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.