Posts

3 Top Trends In Gardening Right Now

/0 Comments/in , , /by
People are talking about perennial vegetables, backyard fowl and compost as rich as a Middle East despot.

GROW YOUR OWN | Though it may feel a bit premature given the weather recently, March is when all good backyard farmers gear up for the growing season, deciding what they’ll sow, starting seeds and enriching the soil for the nourishing work they’re going to need it to do.

Producing at least some of your own food is the fashionable thing to do right now, though the gardeners we know who toil in earnest care more about the environment, the provenance of their food and the fresh taste of fruits and vegetables than they do about being trendy. Still, it’s nice to know that of all the gardening stories we featured on Frugalbits this past year, the three highlighted below are trending topics when the subject of urban farming rolls around.

3 Gardening Trends That Sizzle Read more
Live, Potted Christmas Tree - Clinton Hussey

Super Sources For Eco- Friendly Christmas Trees

/2 Comments/in , , , /by
A symbol of life after winter, the greenest tree is real, fresh, local and even organic.

Live, Potted Christmas Tree - Clinton HusseyLast year in an effort to simplify my life, I looked into buying an artificial Christmas tree, preferably one that came predecorated and opened and shut like an umbrella: I could pop it up before Christmas, then collapse and store it till next year. Then I discovered that the whole point of a Christmas tree is to bring evergreen trees or branches indoors as reminder that winter will eventually end and the world will turn green again.

Real Christmas trees are green in more than colour as they are a renewable crop and often grown on land unsuitable for growing much else. And like any crop, there are different shades of green.

3 Ways To Get A Real Green Christmas Tree Read more
Beautiful, Rich Compost

Nutrient-Rich Compost Is Free & Simple To Make

/4 Comments/in , , , , , , /by
Nutrient-rich compost is easy to make at home, plus it’s absolutely free.

Beautiful, Rich CompostIn the fall, I envy people who have red, gold and brown leaves carpeting their yards. Seeing them bagged at the curb makes me even more frustrated. With mainly conifers in my garden, I would love a convenient source of leaves to use as weed-suppressing mulch. Dried leaves are also wonderful for composting.

The best deal on earth, literally, may be compost. You throw in garbage and get back rich, black humus to use in the garden. And it’s not just for country folk and gardening fanatics anymore. A friend of mine just bought a compost bin for the roof deck of her downtown penthouse. Read more

Hey Urban Farmers, Here’s Something To Speed Your Plow

/0 Comments/in /by

THE TURN ON: With raising your own food the latest rage, community gardens are a growing craze. Vancouver’s first-ever community garden was started in Strathcona in 1985—and tomorrow Strathcona Community Garden will be open to the public along with Cottonwood Community Garden across the park.

WHAT’S THE DEAL: Free gardening workshops all day for adults and kids as well as a legendary plant sale with hundreds of annuals and perennials that the gardens are almost giving away they are so cheap.

WHY WE ARE EXCITED: Professionals and local experts will be running the FREE workshops including Keeping Backyard Chickens, Winter Gardening, Bee-Keeping, Mushroom Growing, Composting and more! Besides being interesting and informative, there will also be activities for kids that run at the same time so everyone wins on this fun and free family outing.

HOW LONG WILL THE PLEASURE LAST: One day only, tomorrow, Sunday July 11th between 10am and 2pm, but show-up early if you want to get your hands on hundreds of unique plants at bargain basement prices. The plant sale is one of this event’s main acts.

WHERE’S THE F SPOT: Both Strathcona and Cottonwood community gardens border Strathcona Park, on Prior between Raymur and Hawks Ave. For workshop schedules visit the gardens’ websites: cottonwoodcommunitygardens.ca and strathconagardens.ca

—Submitted by N. Irvine

Shell Busey’s Got Home Maintenance Solutions

/1 Comment/in , /by
Want to conserve water, obliterate ants and pesky weeds? Vancouver’s home improvement expert Shell Busey explores maintenance on the cheap side.

Shell BuseyShell Busey, host of the Home Discovery Radio Program broadcast on the Corus Radio Network throughout Western Canada, is one of Canada’s best known experts on home improvement. Shell also leads the HouseSmart Home Services Referral Network, a free service he created to help homeowners find qualified and reliable tradespeople, suppliers and products for their home improvement projects. For more information visit thehousesmart.com. Read more

Sunchokes in a colander

Try These Easy-Grow Perennial Vegetables

/1 Comment/in /by
It’s crazy not to cultivate tasty sunchokes—and these other easy-grow perennial vegetables.

Sunchokes in a colanderGROW YOUR OWN | Anyone who has tended a vegetable garden knows it can be hard work. That said, are there easy-grow edible crops that offer an exceptional return for a minimum amount of labour? That’s the question I put to my good friend and neighbour Mark Johnston, an amazing gardener dedicated to growing as much of his family’s food supply as he can on the large, attractive and highly productive organic farm-style plot he tends in the wilds of West Vancouver. Read more

Red Roses - iStock

Where To Buy Red Roses Right Now

/826 Comments/in , /by
When it’s buying long stem roses for your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day, it’s more like how deep are your pockets.

Red Roses - iStock

 

SHOPPING AROUND | A rose is a rose is a rose except the week before Valentine’s Day when it turns into 18 karat gold. At least that’s what it feels like as we watch long stem red ones everywhere jump in price. It’s not uncommon to find red roses that were $50 a dozen last week costing $75 this week. So are there bargains out there? We found a few. Read more