So one of the driving forces behind my unfolding suburban homesteading lifestyle, is healthier living. Healthier for me, healthier for my family, and healthier for the planet. When I first stumbled across the phrase 'eco-anxiety,' I thought "Ah ha! That's it! That's what happening to me."

We are so bombarded with news of impending doom that it is inescapable (as it should be). This needs to be forefront in everyone's mind as we reflect on how our own lives and behaviours impact the world around us. We are so overwhelmed by suggestions on how we need to make changes to avert (or mitigate) disaster for future generations. Now that I have two young children, I understand this more deeply and urgently than ever before. There are so many ways in which we can change our daily actions which can result in positive (albeit small) result However, these small changes are cumulative, and when combined with the multiplier effect, can have a very real and very significant impact on climate change. We need to make these changes NOW. The thought of all the little things that we need to do can be paralyzing which results in no action at all.

As a family, we have generated a list of things that we can do or change to reduce our carbon foot print. We are making a lot of little changes that are driven by the Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Rot, Recycle mantra. It's hard changing ingrained behaviour but we have to do it for the future of our planet. Sometimes a little anxiety is necessary to spur this change.

One of the objectives of our garden is to grow organic and non-GMO produce using organic products and practices alongside Integrated Pest Management. We want our garden to feed us clean and healthy foods while keeping it a safe place for kids, pets, birds, insects, and other wildlife. In addition to our vegetable garden, we have an organically grown wildflower bed that is approximately 200 square feet to attract beneficial insects and local songbirds. One of the most beautiful sounds in my garden is the symphony of honeybees and bumblebees congregating in the wildflowers on a warm, sunny day. Bees are critical to our survival and we want to provide them with a healthy habitat and food source.

Growing your own organic food is not just healthy for you and the garden, it is good for the environment. When you grow your own food, you are reducing carbon emissions and potentially reducing adverse commercial growing impacts. Firstly, when you grow your own fruits and vegetables, you need only walk a few paces to gather your meal. Buying produce (fresh or frozen), can have a number of steps involved in the harvesting, processing, packaging, and transportation process. You are saving on processing/equipment emissions, plastic packaging, and transportation emissions. Secondly, you are also growing your produce in a manner that does not exploit the land. You are not using synthetic fertilizers and industrial strength pesticides. You are not contributing to foreign countries decimating endangered habitats or foregoing locally necessary crops. 

Gardening is not just a hobby. Gardening gives back in more ways than might be apparent at first glance. You can make a real impact on this world by rolling up your sleeves and grabbing a packet of seeds.

​You can make a difference. 

There are few things more exciting in the dead of winter than the arrival of a seed catalogue! It signals the impending arrival of growing season and encourages daydreaming of all the delicious produce which you will (hopefully!) be pulling from your garden.

My personal favourite catalogue is West Coast Seeds. As it name suggests, it is a seed company based in British Columbia. Its catalogue doesn't just read as an alphbetical list of seeds offered for sale. It is practically a gardening manual! It includes critical information geared toward coastal (~zone 8) growing, with offering for home growers, market growers, and commercial growers alike. It offers and encourages the use of organic and non-GMO seeds, with even some heirloom seed offerings. I purchase the majority of my seeds directly from West Coast Seeds, or their nursery resellers. Thankfully, I live within driving distance to their retail store so that I can show up with my seed list in hand and end up with a bushel of other fantastic must-have gardening items. If you do only one thing to prepare for planting vegetable seeds, I highly recommend picking up or printing a copy of their panting charts. I laminate my copies so that I can bring them in the garden with me, no matter the weather. I also find that I constantly refer to them so this makes them so much more durable. For what it's worth, I have no affiliation (financial or otherwise) with their company. I personally just love the quality of their products and their mission.

In your hunt for the perfect variety for your harvest table, I encourage you to check out and support organic, heirloom, and non-GMO seed growers, These seeds can sometimes take longer to grow or are more susceptible to pests, but the wait and the risk pays off in colour, flavour, and beauty! It is also important to ensure the future of these seed varieties; they don't cater to mass consumption and production of their commercially preferred counterparts (which are often bred or modified for shelf-life, mechanical processing, disease resistance, and uniformity above flavour and nutritional content). You have many options for suppliers within Canada, including Walkerland, Salt Spring Seeds, Heritage Harvest Seeds, and Hawthorne Farm Seeds. Hop on a search engine and you may be able to dig out a few more. 

I must confess that I am often guilty of picking seed packets whenever I see a rack of them at a nursery ("did I use all of my arugula seeds...?" or "it's prime time for planting calendula!"), so I find that I have a variety of seed sources by the end of the season. Whenever possible, I try to stick with organic, non-GMO, untreated, or heirloom seeds. If I am going through the effort of growing and babying these beautiful vegetables, I want them to be the highest quality possible. They should be extraordinarily tasty and uncompromisingly healthy for my family and garden. The difference in cost between a generic packet of seeds and a carefully curated selection is minimal in the grand scheme of creating your ideal garden.

Right now, I am sitting at my dining room table in the thick of garden planning. It is only the first week of January but I've already been out in the garden, kids in tow, a few times. I can't wait to start popping some seeds into the soil and watching the magic unfold.

First things to hit the dirt are my artichoke seeds! I'll need to take an inventory of my several seed boxes to see what else I will need to purchase this year. I also try to grow something new each year, so I look forward to getting inspired!

Before you get started, you need to know your hardiness zone as a starting point before growing. Here in the lower mainland, we hover around zone 8. While this is a useful number, it is not the only thing that dictates when or what to grow. Within an average suburban backyard, you are going to potentially have a number of different microclimates. You will need to take into account sun, rain/moisture, soil and wind exposure, as all of these elements are going to affect what you can grow in any given square meter. For example, when the snow falls and the ice melts in my yard, there are areas that stay frozen for much longer than others. Other areas might get little to no snow or ice at all.

The days to maturity indicated on a seed packet are based on optimal conditions. You can expect that your harvest will be delayed (or non-existent!) if your beds are located in a spot that is not ideal for that specific plant. I have fallen into the trap of counting down the days to maturity on a plant only to be disappointed. You can't cheat the system, the plants know if they're not getting what they need! Where I have situated my beds such that they get full sun exposure and they are protected from any biting winds. It also helps that they are raised bed so that they have good drainage and the soil structure and content is easily amendable.

​If you are in Canada, I find the information provided by Vesey's Seeds helpful. It shows a hardiness zone map and lists popular AVERAGE (not definitive!) first/last frost dates by province. Again, you can use this information as a guide to determine which plants to include in your garden, when to sow your seeds, and how to protect plants which are marginal in your area.

If you are gardening during the traditional growing season in your area, the first frost date will determine when you should start sow seeds indoors and direct sow in your beds. I find it helpful to have a separate calendar for gardening each year. You can grab an inexpensive one at a dollar store or print your own from an online template. I have my first frost-free week boldly marked in my calendar as if I'm counting down to Christmas! Each week prior to the frost-free, I have it marked to indicate 'frost-free week -1,' 'frost-free week -2,' 'frost-free week -3,' and so on. I list each task I want to accomplish in these weeks leading up to my frost-free date, including the seeds I need to sow and whether they are indoor/outdoor sown. When using seed packets or planting charts, I can quickly and simply pencil in the type of seed on the calendar depending on when it needs to be sown relative to the frost-free date. It sounds more complicated than it is in practice and I find it saves a lot of time to have everything in one place for reference. You probably also find that you have a little extra time on your hands in the dead of winter as you stare longingly through your windows as you plan your garden. If you are really keen in your planning and love taking notes (ahem), you might consider making a small investment in a garden journal which helps you track everything including activities such as sowing, harvesting, and even  budgeting. 

Below is are two photos of my brand new polytunnels, taken less than 24 hours apart. Oh, what a difference a day makes.

​Ok. Now that we've got the basics sorted out, the fun can begin!

This is the inaugural post for my blog. After a decade of puttering in my own garden, I have decided that this is the year that I will be attempting a year-round vegetable gardening. My gardening journey started with containers, evolved into flower beds and borders, and then geared up into self-provision edible gardening. I say self-provision because my garden, while very productive, is no where near to self-sufficient at this point. I have dabbled in food storage and succession planting to extend the time during which we are able to eat delicious, homegrown food. This year, I am going to try to stretch my growing and harvesting season through the winter so that even on the coldest, darkest days of the year I can pluck fresh food from my vegetable patch. 

Now, those of you reading this in zone 6a (hello, Toronto!) or zone 3b (shout out to my old hometown, Saskatoon!), you might pooh-pooh this effort as I am spoiled with mild weather in coastal BC. I am eternally grateful for my hardiness zone because it already affords me a generous growing season with no additional equipment. However, we do get freezing temperatures and snow, so a little extra effort and equipment (and TLC!) is necessary for year-round growing. I hope that no matter where you are in Canada or beyond that you are able to find something helpful about the journey that I am about to share with you. 

Now, let's DIG in!