the soil at the base of the fence, so I have several upcycled old nursery pots which I have placed at the base of this trellis. I think at my last count, I had about 14 ten-gallon pots. I have grown beans, cucumbers, and squash on this trellis.
4. Trellis within your beds and pots. I have put trellises within beds and pots with leftover material that I have lying around, just for the sake of squeezing just a few more cucumbers out of the season.
5. Trellis posts. Do you have a pergola, arch, or other vertical hardscaping that might lend itself to some climbers? I have placed several upcycled plant pots around the base of the pergola in our yard. I wrapped the posts with old metal mesh for my grapes to climb. I also tied thick natural twine up other posts for (more!) beans to climb.
6. Get creative with your materials! I have made trellises with anything that I've had on hand- bamboo poles, old metal mesh, nylon mesh, string mesh, and old branches. I try whenever possible to use materials I have on hand so that I am not buying something new. I even have a couple of trellises which I constructed by weaving old pear tree watershoots which I pruned off of my trees during their rehabilitation. Look around for something tall or climbable; you might be surprised at what you can find.

Now, your homework after reading this post is to go outside and look up. Get inspired and see where you might put your new trellis.

If you read my inaugural post, you might remember that 2020 is my first attempt at year-round edible gardening. In my balmy zone 8a, I've managed to keep harvesting through November without any special structures or equipment (or effort). When our temperatures sink below zero for an extended period, it usually means the end of whatever I have growing.

This year, my husband and I decided to build removable polytunnel structures over each of our three raised beds. Each bed is approximately 4 feet by 8 feet. To construct the covers, we used 4 lengths of 3/4 inch PVC pipe per bed. We had to trim the PVC pipes to bring down the height so that we could clamp the edges to the beds for easy access, installation, and removal. We only intend to use the bed with the plastic covers before the warm weather sets in. The ends of each of the three hoops are fastened to the wooden boxes with two loops of metal pipe strapping. You will need to adjust the height of the PVC hoops depending on the width of your plastic cover. The fourth length of PVC pipe that sits across the tops of the three hoops is fastened on each hoop with heavy guage tie wire. Nothing fancy, but we covered the tips of the wire with thick tape to ensure that it would not snag the plastic cover. The PVC length across the top has fitted PVC caps at each end, again to avoid snagging and damaging the cover. After the frame was set up, we covered it with heavy duty plastic sheeting that we already had on hand. We cut the lengths to fit each bed, ensuring that there was enough on the sides and ends to clap it down and seal it off from cold air and the elements. We used inexpensive heavy duty spring clamps to hold everything in place.

Et voila! Our simple polytunnels are complete. These were completed at a casual pace over a few days. The construction of these are simple but sturdy. Even a novice working should be able to complete these with minimal tools and supplies. Because we didn't need to buy the plastic, tie wire, and tape, we probably only spent about $35 per bed to make these. I hope that we will be able to get several years of use from them before anything needs replacing or repairing. 

Its only February but I'm already excited to think about what I'll be growing next December!

Nothing beats the satisfaction of growing your own fruits and vegetables at home, EXCEPT for being able to grow them year-round! You get high-quality, organic (maybe even heirloom) vegetables picked and consumed at their peak! But if you dig beyond the emotional connection of growing your own food, there is a bigger, more important matter at hand.

Think about the carbon emissions from produce that you purchase at the grocery store. It is usually a nameless variety of vegetable (what kind of broccoli is it anyway??), grown far from the market at which you pick it up. Maybe hundreds or even thousands of miles away. The greenhouse gasses to get it to the store and then to your home, add up quickly. Then consider the ecological devastation of the pesticides or poor soil and environmental practices of mega-commercial crop farms. Then think about the packaging (cardboard, plastics) used to get the produce to the store and, again, then to your home. Then consider that these large scale farms also generated the carbon emissions associated with the construction, maintenance, and heating of greenhouses and polytunnels. Oh, and don't forget about the emissions in the production, maintenance, and use of farming equipment. It adds up, doesn't it? You might look at a plastic-wrapped cucumber or a stickered orange differently now.

Well we need to eat, don't we? And we're supposed to eat fruits and vegetables, right? The reality is that these real needs don't exist in a bubble and they have a very real and concrete impact on the generation of greenhouse gasses and, subsequently, climate change. We're not even talking about the bees or GMOs at this point. What better way to counteract or at least off-set our carbon footprint through growing our own food? Think about how much you will cut down on the environmental impact of your diet. You may be thinking "well, that's good and all, but even home gardening has an impact." True. By being a consumer the materials required to construct beds or polytunnels, you are also contributing to carbon dioxide emissions. Of course, the more you grow and the less you buy, the greater the benefit to the environment. Hence, year-round gardening will potentially have the greatest benefit. You also want to try to use and maintain high-quality materials that are going to have the greatest lifespan.

Please watch the enlightening and informative YouTube video below, which gives an example of  crunching the numbers for you.

Long story short- get growing and don't forget that every little bit counts.

You might have already checked out my other post on seed packet Valentines. If you are looking for something that is similarly eco-conscious (no candy, landfill, microplastics, etc) but requires fewer supplies and less time, these cards might be the solution that you are looking for. You can print as many as you would like for personal use.

These cute, punny cards can be printed at home. Card stock will give you the best results though I encourage you to use recycled or reused paper. You might guess that my favourite ones are the bees. 

If you find yourself inspired with a little bit of extra time, you could try stapling a card to a pack of seeds that you would like to share.

Scroll down to see all THREE designs: bees, sea creatures, and animals. You can click on each design to be taken directly to the item in my Etsy shop.

Valentine's Day is almost here! This year, my attention has been drawn more keenly toward eco-friendly practices. I didn't want to send my kids to hand out sugary, highly processed candy or soon-to-be-landfill. I took it upon myself to come up with another solution that would allow them to participate in sharing Valentine's Day cards with some kind of gift attached that was unique and environmentally conscious. So... I made my own! I created printable, instantly downloadable Valentines for them to share with their friends. 

Here's how it works. Two Valentines are printed on one 6½ size envelope. The envelope is sealed and then cut in half. Each half is filled with seeds, then sealed with a sticker or other adhesive of choice. Easy peasy! The included printable sticker sheet has instructions for planting.

I love these Valentines because they're inexpensive, easy to make, not plastic, and not junk food. The best part is that they encourage kids to get out in the garden  (too many benefits to list here!) and that it will help feed the bees!

Click the widget below to purchase my printable on Etsy. Happy Valentine's DAISY! 

This website was created out of my love of gardening (I'm stating the obvious here) and creativity. I truly enjoy making and doing new things, and sharing that experience with others. Over the years, I have dabbled in graphic, web, and print design and I really enjoy the problem-solving nature of information technology. This has led me to creating modest shop of digital downloads that you can print at home. This is certainly not a full-time gig. I am making these items because I really enjoying creating things that will hopefully bring joy to others. In the meantime, if I am able to make a bit of seed money (pun intended!) this would certainly help me in my gardening endeavours.

Please check it out to see what I have to offer! I have a variety of printable wall art/decor, posters, greeting cards, and kids Valentine cards. I only opened last month, and I am hoping to expand my offering over the next several weeks as we approach gardening season. 

My current garden is only about two and a half years young. We inherited it from the previous owners in a serious state of neglect; overgrown with weeds (ugh, bind weed!), diseased and unpruned trees, and overgrown, wild beds with dead, compacted soil. It was a mess but it was full of potential. It could only get better!

When we moved in, I was pregnant with a toddler, so I began in earnest. I have completed most of the work since last spring. I know it's going to take years before it evolves into the microfarm/potager that I envision. I need some flexibility as my garden takes shape so I have put in extra effort into making the most of raised beds and container gardening. Our raised beds are constructed such that they can be lifted and moved when emptied of soil. I also have over two dozen large upcycled nursery pots in which I grow everything from arugula to apple trees. These pots generally range in size from 5 to 25 gallons, though I have two HUGE ones (3'Hx5'W) that were used to grow bamboo. 

I use the 20 to 25 gallon pots for growing fruit trees. The size of these pots are large enough that they have enough room to develop a strong root system but not too large so that the trees put more energy into developing roots and foliage rather than fruit. Some degree of constriction is helpful in encouraging the trees to set fruit. They are all planted in a soil that is tailored to tree growth; the consistency is similar to garden bed soil mixed with bark mulch. You can likely buy a shrub and tree mix at a nursery.

This is a temporary solution. It allows me to grow productive fruit trees and grow them to a size that will allow me to expand my mini (i.e. seven tree) in-ground orchard in the future. Given the size of the pots and the growth rate of the trees, this should give me about three years before they'll need to go into the ground. I anticipate that my garden will have changed a great deal up to that point. Right now, I can move them around the garden to protect them from the elements and to chase the sun. I can find their 'sweet spot' before I ultimately put them in the ground. If I let them outgrow their pots, I risk needing to replace the trees, so I'll have to keep my eye on them.

I currently have two mature fruit trees (unidentified cherry and asian pear) in my garden which were severely neglected when we moved in. They are in a state where not even a pruning 'rehabilitation' will rescue them and they are showing signs of distress and disease. If (or, likely, when) they come out, I'll be able to replace them quickly with other sizable fruit trees.

You might be wondering what trees am I currently growing in containers. Like any other specimen in the garden, I chose varieties that I enjoy and are suited for my climate. I also selected them for their root stock, where applicable. The root stock is the root system to which the tree is grafted and this determines it's ultimate size. Here's what I have growing:

1. Bartlett pear on a dwarf root stock. This variety needs a pollinizer. I have another pear tree and an Asian pear tree in my yard to achieve this. Who doesn't LOVE a fresh Barlett pear plucked from a tree?
2. Honeycrisp apple. I have a very tart but unidentified apple tree growing in my garden. It is amazing for cooking, baking, and jam but TERRIBLE for fresh eating (I'm puckering just thinking about it!). It has somewhat early bloom time, so I selected a fresh eating apple that I love that serves as a pollinizer.This apple is on dwarf root stock.
3. Stella cherry. There is something magical about eating fresh, juicy cherries in the summer. This variety is described as self-fertile, so it does not require a pollinizer tree (however, production can be boosted with the presence of one). I wanted a self-fertile cherry since my mature cherry tree is at risk of being removed. It is on dwarf root stock.
4. Celeste fig. Fig trees are not grown on root stock, however I selected this variety as it's size is limited to 8 to 10 feet at maturity. I will like keep this tree in a container if it remains happy, since fig trees are most productive if their roots are constricted. Even when planting in the ground, their roots should be somewhat obstructed.

And there you have it. My mini-orchard of potted trees. This should be the first year that the trees will be bearing fruit, so I will be sure to check back in with you to let you know how they fare! I can already see the buds and spurs forming along the branches!

So, why plant trees in containers?

1. Save space! If you don't have a bed large enough for a tree, why not plop one in a container?
2. Flexibility. You can move it around your garden to give it the best growing conditions. It can also help you to determine where you ultimately want to plant them. 
3. Add greenery. You can put trees in places which preclude plantings such as on decks, patios, and slabs.
4. Some trees like containers. You might find more success with trees which are grow to perform well in containers, such as small fig trees.
5. The more trees, the better! Trees provide us food, clean the air, and provide habitat for birds and insects.

​

It’s no secret to those closest to me. I don’t like to spend a lot of money. I don’t need shiny, new, expensive things to be happy. I shop second-hand, peruse clearance racks, clip coupons, and pore over flyers. No name? No problem. I love generic and I love a good deal. 

All that said, this does of course apply to gardening as well. There’s a lot that you can do without a thick wallet. It is dizzying the amount of money that you can spend very quickly in your outdoor spaces, especially when someone else does it for you. 

With some shortcuts, hopefully you can find you way to the garden of your dreams without breaking the bank. 

1. Containers. Did you know that some nurseries sell or even give away their old nursery pots? This was a game-changer for me and afforded me so much flexibility in my garden. I can move four of my fruit trees as our layout evolves. I can pot and repot as I see fit, or as the specimen requires. I can tuck pots in spaces where there is no soil at all! The side of my house is river rock ground cover and I have set my potato and asparagus containers there. I have many large pots containing blueberries, raspberries, grapes, salmonberries surrounding our seating area; you simply need to lean back and grab a handful of nature’s candy as you read your newest gardening library book. I estimate that I probably have more than 30 large (10+ gallon) containers filled with edibles around our yard. I also use them for flower and foliage plants as well. With those placed in more visible or prominent positions, I have painted the outside of some of the black plastic pots a glossy navy blue, reminiscent of the blue ceramic pots you might find at a garden center. I think they look fantastic, especially considering that the cost paint and pot is only a couple of dollars. Think of all of the pots that you can rescue from the landfill and all of the new pots that you won't need to purchase! 
2. Start from seed. This might be a no-brainer. Depending on the size of your garden and how many plants of one variety that you want, this is an excellent option. Here in zone 8a, I find that many of my vegetables grow best from directly sown seeds; squash, cucumber, herbs, beans, peas, etc. Peppers and tomatoes can be more convenient purchased as seedlings at a nursery, but if you start your own from seed then you have practically endless options. You can then trade or share any extras that you need if you only need a few plants. A good way to accumulate a variety of seeds is by making gardening friends! Find a garden club or talk to your family, friends, or neighbors about swapping seeds. Some areas also host Seedy Saturdays which can be a great opportunity for sourcing seeds. Depending on what you’ve planted, you might even be able to easily save your own seeds. At the end of the growing season, you let the plant go to seed (ie. let the plant fully mature) and collect and dry the seeds. I have successfully done this with a variety of flower and vegetable seeds which I have gone on to sow myself or give away. This is a very eco-friendly AND cost-saving venture.
3. Compost. Well, I did it! Last year, I finally assembled and installed my backyard composter. We are fortunate enough to live in an area where you can purchased a highly-subsidized composter from the municipality. I’ve filled mine with yard scraps which are grown in my organic garden. It’s comforting knowing the source of the compost that I’m growing. It’s weed-, chemical-, and garbage-free. I have tried a few sources of ‘organic’ soil over the years which have had all sorts of foreign objects in them (glass, pieces of plastic, even an old broken pen). My quality control is going to be much more stringent than anyone else’s. Now that I’ve added the yard waste, all I need is time.
   Here’s a helpful guide on backyard composting for beginners (like me). Think about the money that you'll be saving from purchasing manure or compost or buying and transporting soil. Again, this is also a very eco-friendly AND cost-saving venture.
4. Divide or propagate perennials. Ok, so this one is not related to edible gardening. BUT, I do have flower beds too. An important task in maintaining many kinds of perennials is to divide them. This has the benefit of keeping the original plant healthy while giving you one (or more!) freebie plants! I'm a big fan of division, and I rub my grubby little gardener hands together as I watch a perennial getting bigger and bigger. Another, often more challenging, means of propagating plants is by taking cuttings. You'll need to read up on the various techniques required to do this. Perhaps I will make a post on this topic another day.

Now that you have saved money by the spadefuls, go ahead and place your seed order from your favourite catalogue!

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we're no stranger to wet, cold weather. We try not to let that deter us from getting out in the garden, even in January. We like to play outside but we also like to be snuggly warm. No matter how active you are outside, little fingers get cold fast. Gloves don't work particularly well for kids since they get their hands wet so quickly and they need the fine motor movements of their fingers to play. 

My solution is simple AND free! Before I head outside, I boil my kettle and fill my cool/room-temperature dutch oven with some small landscape rocks. I pour the boiling water over the rocks to warm them up and I put the lid back on. With a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon, you can pull the rocks out as needed. I set the rocks on the lid to cool down if necessary. When they are the right temperature, the kids can hold them in their hands to warm up or they can put them in their pockets to stay use as needed. They can also rest their hands on the side of the pot if it has reached a comfortable temperature. The kids really love doing this! 

So, in summary, these are the steps:
1) Boil a kettle with hot water. DO NOT BOIL THE WATER IN THE DUTCH OVEN.
2) Add several small river rocks to a cold or room-temperature dutch oven.
3) Fill about 2 inches of water in the dutch oven, covering the rocks.
4) Add a couple of drops of essential oils (optional).
5) Replace lid and get a pair of tongs for removing the rocks, then head outside.
6) Rest rocks on the lid to cool to optimal temperature for holding. 
7) Put the rocks in hands or pockets. Rest hands on dutch oven if it is a safe temperature.
8) Repeat! Stay nice and toasty.

For a really special treat, add a drop or two of essential oil in the hot water to have a wonderful waft of your favourite scent as you open the lid. I've used pine essential oil and it's a real wintery pick-me-up.

Oh, and a thermos of hot chocolate is always a good idea!