Honeyberries, Pests and the Long Weekend

Well, one of our more exciting new crops are Honeyberries (or Haskaps).  These are wonderful bushes that produce fruit that looks like a long blueberry at about this time of year.  They are a cross between a Russian and a Japanese Honeysuckle created at the University of Saskatchewan.  A great addition to any garden.  We carry them at the garden centre and they are a big hit.

Pests - well these are popping up in greenhouses now of course.  Aphids mostly.  For these you can spray a teaspoon of soap in a litre of water - as a preventative measure.  Otherwise ladybugs are the way to go.  We will be taking reservations for these soon.

You may also get a nasty looking white powdery stuff on your plants - rosemary is quite susceptible for some reason.  Mix 1 part milk to 3 parts water and spray.  Make sure you have good ventilation.  The milk solution has been my go-to for years and works very well, even in commercial sized greenhouse spaces.

The long weekend is here and for some, this is a late and nasty spring.   If you are worried that you are missing the window to plants tomatoes, peppers, cukes and the like, don't.  It is better to plant a weak or two later when you are sure it is warm than to plant now in a cold climate and set the plants back (arrest their growth).   We have plenty of seedlings at our shop - so come see us for heirloom varieties of vegetables.

Have a great long weekend.

New Old Heirloom Vegetable Seed

We are always into searching out the old and making it new again - to paraphrase. 

Our newest item is the Lemon Squash.  Its a summer squash with a bush habit that grows lovely little lemon shaped and sized squash.  Great for slicing and frying up or on the BBQ. 

Cute and oh so tastey

I just love early spring.  Things are that nice new green and the early flowers are popping up.

We have many plants ready to go in the greenhouse; veggies, perennials and fruits.

Right now its a great time for :
- Walla Walla onions - 25 in a bunch for $3 or 50 for $5
- multiplier onions - green onions all summer and bulbs in the fall at $3 per pound
- broad bean plants- 6 for $3, ready to go in the ground

Peas are a good start now, just soak the seed until they have little tails and plant or use the gutter method. Either way, you have a head start.

Plant your spinach and lettuce anytime you like - fall or early spring.  The great thing about them is that they come up when they are ready, without you having to worry about the calendar. 

Its just lovely in the yard - the Asian Pear is in bloom 

and so is the Rhododendron - Olga

Getting Your Garden Growing

This is the time of year to get your garden ready for growing - and for planting the early stuff.

Here in coastal BC, you can already plant broad beans, peas, lettuce, kale, spinach and Swiss chard. They can go direct in the garden as seeds  You can also put out plants for brassicas (broccoli, cabbage) or direct sow them as well.

If you have little in the way of actual garden, say if you live in an apartment with a balcony, you can still have fresh veggies.  Just make sure the pots are a good size, as otherwise you will water twice a day.



If you want to create your own self-watering pot it is pretty easy to do. You can either use a food grade bucket or a Rubbermaid Rough neck bin.



Cut the lid of either just in from the edge.  On the roughneck there is a handy line down from the edge that is perfect.  You want it so fit in the bottom of the container up about two inches, fairly snugly.  Drill many 1/4 to 1/2 inch holes in your piece of lid.

Get a pot and cut a whole in the piece of lid for that to fit through as well. You will also need a piece of PVC pipe  that is as long as the depth of the container plus a couple of inches. Again cut the piece of lid so that this fits in at tone corner. So the result is a piece of plastic with a big whole for the pot (about a 4 inch round is good), a hole in the corner for the pipe and many little holes. You are just about done.



Now get little pots, or cut more PVC into 2 to 3 inch lengths for legs. You need 8 in the bin and 4 around a bucket


You are ready for assembly – put the legs in the bottom of the container. Then put the piece of plastic in (it becomes a false floor) and put the pot in its hole. Put the PVC longer pipe down the corner. Drill one hole in the side of the container (1/4 inch) just above the false floor – this is your drain hole.

Pack the pot with dirt, quite firmly and fill the rest of the container. You will water by pouring water down the pipe until it comes out the drain hole. Water will wick up through the dirt in the put in the bottom of the container and water your plants.

Start looking for raspberries, and soon, blueberries.  If you don't have these in your garden then it is time to get some planted.  You are not too late (although you probably won't get fruit this eyar) as long as you water well.  Otherwise put it on you list of to-dos for September/October which is a GREAT time to plant just about any fruit, shrub or perennial.

For instructions on how to plant raspberries see the page - How to Grow Raspberries.  For Blueberry instructions see - How to Grow Blueberries.

At our house we are looking forward to summer berry treats.

Time for ladybugs.  Ladybugs are great in your garden.  They take care of aphids, whitefly and other things.
Take a look at my page on keeping all pests out of your garden by clicking here

I am sure you can spot the nasty critter in this photo.

Hello fellow gardeners,
Today the garden is wet but growing. Spring is everywhere.  We have the most beautiful hyacinths and tulips brightening the area and providing lovely natural perfume.

The camellias are still blooming, but I am not sure  how much longer they will last.

See you in the garden.

Get Your Haskaps and Walla Wallas !!!!

Hello fellow gardeners. Yes, we have Haskap plants ready to go. These fruit are also called Honeyberry or Edible Honeysuckle and are a member of the Honeysuckle family. They were introduced through research done at the University of Saskatchewan. These are a hardy plant and even the flowers can handle -7 degree temperatures. They are the earliest fruit to be ready in the spring and plants you put in this spring will give you fruit this fall.

You must plant 2 varieties together for pollination. We have 3 varieties (Borealis, Cinderella and Indigo Gem – the most prolific). They are $14.00 each or three for $36.00

You can read more about them at Haskap Central

The Walla Walla onion plants are ready to plant out. You get a bundle of 25 plants for $3.50. Walla Walla onion plants will grow into large, extremely sweet onions. Get yours now while they last.

See you in the Garden!

February 28, 2012

SUBJECT - Wireworms - handling them the natural way.

We have been asked by quite a number of people how to handle wireworms,
without using chemicals.

The problem with wireworms is that their life cycle is very long so they are
hard to get rid of.  Their adult form is the Click beetle - but is the
larva, the wireworm that ruins our radishes, potatoes and carrots.

They love to burrow and eat.  So you have to deal with them in the soil.
Here are a few ideas:

1.  Till, then retill.  You should start as early as you can in the spring -
say early February even.  Till 3 or 4 times (when it is dry - hard in Powell
River, I know).  In between tillings birds will eat the wireworms

2. After your repeated tilling plant a cover crop of buckwheat, mustard, or
oil radish.  Buckwheat being the cheapest and most readily available (we
have it in stock now).  These plants deter wireworm.  Once they have grown
up and you are ready to plant potatoes, say end March or so, just till the
cover crop into the soil.  Don't remove it.

3. Set traps.  My favourite is the coffee can.  Get a largish coffee can.
Cut off the top and punch holes in the bottom and the sides.  Bury it to the
rim in your garden.  Fill it with carrot and potato peels.  Empty at least
once a week.

4. Another trap - Potato on a Stick.  Get big potatoes and put them on
sticks.  Put them in the garden a couple of weeks before you want to plant
potatoes and during the season.  Bury them in the ground with the stick
sticking up.  Dig up and either remove the worms or replace the potato twice
a week or as they fill with worms.  Discard and replace.

Good luck, wire worms are a very frustrating problem.

See you in the garden

February 17, 2012

We had our session on starting seeds on Wednesday.  Everyone seemed to have a great time.  If you would like to take a look at some of the information we shared during the class, it is available in one of our articles. 

Take a look at the new tabs we have at the top of the page.  We will be adding more with pictures of our products as we go.

February 11, 2012

Hello all.  It actually hit 10 degrees yesterday.  I almost feel that going into the greenhouse would be fun!  Well maybe not.  It still pretty grey.

Folks are starting to order seeds for spring and we see the little shoots of crocuses coming up.

Crocus Shoots in the garden. Spring is coming.

If you want to order fruit trees for the spring we are taking orders now.  Click on the tab at the top - Fruit Trees/Shrubs to see what we will have.

January 31, 2012

Well its starting to hint at spring.  No really - the days are a little longer.  Here in Powell River it seems a little warmer - or that is just me wishing.

We have been teaching classes at the recreation comples in Powell River for three weeks now.  Folks seem to be having a great time in the classes and are signing up for more.  So thats good.  Our topic tomorrow is Ecological gardening.  All about gardening while preserving the earth.  Next week is 'Soil'

For those in our area - this is the time to reserve your fruit trees.  We have plums, apples, peaches, cherries, etc on order.  If you reserve now you are sure to get what you want.

Also - Seedy Saturdays are starting up.  This Saturday February 4 we will be in Qualicum Beach.  There is a really popular seedy event there and we are pleased that we got a spor.

See you in the garden!

January 21, 2012

Hi all.  It is time to start thinking about the spring garden.  If you are in Powell River, think about attending our gardening classes, held at the Complex every Wednesday at 630 pm.  You can find out the topic in the recreation calendar sent out a while ago or on-line at the Recreaion complex.

Soon it will be time for early planting.  Stay tuned

Jan 16

Time to get those seed orders going if you want to grow herbs, onions and leeks.  You will want to start those in February.  Perennial flowers can be started now for many varieties - see the link at the right for some good ones to try.

A great place to go for seeds and seedy information are the many Seedy Saturdays around the country.  We will be attending the following:

• Qualicum Beach - February 4
• Comox/Courtenay - March 3
• Powell River - March 10

These are great events.  There are workshops on various topics, lots of enthusiastic gardeners to talk to and, of course, seeds.  See you there!

January 5, 2012

What's up in the garden? Not much really.

Things are looking pretty brown. We have no snow here in Powell River but it is 8 degrees out today; I even saw the sun for 15 minutes or so.

We are past the shortest day of the year and heading into spring. Its time to start thinking about planning your garden. Map out your garden on paper and take a look at sun paths and yard conditions. If you are in Powell River you can join us at the Recreation Complex for our Wednesday evening workshops on gardening.

Take a look at the seed you have left over from last year. If you saved it in a cold dry place, it may be fine to plant. Seed does age wherever it is stored, but most does fine for a couple of years. Make a list of what you want to grow and compare. What do you need to buy to get going for the year? Our seed catalogues are nearly ready and you can shop on-line at www.eternalseed.ca at any time.

Things to start indoors in February – herbs, onions and leeks from seed. Perennials can be started from seed now too. Take a look at my article on Suite101 for some tips.

Here in Powell River you can dig in some spinach, lettuce and corn salad seed and they will pop up when it is warm enough for them. Elsewhere in the country – if your ground is frozen you will have to wait until it thaws out to plant these things. 

If you have been winter gardening take a look at your winter lettuce. Hopefully you have some nice salad greens. 

See more on Squidoo at my lens - http://www.squidoo.com/organic-seed

DECEMBER 15, 2011

Here we are, 10 days to Christmas. No tree yet!! Been busy getting things together for the classes we will be having this winter.
We will be partnering with the Powell River Complex (recreation guide) to offer 16 classes on various garden topics. We start with an intro to organic gardening at an intro price. Go to the Powell River recreation centre web site to check it out.
http://www.powellriver.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=114



They have just great programs and are very helpful. It will be fun. I will post the schedule here soon. We are busy writing ad spots for SUN FM so you can hear about it on the radio.

November 27 2011
Its the end of November and time to plant your spring colour pots  No doubt you have seen bulbs on sale at the garden centres and other stores. Snap them up and plant them up!!



Planting spring bulbs in pots is an excellent way to get early colour where you want it. As well, you can put the tulips where the deer won't eat them !!

Use well draining soil mix and plant the bulbs twice as deep as they are tall. So if its a 1 inch bulb, plant it so the top of the bulb is 2 inches down. Water well and put them outside in a protect spot, say against a wall. If you can throw leaves on them all the better. Another spot could be your garage – where it is just as cold as it is outside.

In the spring uncover and shoots will start. Place the pots where you want some colour. To save for next year, feed with a slow release organic fertilizer or dig in a lot of compost around the bulbs. Let the leaves die down naturally and store out of the way.

Aftermath of a wild wind.
Today being November 22, we are well into fall.  Yesterday we had one of the wildest wind storms I have seen.  But the greenhouse was all tied down and we recieved no damage.

The shrubs in the garden centre are all on their sides, but OK.  We are continuing with preparing the garden and stock for winter.  We have constructed short garden beds and shortly will move all the plants into these beds.  Then we will fill them in with sawdust.  If you have plants in pots it is important to protect them through the winter.

We will also be creating spring colour pots with the leftover bulbs.  Stay tuned for a how-to on that.  In the time being, get some bulbs, get some pots and get some all purpose soil. Make sure the soil has a bit of fertilizer and some peat or compost so it wont pack too tight.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the first blog on the Eternal Seed blogspot.

A wandering gardener, from the prairies to the hills to the mountains, I will be using this blog to recount adventures in life and in gardening.  Stay tuned for the things that come from a wandering mind!!