SQUARE FOOT GARDENING

The phrase, Square Foot Gardening keeps popping up wherever people are discussing growing food in very limited areas. Small space gardening is what this column focuses on so I keyed in to Google and up came a puzzling array of sites. I wanted to read what Mel Bartholomew, the originator of this concept, had to say about the subject and I located his site at http://www.squarefootgardening.com/. Mel, who lives in the eastern U.S., was a traditional gardener until he became fed up with having to manage such a huge spread with its accompanying weeds. He invented the concept of planting in a raised bed measuring 4ft. by 4ft. and discovered that using a formula for planting, he could produce a season’s supply of fresh veggies for his family of four by gardening in four raised beds. He has a video on his web site showing the step by step process. I’m excited by this idea as he developed the plan 25 years ago and it has been tested thoroughly by a generation of gardeners. For those of you with large pots and balconies you can still adapt his ideas to your limited spaces. If you are planning Cut & Come Again plantings, it is possible to replant the pots at the end of the summer growing season and have herbs and fresh greens throughout the winter, as well as a few root vegetables.

West Coast Seeds Catalogue 2009 is an excellent reference booklet and provides a chart and simple directions for when to begin your seedlings, when to transplant them outdoors, when to harvest and when to plant for winter eating. The booklet is free and the only garden shop I know of presently that has the catalogue is C.R. Garden Centre. As well a book that is strongly recommended is Year Round Harvest- Winter Gardening on the Coast, by Linda Gilkeson.
To locate my past 2009 columns in Google please go to www.islandfocus.blogspot.com

CLIPPING FRESH HERBS

You Can Capture that “Mother Earth” feeling just by growing a tub full of herbs. They are easy to raise and aren’t too fussy about the condition of the soil in which you plunked them. You can clip fresh herbs all season long or leave them for harvesting in the autumn. Drying out the leaves and grinding them in a pestle and mortar will give you that cozy feeling that you have just fulfilled the first steps in providing for the family table.

Herbs like heat, about six hours of sun a day, so leave your shady spaces for the Cut & Come Again (C&CA) plants. As these ideas we’re writing about in this column are targeted on small space gardening we should work our projects around tubs on the patio, balcony or deck. A wide tub would be ideal for a pungent selection of herbs tucked in together and maybe a few nasturtiums or rockery plants tumbling down the sides of the tub for a splash of colour.

Start by planting some hardy faithful herbs such as oregano, sage, rosemary, lemon thyme, tarragon, sweet majoram, savoury, and lemon scented geranium. That mix is generally referred to as a “chef’s blend”. For a bit of sophistication try adding a few lavender blooms and that transforms the humble mix into an “herbes de provence”. It’s easier to pick up starter plants at the garden shops for perennials such as rosemary, bay leaf, and lavender. Later on this summer I’ll come back to the subject of herbs as we move into harvesting our precious little crops.

There Are Wonderful starter trays with clear plastic elevated lids in the garden shops. They are inexpensive and create an immediate greenhouse on your windowsill . Just add three dozen small peat moss container cups, fill them with organic potting soil and your chosen seeds. In a couple of weeks or less those seeds will be peeping up at you and ready for transplanting in mid May. In fact, if you leave the lid on you could gradually acclimatize the plants to the outdoors by setting the tray on the deck during the days.

How Cool Can You Get? The provincial government employees’ union BCGEU newsletter has a column in the spring publication called Cool Communities. They are interested in the position that municipal councillors are taking on food security related issues as well as protection of agricultural land, preserving the UBC Farm and supporting the infrastructure for farmer’s markets. In fact, they did an online questionnaire to gather opinions of candidates prior to the last election and forwarded the results to environmental and food security groups. Good show BCGEU! That’s what rethinking the use of our Island land is all about… gradually shifting our understanding of how fragile our food supplies are…remembering that only 6% of the food we eat is grown on the island. Herbs grown in pots, replacing flowers in tubs with edible plants, supporting the local outdoor food markets, asking the store mangers to bring in more island grown food is how we can each begin to take those small steps towards creating food security.

There Are Endless Sites on the web that provide you with the specifics of food gardening as well a couple of excellent west coast magazines that deal with all the vagaries of growing stuff in our climate. Check the list of linked blogs that I've posted and you will be surprised at the garden information that is available. A Powell River writer’s new blog examines in detail the issues surrounding the food movement and posts an interesting selection of topical blogs. Some enthusiastic citizens kicked off a campaign a couple of years ago called The 50-Mile Diet and it has been a great stimulus to the number of Powell River people who are now operating small farm gate markets and others who are throwing themselves into the joy of growing food for their own families and sharing their experiences on-line.

PLANT A CUT-AND-COME-AGAIN GARDEN

March Is The Month when fingers get itchy for doing something with the soil. Many of you emailed me to express an interest in the the Cut & Come Again garden that I referred to in my first column. So…let’s take a look at the steps to be taken to become a fully fledged small space gardener!

This is the perfect solution for those of us who are wanting to grow leafy salad veggies and herbs in pots or tiny spaces. The plants I suggest are cool season lovers and by late July or Aug. the plants will bolt and then you replant for the winter crop. The best part of the C & C garden is that the outer larger leaves can be snipped off as they mature and the plants will keep producing.

Extra Easy To Grow and a real favourite is oriental mizuna. The plant has dark green feathery leaves which are mild and sweet. It’s ready in 45 days and is delicious in salads and stir-fries. You can direct seed into the soil or start the seedlings in small containers, like egg cartons. In order to get an early start that’s what I’m doing on the kitchen counter. Once they reach an inch in height I’ll transfer to larger containers but keep them indoors. When the weather is warmer in late April they’ll go on the deck in my large patio pot, in a spot where there is protection from the high winds and frost. Other vigorous C&C veggies are mibuna, Chinese broccoli, oriental mustard, spinach komatsuna, deer tongue, red merlot and arugula. Swiss chard thrives in cool weather and looks delicious in the pot with its red, yellow and purple stalks. Kale is another favourite and I love the deep green colour in salads and stir-fries.

You Can Direct Seed right into your soil but it’s better to wait until mid May before beginning this type of planting. Remember to choose a section of the deck or garden that doesn’t have too much direct sun as these are plants that love some shade. Because this type of seed produces edibles in 40 to 45 days what a wonderful way to capture the interest of small children in beginning their first garden ventures.

You’ll find a great selection of these particular seeds in the garden sections of local stores. The packages are clearly marked Cut & Come Again. Some stores carry organic seeds and one of the real benefits of organics is that when the plants mature or die off (bolt) you can harvest the seeds for the following year.

Glad You Asked about the process for freezing parsley Lois. Don’t wash it before popping it in a small freezer bag. It will stay crisp and surprisingly pungent for months. You can either snip or slice off whatever you need for soups and garnish for salads.

Growing Herbs is Magical and next month we’ll talk about growing herbs in pots. Last autumn I grew five different herbs on my deck. When they matured I dried them on a spot atop the fridge. They were then ground up together to create an Herb du Provence and stored in small jars. Five months later there is only one jar left and when I open the lid and inhale the deep pungent scent my nose quivers with delight!