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Vine Maple Trees - iStock

The Surprising Things Trees Can Do For Your Garden

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In honour of Earth Day, we look at a few of the magic tricks trees can perform in your garden.


Vine Maple Trees - iStock

 

MONEY WELL SPENT | In the landscape of memory, trees define the countryside. As the most prominent and long-lived of all vegetation (think giant sequoia), they are the one green symbol guaranteed to represent place. Mention Italy and Italian cypress come to mind. Images of southern France always include olive trees. The English landscape, that great affectation, is symbolized by large-scale deciduous varieties planted in “clumps” (by Capability Brown) that look from a distance like a single stylized tree. In the Pacific Northwest, iconic evergreens—Douglas fir, Western red cedar and hemlock—colour much of the landscape black-green, a situation that both pleases and perturbs me. Read more

Backyard chickens

Backyard Chickens Need A Moveable Coop

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If you’re planning to raise backyard chickens, it makes sense to have a moveable coop.

Backyard chickens

 

CREATIVE SOLUTION | The 100 Mile Diet is becoming the 100 Foot Diet as increasing numbers of urbanites turn to growing and raising food in their backyards. Many of them will discover, however, that there’s a reason for leaving food production to farmers—it’s a serious amount of work. Read more

3 Top Trends In Gardening Right Now

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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

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

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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

Sunchokes in a colander

Try These Easy-Grow Perennial Vegetables

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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