CANADIAN REGION:What are you doing January to June 2021

Well, my apologies for neglecting Canada so far this year of 2021.  Thank you, Site Managers, for the birthday greetings, it is appreciated. This last year is beginning to make me feel five years older rather than one.

My garden has been snowbound like most Canadian gardens and today when I looked out my side window where I can see most of the snow, it is almost gone.

Unfortunately my house is on the wrong side of the road with a several hundred foot
Kame Terrace (a pile of loose rocks etc.) that  were swept down  the Columbia River Valley 6.000 years ago and are left piled up alongside. This Kame Terrace makes our small town a  long and skinny main road with very little width.  The first settlers of course took all the sunny spots when they first settled here and we latecomers had to take the shady parts.  There is very little land in our city and there is no way it will ever become a Big City.

All the houses on the opposite of the road have many more sunshine hours than we on the north side. That is why I try never to go away in the Spring and Summer when we get a decent amount of sunshine and it is a lovely spot to be.

As you know, I will be leaving Canada to return to England, I should have been there by now except for this Covid-19 etc. etc. Now it does seem to be stretching further in the future.

Back to my garden; I did spend an hour or two trying to tidy up but unable to access my compost heap as it was frozen.  Today I will be able to access it and transfer the contents of my worm bin to that pile. I only  hope that whoever takes over my house will have a soft sport for a garden etc. and does not flatten everything and make it one huge lawn.

My first task this year, is to mow the grass so that it really does make a difference; then sort out all the overgrown bushes etc.  then perhaps, depending on how things go, I will plant a couple of SFG beds even if I never make use of the produce.

cholyk from Toronto   
from Kelejan in British Columbia

May I suggest you keep your first page of entries as you personal thread so that you can look back on it through the years and compare how you do each year?


 It is something that I wished I had done myself.

All the best to you.

Thanks for your update KJ.  Still lots of snow in y backyard here in Ottawa.  However, some of my SFG beds are now snow free. With temperatures in the mid teens Celsius and then rain over the next week, mots of the snow should go away. Due to health reasons it is doubtful I will have much of a veggie garden this year.

TD: I guess it is just a question of keeping tidy.  Cover some of the the beds with mulch or something and do not worry about it. Something will come up that will be edible.

Take care, TD.  You are often in my thoughts.

Are you still in touch with your Ancestry family?  I can't wait to see mine again, but when, I have no idea.  I can see me still gardening here for months yet.

Yes, I am still in contact with my family in the UK. Would love to see them in person.

I managed a couple of hours in my garden yesterday chopping down the overgrowth of salmonberry canes that are taking over the back of the property. Hope to do some more today if it does not rain or perhaps snow.

I spent a couple of days taking the hay off of my 3 SFG beds. Underneath, the soil was frozen. I was letting them warm up for a few days so I could get more hay off. Now I have put clear plastic over top (to solarize) - the first test is this weekend with a rain storm, we'll see how well my plastic stays on... Well, I may change how I put it on, it is a very thin Dollar Store plastic, so I left it folded, but then it only went 1/2 way across... I might need to redo as the wind is really catching on the middle seam.

KJ, I had to look up salmonberry. Learn something every day.

Icanderb, 3-4 mil plastic found in the paint section is really the best to use. Clean, label and store for next spring when they are no longer needed.

A couple of days ago I got my first Covid vaccine shot, no problems there except the second one will be in four months time so that means for the next four months I will keep gardening here, making sure the garden looks well-tended and even planting seed for produce I may never get to use. 

At least this winter is now turning into spring and I will feel much happier getting outside in the fresh air and doing something I enjoy.  I always look forward to the first cutting of my lawn as it makes such a difference to the look of the place.

I am also enjoying the light at each end of the day.

Kelejan wrote:A couple of days ago I got my first Covid vaccine shot, no problems there except the second one will be in four months time so that means for the next four months I will keep gardening here, making sure the garden looks well-tended and even planting seed for produce I may never get to use. 

4 months for your 2nd shot,  What vaccine are  you getting.  Our Pfizer and Moderna first and second shots are only about 30 days apart.

yolos wrote:

Kelejan wrote:A couple of days ago I got my first Covid vaccine shot, no problems there except the second one will be in four months time so that means for the next four months I will keep gardening here, making sure the garden looks well-tended and even planting seed for produce I may never get to use. 

4 months for your 2nd shot,  What vaccine are  you getting.  Our Pfizer and Moderna first and second shots are only about 30 days apart.

The same as yours, yolos, the Pfizer etc.  The reason for the four month delay is the decision of the  Canadian Government.  I am bothered by that myself as Canada does not have any business that makes the vaccines. 

It is always short-sighted when a large country such as Canada do not make everything it self as it leaves itself and our population, vulnerable.

Ken and I were able to get Pfizer through the county vaccination site at the fairgrounds. And, the time period between shots was only 3 weeks.

All I can say, Sanderson is - "Sigh". All I can do is wait, and meanwhile get my garden looking as nice as I can make it.  At least I am lucky that I have a whole house and garden to myself so that I can get out in the fresh air without having to wear a mask.

I would hate to live in a tower block.  I will have time to plant things such as lettuce etc so that I can have fresh veggies. 

I spent a couple of hours yesterday doing manual work which I enjoy doing, it gives me exercise and some sunshine.

Hello all

I started a square foot garden in 2015 and joined here as well. My efforts have been spotty since that first year, but I have decided that this year I am going to make a go of it. 

I am 62 and semi-retired (I work three days a week at my old job, as the assistant to the Engineer I trained as my replacement).

I am in the process of cleaning up my beds and figuring out what I want to plant. The things that worked well in the past like tomatoes and peppers will go in exactly as before. The things I had mixed results on like beets and carrots I am going to keep working on (I am going to try smaller versions). The modifications I already made that work I am going to keep (I plant zucchinis in 2 gallon pots of Mel's Mix and use them as ornamentals as well as food). The things that failed miserably like onions I am planting in a conventional garden area (I planted Spanish onions and the shallow beds were not suitable). I will start a separate thread with my progress once I get the garden area cleaned up. 

I have four 4x4 beds, one 3x3 bed (for my Grandson) and four 1x4 beds (two for tomatoes against the north fence, two for peas and beans against the south fence) a tractor tire for pumpkins and assorted two gallon pots for bushy zucchinis and tomatillos. 

I will be buying seedings this year. In my re-organization of my workshop I have set aside a spot for starting a few seedlings of my own in the future.

I have found a surprising source of vermiculite: Marijuana shops. The local one sells it as a hydroponic growing medium. It's twice the price of U-Line, but it's two hours closer to me than Toronto and in a town I visit regularly for other things.

Thank you legalization. (No, I won't be growing my own weed. I have enough trouble with nettles, bindweed and Himalayan balsam) 

I have recently discovered that my 1-meter (40-inch) Beagle-proof fence is not Lab-proof (my year old chocolate lab dug under it. When I fixed that, he jumped over it like a deer. Okay, he launched from a badly placed wheel barrow.)

Its sunny and warm today, but we are supposed to get snow tonight (such is Spring on Ontario's West Coast).

Have a great day all.

Finally got my signature to work (we live in Tavistock, but Stratford is pretty close) - thanks to FRED58!

Just found that my latest frost date is May 1 - May 10 - way earlier than I thought or experienced, so planting plans have been adjusted!

Linda

Hi Linda. 

I asked a neighbor when it was safe to plant my tomatoes when I first moved here from Simcoe. I was expecting a date (I used to use the May 24 weekend) but he said, "When the lilac blooms start to fade and drop". I tried it. In twenty-five years here that has failed me exactly once (we had a frost in the first week of June one time like almost 20 years ago). I plant everything else based on that, so that date is when I start putting in seeds like carrots and beets, really hardy plants like marigolds. I usually put onion sets in around 01MAY. Peas and beans about a week before the tomatoes (say when the lilacs are in full bloom) and peppers and tender seedlings like pumpkins and melons a week after the tomatoes. The nice thing about lilacs is you don't even have to own one in Ontario: they are everywhere!

Glad your signature is working.

Thanks again! Well, yes, good thing that lilacs are so popular as they are not permitted on our property - hubby is too allergic! I'll have to keep my eyes open or ask friends that do have lilacs...lol...

Linda

Welcome back, Fred 58. Regards from Kelejan  
Look forward to reading your progress once more.

Added: we also have a local custom as to when to put out frost  plants: It was when we first moved to Canada and my brother-in-law said,  look at those  two rounded mountain tops and when the snow is no longer there, put out those plants that cannot stand a frost.

lvanderb wrote:Finally got my signature to work (we live in Tavistock, but Stratford is pretty close) - thanks to FRED58!

Just found that my latest frost date is May 1 - May 10 - way earlier than I thought or experienced, so planting plans have been adjusted!

Linda

Perhaps some clear plastic would work, Linda, while you keep and eye on the frost.
So disappointing when you miss the weather forecast and all your babies are there all wilted.

Yes, thanks Kelejan! I do plan to protect with frost cloth, as I do not trust this May 1 - 10 last frost as I'm sure I have experienced later frosts every year...

Linda

lvanderb wrote:Yes, thanks Kelejan! I do plan to protect with frost cloth, as I do not trust this May 1 - 10 last frost as I'm sure I have experienced later frosts every year...

Linda

Yes, Linda. I find that one has to be careful not to be taken in by the odd sunny spell early in the year. and if using coverings, make sure the beds are covered before you go to bed and then wake up in a frosty morning and find everything dead.  It only
happened the once when I was a newby.

This morning I was able to book Covid vaccine appointments for my wife and I.  Will be getting Pfizer or Moderna on April 8.  I have a colonoscopy scheduled for April 30. Still waiting for a date for my kidney tumor surgery which is now expected to be in May at the earliest.

I hope all goes well with you, TD.  I will mark it on my calendar TD and say an extra prayer for you.

Kelejan wrote:I hope all goes well with you, TD.  I will mark it on my calendar TD and say an extra prayer for you.

Thank you

The SFG is calling to me...