CANADIAN REGION: What are you doing April, May, June, 2020

I have been so busy in my garden that the CANADIAN REGION has slipped off the LATEST TOPICS page.  I forget that newcomers have no idea how to find the topic thread and it takes even me a few minutes to re-locate it. So I will try to be more mindful so that it stays on the LATEST TOPICS page.

We had our first yard collection waste last week so I have been busy slaving away pruning all the wild shrubbery that always threatens to over run my garden from the hill behind my home.  Most of this  are salmonberry bushes that can grow several feet in a season, and if not cut back then it will grow several feet more on top of what was there before.  It also grows by runners as well as seed. In addition there also also ivy, English Ivy to be precise, and that also grows several feet a year and should be kept back. Meanwhile all the previous year's also grows thicker stems which adds to the hard work required.

Last year I got behind with my garden and spent five weeks in England so did not touch the growth for two years and am I paying for it. So before the growth starts and while I can see the bare stalks, I am concentrating on getting the garden back to what I want it it be. What is helping me is that like many of us I am in self-isolation and with only my cat and the Internet to keep me company, it is a wonderful incentive to work in the garden and pass the time. Trouble is that I cannot work as long as I used to so if I do too much one day, then the next day is less productive.

So my method is to do one hour of physical work, take a rest and do another half hour and leave it at that for the day.  It is working and I feel very good and do that again the next day.  Then it rains and anothesrday's growth.

After the long, long winter that we have here in Canada it is just wonderful to get out and feel the sun on my bare skin and soak up some D3.

trolleydriver wrote:Welcome Wendy.  Are you near Ottawa?  I get 4 cubic feet coarse vermiculite from Ritchie's Feed and Seed, several locations in and around Ottawa. The cost is about $30. Not sure if they are still open during the pandemic. They may take online orders for pickup.

Hi! I finally figured out that to reply I have to click quote!
Yes, thanks, I did find the vermiculite: we are halfway between Ottawa and Brockville so Richie's it is.

Snow today and my daffodils are lookong really sad: hope they perk up. I have prepared two 4x4 boxes with Mel's mix: starting small as we've made so many mistakes in past years!

Richie's - you don't have to click on "Quote" to reply to a message, unless you want to include the previous post in your reply.  Below the last posting is a button labeled "Post Reply" which you can click on to open the window to post a reply as well.

hellowe57 wrote:

Hi! I finally figured out that to reply I have to click quote!
Yes, thanks, I did find the vermiculite: we are halfway between Ottawa and Brockville so Richie's it is.

Snow today and my daffodils are looking really sad: hope they perk up. -------

Hi Wendy; in addition you can also edit the "Quote" so that you reply only to the relevant part as you can see with my reply to your quote.

For myself, I generally do not use the Quote when I am replying directly under the post.   If you go back to  your last post, you will see that I have deleted Trolley Driver's post  as it is not part of my reply. Hope this helps.

I hope your daffs perks up. 

The rain did not come as forecast today so I was able to plant my snap peas and also to get the lawnmower out to make sure it was working.  The grass is growing but not enough to warrant the effort of pushing the mower over it yet.

So tomorrow if the weather is still dry I want to run the mower over the bags of dry leaves collected last fall, then mix them with the compost that needs turning.

One thing about being self-isolated is that I must do something to pass the time and gardening is a wonderful way as it also keeps one fairly fit.

My cat is not a very good conversationalist.

Things are supposed to warm up, so I hope to fill up my raised beds and then PLANT!!! So excited... Our last frost date is May 24ish, but, I'm going to plant seeds a bit earlier this year, so we'll see. Experimenting is fun .

Linda

I love to see the excitement when people get to plant seeds etc.  Way to go Linda, try planting the seeds and if they get iced, plant some more.  Experiment and sometimes you will have great success.

Yesterday I planted a whole packet of snap peas in a 4x4 bed.;  this year I am planting in bulk as much as I can so that I can eat and then preserve as much as possible.

I still have a lot of garden to clear of the unwanted overgrown wild shrubs that I can only manage an hours works at a time then I turn to something a little easier, like sitting down and look at the view I have of mountains and trees and other greenery.
Which reminds me I need to make upright the two logs I have with a plank across if I want to sit down and enjoy the view.

Temperature is 5C at the moment and too cold for me to work outside, so must do my inside work until it warms enough for me to work outside comfortably.  e.g. sort out my seeds and decide what to plant next.

This self-isolation is doing wonders for my garden this year.

Yesterday I was able to get out and shred nine bags of fall leaves into five bags.  They made a lovely tilth and will either be added to my compost that has too many greens in it.

Before I had this current lawnmower that shreds, I had to spread the leaves on the ground and run them over and over then rake it up and bag it.  What I did yesterday would have taken me a couple of days, especially as the leaves were damp.

I am making great progress this year due to this lock-down so that is one little upside.

Yesterday I managed to get the wood chips etc that I had scraped off the top of my old garden into the 3 beds. Then I let hubby have the wheelbarrow so he could fix it.

This morning I went and picked up an inner tube from Canadian Tire (such fun).

Today we hope to dump the rotted kitchen scraps (why I'm moving to bokashi composting) that we stored in the garage and compost bin contents into the bins.

I also have 2 people coming to pick up comfrey plants this morning.

Linda

I think you'll find Bokashi composting very easy, and very helpful, Linda.  I used to do it only for winter composting, but after discovering how quickly the completed Bokashi decomposes in the soil or compost tumbler, I am doing it more year 'round.

Join the thread on Bokashi to post your progress with using it:  Bokashi Composting

lvanderb wrote:-----

This morning I went and picked up an inner tube from Canadian Tire (such fun).


Linda

What is the fun you are having with an inner tube?

lvanderb wrote:I also have 2 people coming to pick up Comfrey plants this morning.

Do you also sell or distribute them by root cuttings?  That is what I have been doing - just dig a plant and make a bunch of root cuttings, and let the ends of the pieces dry before distributing them. I don't bother starting plants from them since the new owner can easily plant the root and start a new plant.

Actually, it's more the ordering online of anything from Canadian tire. They updated their website again and I was unable to complete my order using the Chrome browser, I had to use Microsoft edge (ick).

Just sounds more fun than it was, lol.

For the comfrey I cut the pieces, pot them and grow them out for 2 weeks, it seems to work for my area. But now I'm running out of pots, lol.

Linda

Ldowmills

from Kelejan in British Columbia   

I am your Canadian Host so welcome to the Canadian thread.

Is Richie's a chain store or a single business? It would be nice to be able to refer new eastern Canadians to a place that carries it.

Richies Feed is a business with 5 locations in the Ottawa, Ontario area. That's what I found on their site at least.

lvanderb wrote:Richies Feed is a business with 5 locations in the Ottawa, Ontario area. That's what I found on their site at least.

Thanks for the information, helps others looking for Richies Feed and what they sell.

sanderson wrote:Is Richie's a chain store or a single business?  It would be nice to be able to refer new eastern Canadians to a place that carries it.

As far as I know they are just in the Ottawa area. I have always bought my vermiculite from them. I have three if their outlets within a twenty minute drive from where I live.

trolleydriver wrote:

sanderson wrote:Is Richie's a chain store or a single business?  It would be nice to be able to refer new eastern Canadians to a place that carries it.

As far as I know they are just in the Ottawa area. I have always bought my vermiculite from them. I have three if their outlets within a twenty minute drive from where I live.

TD, you are spoiled.  (Just jealous )

Well, I just found, after my raised beds are all full, a local source for vermiculite! Oh well, I'll see how things go and if I need some, I know where to get it.
Black Swallow Living Soil Brantford
They use and sell rice hulls to help with ventilation etc., but do have 4 cu. ft. of medium vermiculite for $37.50.

Linda

lvanderb wrote:Well, I just found, after my raised beds are all full, a local source for vermiculite! Oh well, I'll see how things go and if I need some, I know where to get it.
Black Swallow Living Soil Brantford
They use and sell rice hulls to help with ventilation etc., but do have 4 cu. ft. of medium vermiculite for $37.50.

Linda

I think I remember that coarse Vermiculite is preferred bu the medium is acceptable.
Good to know your beds are full, Linda.

Today I spent some happy time rebuilding my compost heap from the bags of shredded leaves, dried grass,  the partially composted heap that needed turning plus a quantity of frozen veggie waste that I had gathered during the winter when it was too cold outside to put it anywhere..  I also found a meat thermometer and for the first time I am going to monitor the temperature of the pile.

Now I will delve into the SEARCH and find out what I can about the correct temperatures for composting.

I have never had anything other than a plastic residential compost bin. Well, my parents had an open compost wire area that we got to turn. Hubby used to turn ours, but got tired of doing it, so I just empty it and there are always worms, if something is not composted, I just bury it.

I took a chance and planted some spinach, lettuce and peas - and then covered them (we have a couple of rabbits...they're not too bad, but baby plants are such a temptation and I was very impressed with how well the comfrey is doing covered)! I had already planted some potatoes and dead, erm, bare root strawberry plants.

Pretty exciting...also, hubby is building me a wood chip sifter - when I asked, I just wanted a frame, but he had seen a neighbour with a metal contraption for sifting, so I get a wooden contraption .

There will be pictures...

Someday...

Linda

All that sounds interesting, Linda.  With the worms still alive in your compost that means that they must be happy. With a pile like that you can always find something to sift and add to your garden.

Lucky you to have a husband who is going to do more than you asked of him about sifting the wood chips. Accept his offer and make a fuss of him and I am sure he will be your  willing slave.  I like sifting my wood chips as the larger pieces do take a long time to break down.  I sometimes use the sifted stuff in filling holes in my "lawn" that is a far cry from being manicured but at the moment has lots of violets in it, little patches of purple.

Are your rabbits in cages or do you let them out for a change of scenery? Don't forget that rabbit pellets can be place straight on the garden without hurting plants. That also applies to LLamas in case you ever thing of having one or two. :-)

Well, I think we actually accidentally built a rabbit habitat? I saw a rabbit habitat and though oh darn, that's what we have behind our raspberries (random pile of branches)! No wonder I saw a baby rabbit there...

So, nope, not raising rabbits.

My hubby loves making things from wood - a nice break for him from meetings upon meetings, which is basically his work situation right now, always talking about the same thing and not getting a thing done. I'm bad... I then ask, but does it do this? Can you add wheels? heh... I do appreciate him though!