Gardening at home
We started a few years ago with two raised garden beds created from some lumber we purchased locally. Adding organic soil and manure from the Carleton Place legion every spring. To top up the boxes and freshen up the decomposed matter. Adding marigolds has enabled us to control weeds and works to repel bugs. Only a few are required. I like to plant the marigolds in the corners of each raised bed. They provide a nice bright colour of yellow and orange until the plants start to grow.
Raised Garden Beds
Each spring after signs of the last frost we look forward to planning the backyard garden. Raised Garden Beds designed with plant placement in mind for the sun or shade as needed. Sowing the organic seeds in 3 foot rows easy to manage for accessibility. Adding bamboo stakes to help the pole beans and pea climbers keeps the harvest exceptionally great.
Shop Local
I picked up the pottery garden signs locally at the Carp Farmers Market last spring Diane Sullivan of Arabesque Pottery featured them at her stall. They are beautifully made and weather very well. Adding a touch of artisan flair to the raised garden beds.
Within a few short weeks enjoying the first crop of fresh peppery tasting radishes and buttercrunch lettuce along with the nutty flavour of arugula. Radish seeds can be added every few weeks to keep them available for summer salads.
In fact my husband Bruce and I have added more raised garden beds, 4 in total that provide a delicious nutritious bounty of fresh vegetables and herbs…throughout the growing season. We enjoy a fresh bounty of beets, and beet greens, green and yellow beans, carrots, lettuce, radishes, basil, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and more..
There is nothing quite like the smell of garden soil after a watering, the smell of fresh picked veggies and eating a carrot from the garden grown from tiny seeds. Sautéed beet greens are really yummy any time of the year. Easily prepared: in a frypan sauté washed beet tops with a little melted coconut oil, sauté for a few minutes until wilted, add a squirt of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Fall harvests bring the root vegetables to our dinner table, carrots, parsnips, beets, beans, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. Usually a great time to make pesto with fresh basil leaves, garlic, olive oil and pine nuts. Filling ice cube trays makes it easy to add a cube to soups, stews or toss fresh pasta for a nice light side dish.
Some years mother nature is exceptionally kind and we’ve managed to have two crops of pole beans, enough to blanche and fill the freezer for the winter months when we crave fresh green beans to enjoy with dinner. The cherry tomatoes self seed each year as does the dill.
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f you want to learn more about organic food and seeds visit Canadian Organic Growers. Or better yet plan a trip to your local farmers market or plan a road trip the whole family will enjoy and take a tour of a local farm. Acorn Creek Garden Farm is right up the road from the Living Science Wellness Centre and they are open 7 days a week.