The End of the Season

Gardening season seems to come and go so quickly in Inuvik, although yes, I know we live above the Arctic Circle and should expect a short season but as they say 'time flies when you are having fun'. So in early- mid April I was planting seeds and now in early- mid September my garden is almost completely cleaned out and harvested. It has been a great gardening season as usual with a good bounty of healthy food and nutrients and of course the always present variable that some things worked and some things didn't work so well. The joy of gardening!

The last harvest included chives (which I will leave in the garden cut off and hope they grow back in early season next year), lots of beets were still in the ground until the very end and I got a good harvest of herbs to be dried. Amazingly enough there was still some good lettuce at the end of season, a second or even third planting of the season. And lots of green tomatoes that will ripen on the kitchen counter.

In my estimate I will have garden veggies in my fridge for another 7-10 days and then the season will officially be over. Thank you for listening (reading)!

S.

An Absent Gardener

I have been an absent gardener for the month of August as I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Olympics in Rio. If you ever a chance to go to the Olympic games DO IT, it is the most amazing experience being able to cheer on Team Canada. When I returned from Rio (after 3+ weeks of travel) I was pleasantly surprised at the state of my garden. I have never left my garden unattended for such a long period of time and to the extent that I have even been critical of people who abandon their gardens in the summer. So what did I do with my garden?!?!

Before I left for Rio I did a good purge of my garden. I pulled out most of my leaf greens (lettuce) and seed herbs (dill, cilantro, etc) and I cut back all my hearty plants (tomatoes, kale, squash). And my hard work seemed to pay off!

Once I pulled my lettuce, etc. I planted and all new seeds and even despite poor weather I had a whole new crop of great looking lettuce upon my return. Beets and kale didn't take over the garden as they even seemed to enjoy the time to grow without interruption! :) The tomatoes and squash were over grown but nothing a good snipping couldn't fix. And I returned in early September so it meant it was time for picking green tomatoes to ripen at home anyways.

 

My advice for others is that you can leave your garden unattended without totally abandoning it but put in a bit of time preparing for your departure before you actual leave. Like I said, do a purge, trim back plants and make sure there is someone watering your garden somewhat regularly!

My hard work paid off even more when I enjoyed a good home cooked meal after being away from home for so long. Surprisingly, Brazil does not have great food and very little fresh veggies in their cooking (think bread, cheese and lots of meat and potatoes). So it was such a treat to be able to eat the fresh produce from my Inuvik garden.

Happy travels everyone.

S.

Lots of FUN!

My last post was a little negative and despite me being a bit confused by my garden this year, I need to redeem myself and say that I once again love my garden and I need to be more appreciative of what it provides to me. Here are four great things to celebrate with my garden right now:

1. Inuvik was lucky enough to welcome the Minister Carolyn Bennett to our community. She is the federal Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and came north to discuss the Nutrition North program and food security in Canada's North. She also took some of her time to tour the Inuvik Community Greenhouse. So great!

 

2. I had a great harvest from the garden this week and got to share it with some of my friends for an amazing supper. I picked my 1 head of broccoli which I now wish I planted more of and picked all my little summer squash and a few interesting beets. Love it all!

 

3. In my yard my lilacs have bloomed. I planted these shrubs about 7 years ago and this is the most blossoms I have gotten in one summer. In the North I first saw lilac bushes in Fort Simpson and decided if they could grow there, they could grow in Inuvik. Unfortunately the blossoms only lasted a couple days but they were beautiful!

 

4. Finally, it is pesto making season as the green and garden harvest is so plentiful right now. I find this to be the perfect pesto recipe:

Garden Pesto

2 cloves of garlic
2 cups greens- don't be picky, this can be kale, bsil, mint, carrot leaves, etc.
1/2 cup oil- don't be picky, use any type of oil
1/4 cup nuts- don't be picky, any nuts work including pine nuts (expensive), almonds, walnuts, etc.
Mix together, then add:

1/2 cup cheese
Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Blend together in the nutribullet or blender.

Happy gardening.

S.

My Garden is 'Weird'!

I have decided that my garden is weird this year. I am not sure if it is the new roof at the Inuvik Greenhouse or the hot weather or a combination of both or something totally different but my garden is officially 'weird'. I cannot figure out why it is so different this year than past years?!?! So what makes it 'weird'.

 

There are many plants that seem to have stopped growing and are dwarf in size. This would be my peas, cilantro and dill. All these varieties have grown about 3-5 inches but have produced as they should (peas have grown, dill has sprouted, etc). But they have grown to this short size and have quit growing.

Then I have other plants this year that are HUGE! My kale leaves are as big as a dinner plate and by early July I already one full head of broccoli. My bok choi which usually bolts and goes to seed has continued to grow and is about 4 times as 'full' as usual.

 

By the beginning of July, types of lettuce, chard, and beets that usually survive until mid-season have already bolted and gone to seed.

I am going to spend time this week replanting most of my rows and tried to get a full second crop out of the garden. Don't get me wrong as there is still a lot growing in the garden and a lot being harvested but the garden is just not as lush as in previous years.

Happy gardening.

S.

Summer Solstice North of the Arctic Circle

Yesterday (June 21) was the summer solstice and in the NWT it is a statutory holiday and a way for everyone to celebrate National Aboriginal Day. I spent my entire morning in the garden! I have been away for the past week as I managed to run the half marathon in Dawson City, Yukon. With all the running training and then the time away my garden has actually not received much attention lately so June 21 was the perfect day for me to put some TLC into the garden.

A friend and I were chatting at the greenhouse and we both agreed that the gardens are growing much differently this year with the new roof at the Inuvik Greenhouse. Our theory is that the plants started much earlier and quicker but that they are not growing as 'full' as previous years. I will continue monitoring to see how this goes as the season progresses and also how it affects the year end crops.

 

I found a 'helper' in my little 2-year friend M. and we worked the garden for 2 hours together. He was in charge of the mini wheelbarrow, a mini water can and playing in the water barrel! I was in charge of actually working the garden!

• My spinach barely grew at all and has already bolted so I pulled of it and planted new seeds.
• A lot of the Asian greens in a salad seed mix had also bolted so I harvested and picked out that.
• Beets and carrots needed thinning a bit already and I will eat what was thinned in pesto or salads.
• A couple rows needed replanting of new seeds as my green onions (seed tape) never did grow and I realized there was a row I don't think I ever put seeds into!

Other than those tasks, everything else just needed a bit of harvesting (salad greens, bok choi, kale, chard, herbs, onions, etc). M. went home with a bag of greens for his mom and dad and I went home with a huge bag of greens also. Some I will use for salads and some I will use for soup.

 

Pretend Wonton Soup

Extra lean ground beef/pork/chicken/turkey
Lipton chicken soup mix
Carrots
White onion
Garlic
Lots of greens from the garden (chard, bok choi, kale)

Brown the onions, garlic and ground beef in a large pot, drain any fat. Cut carrots into thin sticks and sauté slightly with ground beef mixture. Add water and soup mix to the ground beef/onion/garlic/carrot mixture. Simmer and cook together. Add greens to blanche together. This easy summer soup really does taste like wonton soup!

Happy gardening!

S.

Harvest Time Already

The garden is growing fast right now, really, really fast. I forget that you can pretty much see the change in the plants each day you visit the garden. The trouble right now is that I keep forgetting that I need to be eating out of the garden! I would almost say that the Inuvik growing season moves so fast that you forget that even though it is very early in June, it is indeed time to start eating garden greens. I am still thinking of big, heavy winter meals, not fresh green salads that would be nourishing and fulfilling at this time of year.

 

What I usually do once the greens start growing is to keep a salad spinner right in the fridge. I can give mixed garden greens a quick rinse, spin them dry and keep them in the fridge for easy access and consumption. I mix all my greens, onions and herbs together and just use that as a base for any type of salad. I also eat everything that that I thin; meaning any of the small/micro greens of radishes, beats, basil, etc all get thrown into the salad spinner and eventually eaten.

What always amazing me is how long the fresh garden veggies last. When you buy a bag of spinach at the Inuvik grocery store you are lucky if it lasts a week but with the fresh garden greens they tend to last almost a month in the fridge. It goes to show you how long of a transportation route we have between California vegetable growing operations and the shelves of the Inuvik grocery store.

 

My tips for the week is to remember to start eating out of your garden! And to keep up with harvesting and consumption as the greens and veggies only get more and more plentiful as the season continues.

S.

Live and Learn

I have been reading and reflecting a lot on my yoga practice recently and am in a really positive space but when planning this Blog post I realize it is going to have a somewhat negative feel to it! Mostly the post is intended as constructive criticism and as we always hear 'live and learn'. The positives first, the Inuvik Greenhouse and people's yards and garden planning right now is all amazing. The community as a whole is greening up this week, I can tell by my allergies that leaves and plants are bursting out right now. I have also picked my first harvests of the garden season (micro greens, basil and chives). However, as I look around there are a few 'mistakes' people are making with their gardening.

 

Here are a few things to avoid in your own future gardening and so we don't make the same 'mistakes' twice:

• People are putting their plants outside in May. Please don't do this, plants should wait until early June to go outside. We can always expect a bit of snow in early June and yes, I saw snowflakes this morning for June 1.
• Rhubarb- I am seeing rhubarb planted in a row, like carrots or lettuce and I have seen rhubarb planted in a very shallow garden box. Rhubarb should be planted one of two ways; plant in a corner of your garden plot in the greenhouse where it can stay contained and overflow a bit or plant outside directly in the ground or in a very large pot/barrel. For sure you only require 1 plant. I had 2 plant at one time and gave one away.
• Beans/Peas- Do not plant these in the middle of your plot/garden! Beans and peas need to grow upwards and must be planted against a trellis or wall.
• Cucumbers/Squash- These do not need to be planted in a row like carrots or lettuce seeds. You only need 1-3 plants and in small space gardening can be grown in a tomatoe cage to save space.
• Basil- I use a lot of basil as I make/jar/freeze pesto for the entire year. I would say 2 -3 plants of basil will be more than enough for a household, even with making a bit of pesto during the summer months. PS- The greenhouse has amazing basil plants on sale (tri-colour/blend).
• Potatoes grow great outside and I would recommend building boxes or using old tires instead of using up greenhouse plot space for these. I tested potatoes outside last summer and it worked great and I will be doing this again.
  
  

Again please take this with a grain of salt as I strongly believe that in Inuvik anything and everything can grow successfully!

S.

Eat Your Veggies

Tomorrow I am going to start picking out of my garden! Yes, that's right; I live above the Arctic Circle and it is the end of May and I am already eating out my garden. I think this is about 1 week earlier than past years and I think is the result of the new roof at the Inuvik Greenhouse. Things are growing fast this year!

So how I am already eating veggies out of the garden?! Simple answer: I eat what I thin.

 

I don't plant the minimum amount of seeds in a row nor do I follow the planting instructions on the seed packages. This means I sow A LOT of seeds and I eat everything that I thin. I have tons of lettuce seeds sprouted and I will slow pick these as micro-greens for salad, although eventually mid-season this will be become full sized lettuce leaves. I do the same with basil and with green onions. Just keep thinning and eating! This combination makes for the best early season salads and gets fresh greens on my plate even before the ferry goes in on the Mackenzie River (decreasing the cost slightly of vegetables or bringing it back to regular prices).

 

 

I will continue sharing Inuvik garden recipes but this recipe I just discovered and it is tested and true! I have a ton of garden greens still frozen in my freezer from last garden season and this recipe is great to use these up with. This is combination of beet greens, chard, kale, spinach and for me is the organic and healthier version of store bought frozen spinach. Perfect for an appetizer at a staff party or other function:

Garden Version 'Spinach' Dip

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
Handful of chopped green onions
Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix
LOTS (maybe 3 cups or more) of frozen garden greens- chopped (kale, chard, beet greens, spinach)
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper

Crush dry vegetable soup mix. Combine all ingredients together. Add frozen greens last. Store in a container overnight. Serve with bread, tortilla chips, crackers, vegetables sticks.

Enjoy!

S.

It is Herb Day!

Today the herb starter plants went on sale at the Inuvik Greenhouse- commercial operations. This is where Inuvik community members buy all their bedding and starter plants for the season. With the new roof at the greenhouse, temperatures are hotter than normal and the little herb plants need to get out of the starter pots and into gardens! So what did I buy and what do I with the herb starters?!

 

Oregano, Thyme, Parsley and Sage- These herbs I plant together in a couple of pots. They grow about as fast as I harvest them. Some cuttings I use right away and some I dry, throw in a Ziploc and then freeze to use during the winter time. I tried at one time to keep them all dried and separated but that was too much work. They all go in the same Ziploc in the freezer and can be used for soups, pasta sauces, etc.

Rosemary- I plant this in its own pot as I think it needs room to really grow into a mini tree. I think if you crowd it in with other herbs you just end up getting the one main branch of a plant.

Chives- My gardener friend S. has nice chives growing already in her plot, which lasted over the winter and are thriving early season already. I want these too! And so I bought a chive starter and it will go in its own pot to stay together and not spread too much.

Mint- I consider this the crazy/wild plant of the garden. It needs its own pot or its runners will over take everything!

Fennel seeds I started on my own this year and plant on transplanting soon. I want them to grow into the large bulbs, not just harvesting the leaves. Although the greenhouse had really nice looking basil, I don't basil starters as I plant a whole row of basil as I eat so much of it!!!! Same goes for dill as I like a whole row of this also.

Food production and consumption is sooo much better in the summer months thanks to a garden full of herbs.

S.

  

Summer Came and then Winter Returned to Inuvik

We had a great week and a half of summer weather in Inuvik and then winter has returned for the last few days. I have to remember that this is what seems to happen each year in Inuvik, it starts to feel like summer and then there are always a few extra days of winter weather still to come. I have been monitoring the greenhouse temperature and even on these colder spring days (with snow flying outside) the greenhouse does not appear to be dipping below zero nor into the freezing temperatures.

 

Despite the cooler temperatures, I now have all my seeds planted (carrots, onions, lettuce, cilantro, dill, beets, chard, spinach) and have moved my seedlings to the greenhouse but have not planted them into the soil yet. The seedlings are still just sitting in their trays with plastic coverings. These plants are; kale, fennel, squash and tomatoes. I was going to wait another to bring in my starters/seedlings from home but everyone else was bringing them to the greenhouse and I wanted them out of my house too! I double checked with my gardening friend and we both agreed that these should not be transplanted quite yet and to wait for the warmer weather to return.

This week is the greenhouse herb sale and those starter plants will go right into the ground as soon as I buy them; thyme, sage, rosemary and mint.

 

The only issue so far is that all my seeds have started sprouting except for my carrot seeds. I think I remember this happening last year too and it meant that I had to sow a second crop of seeds on top of the original ones that didn't sprout. I am not sure if this is the seeds (I think I used new seeds this year) or if I need to wait a bit before I plant my carrot seeds more if those darn carrot seeds just need a bit more time and patience.

The soil should prove successful to growing as I added; ashes from the wood stove, bone meal, vermiculite, and a few other odds and ends. No compost was available at the greenhouse this year so that will need to wait until mid-late season.

Bundle up everyone for a couple more days.

S.

Note: The photos are from years previous and might not match exact time of season.

Fun, fun, fun!

The first week of gardening in Inuvik has been a success both at home and at the Inuvik Greenhouse. The goal of this Blog is to officially chart and track my gardening activities in Inuvik and what I have learned over the past years and to see if what I 'think' is actually tried and true. This past week of gardening has proven many things to me.

 

1. Fact: We plant at the greenhouse around the weekend BEFORE the May long weekend. We had a mild winter and little snow this year and so planting took place about 5 days early but this proves this to theory true. So in future years gardeners should be able to gave the timing of seedlings based on this timeframe.

2. Fact: For the first 2 weeks at the season only plant seeds, wait on planting seedlings. Again, this is true as you can always expect a few more cold days in the season (this is the forecast for this weekend). Seeds will be fine in the cold-ish weather but your seedlings will be in shock. Keep them inside and safe and warm for a bit longer, don't rush them out of the house. I started opening a window near the seedlings so they can start to feel the cooler weather of the morning air.

3. Fact: Perennials do work outside in Inuvik. be persistent with this and find the right variety but I now have a solid base of perennials in my yard at home (outside). I have 4 lilac bushes that do well over the winter without mulch or burlap coverings and I have poppies that are already growing from previous year's. After about 5 years of yard work and planting I think I am at a point where I will not require annuals in many of my Inuvik flower beds. Saves time and money.

So for the greenhouse, I have dug up my plot. I have added bone meal, vermiculite, turkey fertilizer and another random fertilizer mix. And I have planted some seeds:

• Cilantro- planted now as it will not last long
• Radishes- which I am testing as year's ago I did not have success with this
• Beets- which I like some to grow quite big (longer time needed)
• Carrots- regular and a new round variety
• Lettuce
• Basil
• Peas- I always plant a dwarf variety thinking that will produce faster but I never get a good crop with a dwarf- early season variety. See what happens this year as I tried a mid-season dwarf variety.

In the yard, I have only started with picking up garbage, checking out the condition of the flower beds and raking the lawn. I want to get some seeds thrown down and some shrub 'food' added in case we get a bit of snow/rain this weekend to give it all some moisture.

A great start and fun as usual.

S.

May 6!!- Its Garden Season in Inuvik

Gardening season in Inuvik officially starts today with the opening of the Inuvik Greenhouse to its membership. This facility is both the community garden and the commercial greenhouse, although plant sales in the commercial greenhouse will begin at a much later date then the opening of the community plots. The Inuvik Greenhouse is definitely the hub of gardening in Inuvik but there are a lot of other garden opportunities in our community also.

 

Despite being north of the Arctic Circle there is a lot of gardening that takes place in Inuvik. we might have a very short growing season but with 24 hour sunlight for most of the summer season there is still a lot of growing that can take place.

• The Inuvik Community Greenhouse is 125 member gardens and 15 community gardens and is situated in an old, converted hockey arena. The season runs from May until September. This is the primary local for vegetable growing/production in Inuvik and is a huge part of summer time activities in the community.
• The number of raised garden beds in people's yards is increasing in Inuvik. With ideas stemming from Facebook, Pinterest and social media, homeowners are experimenting more and more with growing vegetables in their own yards. Plastic covers and cold frame ideas can greatly extend the growing season for home gardens in Inuvik. To date I have only tried growing potatoes at home but with only 1 season of trying this I have produced a great crop of potatoes. I will be expanding my potatoe boxes this year and will Blog on this soon.
• Flower beds and flower pots have always been popular in Inuvik and people take much pride in purchasing their bedding plants and creating beautiful flower gardens at home. For some this may be full sized garden beds in their yards and for others this may be a few flower pots on an apartment balcony. In my opinion this is ALL gardening.
• Small scale vegetable production at home is increasing in popularity also. This could be pots of herbs in the kitchen, tomotoe plants in pots on the balcony or lettuce in a small garden box. People are experimenting more and more with this growing.
• You still hear of people having gardens at the camps along the Mackenzie River system. These could be very old gardens full of potatoes, carrots and lettuce or might be new gardens people have made to ensure fresh produce during their time spent at camp. There is definitely a history of these garden throughout the region.

So many options for food production and growing vegetables to increase the variety, accessibility and quality of food in Inuvik. For now, my focus is on my garden plots at the Inuvik Greenhouse but once those are set up I will turn my attention to my own yard and growing opportunities.

S.

Everything You Need to Know About DIRT

Its that time of year when your gardening brain should be focused on your soil. This is a fact; the amount of effort you put into preparing your soil correlates to how good your produce and crop will be! Of course, this is only my opinion. :) These are tips and tricks I have learned for raised garden beds and greenhouse plots in Inuvik.

 

At the start of the garden season your beds/plot will be rock hard. I assume that ALL of the nutrients have been sucked out of the soil and it is depleted of everything. I don't think soil testing works in such a small space but scientists say it does. I say don't waste your time on soil testing, your soil needs a bit of all nutrients added to it.

 

1. First task, dig up your plot. This means digging right to the bottom and tossing and turning it all. Don't remove too much of the rocks as you need this too (Please don't sift your soil!!! Worst idea EVER!). At the greenhouse there will be a layer of styrofoam at the bottom of the plot to prevent your from digging to China. The digging/turning should take at you at least half- 2/3 of a day. if people are done quicker it means they haven't dug out the whole plot. Take your time.

2. As you dig your plot be repairing or stapling any of the plastic liners in your raised beds or plot. Make sure the liner is stuck right to the walls of your plot and is not floating within your garden.

3. Start adding nutrients. I add anything organic I can find but I always include bone meal, chicken fertilizer and manure. Other things might be plant food, lime or other things from the hardware store. Adding organic compost material is also a must, at the greenhouse we can thank the compost volunteers for this nutrient rich mix. Mix everything together with your soil. I have been told that you should have a lot of nutrients and compost materials added specifically to the top 2-3 inches of your soil.

4.  Rake out your soil evenly and you can add some liquid fertilizer to the top (to soak into the soil). There is no need to add water until you are ready to actually plant.

 

I always mean to save some other things for garden nutrients, such as; egg shells for calcium and woodstove ashes for neutralizing the soil. I might try to remember to do this this year.

If you ask a scientist they will explain the combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that each type of plant needs for the perfect growing condition but I believe (if you are a home gardener like me), just add as much as you can of whatever you can find. Gardeners also talk a lot about pH levels and need to keep things at about a 6.5-7 pH but I have never tested this. The key though is to avoid adding nothing!

Last tip, you can start covering your plot with plastic sheets to begin creating more heat in the garden. This will begin the final prep for seeds and starter plants!

Happy digging!

S.

Its Time to Get Dirty!

We found out yesterday that members get access to the Inuvik Greenhouse in 5 days! Yes, this means I will have my hands in the dirt and will be prepping my soil for the season. As the weekend will be a big rush of new and excited gardeners (newbies and veterans), in all the excitement remember a few key tips:

1. Don't start planting this weekend! Put a lot of time into your soil. The more time and effort you put into your soil, the better your crop will be for the season. At least the first week should be spent on soil prep. I will blog all my soil tips and information later this week!
2. Don't use water during this first week. We learned on Sunday that utilities are about $8500.00/year at the greenhouse so don't waste water now. Any water or energy you spend watering is a waste as the water will be evaporating about as fast as you can add it to your garden.
3. Do start checking out the Seed Sharing Table as you can usually find some good free-be seeds here.
4. Do meet your neighbours and be friendly! Introduce yourself to the greenhouse staff and look for ideas to volunteer.
5. Don't start bringing in your plants from home quite yet. We woke up to snow this morning and the evenings/nights are still getting chilly.

 

My seeds I planted at home are really growing nicely. In one of my plots I am planning a plot of squash, cucumber, tomatoes, etc that will not be harvested until the end of August so I am glad to see these seeds have sprouted quite well. My tips for transplanting these seedlings into the garden is to wait until there are at least 2 sets of 'good' leaves on each plant. The first set of leaves doesn't count as these are like tester leaves or baby leaves! I am thinking with a couple weeks before transplanting my seeds seem right on 'schedule' this year. This means my rule of thumb for starting seeds just after Easter seems to work!!!

If your seedlings are much bigger than this then you are going to have trees by the time it is transplanting time (but its ok)!!! I started fennel by seed this year but am trying to figure out if it should be started early or planted straight into the garden. My plan is to get the big bulbs of fennel not just the leaves so this will be a good experiment. My roommate started corn seeds which is always fun. In a small garden plot you might get 2-6 ears of corn but it is more fun to see how tall the stalks will grow. At the greenhouse, I will estimate you will corn stalks about 6-10 feet tall!

Enjoy!

S.

Learning New Tips and Tricks for the Garden

I was spring cleaning and going through some household paperwork at home the other evening and came across my notes from a gardening workshop/lecture I attended this winter. Despite the workshop focusing on 'northern' gardening there was a lot of information that didn't pertain to the unique-ness of gardening in the Beaufort Delta region and Inuvik. But the workshop did reinforce the idea that all of us should try to soak in as much gardening information as we can and to take advantage of workshops, lectures, books, tv shows, blogs and social media posts to continue expanding our knowledge of gardening.

 

The lesson in this is that it does take some learning and effort to be a successful gardener!

According to my notes from the winter lecture, here a few experiments or ideas I might try to incorporate into my gardening this upcoming season;

• Create some shade on your northern garden or install a 'shade cloth' over parts of your garden to limit the 24 hour sunlight and prevent plants from bolting and going to seed.
• Try to increase/create heat in my outdoor planters/garden boxes; create a wind break, plant rows North to South and remember that clear plastic creates more heat than black plastic.
• Add wood ash to garden for nitrogen, this is the same as adding lime and much cheaper, especially in the North.
• Anything metallic or reflective will help keep aphids away. Use some shredded foil/mylar in your mulch.

These tips and tricks sometimes eem so easy but it might make a big difference in gardens in Inuvik and at the greenhouse.

In other news, the new roof is now completed at the Inuvik Greenhouse. This will make a huge difference to the growing season; fixing holes where there was heat loss and allowing more rays to enter through the plexi-glass ceiling. A lot of volunteer work over the last few years were put in to get this new roof. Thank you everyone!

 

Remember... keep learning and expanding your gardening skills, it will take more than a new roof to get your garden in tip-top shape!

 

S.

Inuvik Garden Growing Timelines

Everyone is Inuvik is anxious for spring right now. It is so close that it feels like we can touch it but reality is that our muddy/melting season is still here for a while. But I have pulled out my rubber boots and as usual am enjoying all the weather and activities that Inuvik offers us. My favourite parts of this season are the sunlight (that already seems endless) and also love that zero degrees and sun feels SO warm to everyone right now.

 

As I think about seasons and weather here are some timelines that I generally work with during the garden growing season in Inuvik:

• Early May- Start working in the yard (picking up garbage, raking old grass, taking junk to the dump, cleaning out flower beds)
• Mid- May- Start working in the greenhouse (digging up garden plot and preparing soil)
• May Long Weekend- This is usually planting weekend at the greenhouse.
• First Week of June- Usually the bedding plant sale and time to plant flowers outside. You can usually expect another little cold spurt so have plastic ready to cover your plants if need be.
• End of June- Many plants such as radishes and spinach will be going to seed and it might be time start a new crop of seeds. Many plants think our long days of sunlight is the end of the end of the season and they bolt and go to seed.
• Beginning of September- Time to harvest potatoes and other crops at home.
• End of September- Inuvik Greenhouse closes and crops must all be harvested.

 

Always lots of tasks to do and lots to keep you busy in the garden and with food production. I think the key is not to abandon your 'duties' as a gardener. Once your produce gets out of control or your lawn becomes a jungle then tasks seem too daunting. A few years ago gardening seemed like a chore to me, or another task on my list of things-to-do but now I try to enjoy the process and treat this as a hobby. Enjoy it all!

S.

What to Expect with Your New Greenhouse Plot

A couple new people to Inuvik have recently asked me what they should expect when the get their new greenhouse plot in May. Meaning what will be in it and what will it look like. This is similar to inheriting any older/used garden plot (raised bed garden). In the case of the Inuvik Greenhouse, in May all the plots will be in a similar state, whether they were well taken care of or somewhat abandoned in the previous year. All of us will be working with the same base line garden when we get into the greenhouse. This is a fun time of year.

 

First off, the soil will be hard and depleted of all nutrients. After a growing season in a raised bed garden all of the nutrients will be taken out of the soil. This means that there are no nutrients left to grow another healthy crop. All the beds will require a big helping of 'additives'. This could be organic compost material, manure, chicken pellets, bone meal, egg shells, organic fertilizer, fish liquid, etc. The list goes on and on. As you start digging you will start adding as much new materials as you can find or want to invest in. The more you add to your soil at the start of the season the better crop you will reap later in the season!

The soil will also be hard packed from the previous year. This means you will need to turn over the garden and yes, this means blood, sweat and tears! The more you dig, the better your yield will be also!

 

In the Inuvik Greenhouse you will also inherit all the garden decorations and hangers, etc that are in your plot. This might be plastic covers, tomotoe cages, garden gnomes, trellises, pots, stakes, etc. Keep it all neat and tidy in your plot or at the end of your plot as you never know what you might want, need or recycle for your own use. What you don't want to do it to invest in a bunch of brand new lumber and start building from scratch. Again, see what you need and want and stay low maintenance. This is the same with a new garden at home or in any neighbourhood. See what you can recycle, and just build what you need as the season goes along. Tomatoes will grow with a simple cage and good soil, they don't need any fancy hanging systems to succeed!

 

In all of these cases, start simple and just go with the growth of your garden. Don't overly plan ahead of the season. Start will working your soil and adding what you can, including lots of TLC. As plants grow, continue monitoring to see if the plants needs stakes, cases, tied back and then just for from there.

Another note, on your first visits to the greenhouse or your new garden, wear your rubber boots. For many, many reasons, you will thank me for this tip at some point!

S.

Patience Little Grasshopper

This is the time of year when the best virtue we can have as gardeners is PATIENCE! Even I get anxious and overly involved to get the many gardening tasks completed but it will all happen in due time. Realistically we will not get early lettuce micro greens until the first week of June at the earliest so we still have about 2 months of being patient and slowly getting through our gardening tasks. They talk about a slow food movement but maybe we are also having a slow gardening movement?!?!

This week I started my garden seeds (fennel, kale, tomatoes, squash and peppers) and I paid my Inuvik Community Greenhouse member and plot fees and got my registration forms submitted that is enough gardening tasks for this week.

 

My roommate is a newbie gardener both to the greenhouse and to gardening!! Yahoo! My best tips for newbies is just to be patient and go with the flow. You will not do anything horribly wrong with gardening and you will NOT have an empty plot/garden come June. Just ask your garden neighbours lots of questions and watch what other tasks people are doing in the greenhouse. Don't even worry about buying too much materials and supplies ahead of time as first see what appears at the greenhouse (free compost, some free seeds, etc).

That being said also take ownership of your garden, meaning don't rely on veterans for all your gardening needs; read the internet, experiment with own seeds and own planting and see what happens. You might have more success with your own approach then the veterans. But at the end of the day make sure to take advantage of the community part of the gardening experience.

As my roommate and I were planting seeds last night I thought of a few other tidbits for garden planning. You garden (Inuvik greenhouse plot/small space garden) should have a mix of experiments, tried and true, space savers and space wasters. Here are some examples:

Experiments- purple peppers, fennel, corn, sunflowers (just pick 1-2 of these)

Tried and True- carrots, green onions, basil, beets (easy to have 4-5 rows of this)

Space Savers- kale, cucumbers and tomatoes that are caged and grow upwards, peas and beans against a trellis at the end of your plot

Space Wasters- cabbage, broccoli, squash

There is definitely gardening excitement in the air right now, even North of the Arctic Circle. Don't get too caught up in the planning panic of this but rather take a deep breath and enjoy each task as it comes along.

S.