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.