Garden Wisdom Blog — garden-wisdom

It’s already the middle of March, 2017, and spring seems hesitant to start this year. Despite the rain (and melted snow), we know that fairer weather is coming. So we’re building twenty raised beds in between the big red barn and the blue garage. Once filled with organic soil, these will be used by our staff members to grow some food and share some knowledge. While we have some Master Gardeners on staff, and others with years of farming experience, this gives some newer gardeners on the team a chance to get their hands dirty and grow some food on...

About Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea Botrytis group) Modern cauliflower has been grown since the 15th century, and it was grown almost exclusively in Italy until the 16th century when it gradually migrated to France and then to American gardens 100 years later. The Italians grew a variety of different kinds, including the traditional white and Romanesco, and various colours including purple, yellow, and green. In the 18th century German growers developed the annual cultivar which grows so well for summer and fall harvests. French gardeners perfected the biennial cultivar for winter and spring harvest in the 1800s, about the same time...

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) Chives have been in cultivation since at least the Middle Ages in Europe, and there are references to their use in ancient Rome, but primarily as a medicinal herb. They were used to treat sunburn and sore throat, and it was believed that they would increase blood pressure and act as a diuretic. As a culinary herb, they did not really catch on until the late 18th century. Bundles of dried chive flowers and leaves were hung in some central European households to ward off evil spirits. Chives are, of course, small members of the onion family,...

Not so much an official trial, as an effort to grow out each of our sweet peas for comparative study. We grew out fifteen varieties among the other flowers and vegetables at our Kirkland House demonstration garden here in Ladner this year, creating one of the most fragrant garden experiences of all time. The sweet pea plant (almost all cultivated varieties are Lathyrus odoratus) originated in Sicily and the nearby surrounding Mediterranean region. They have been cultivated since the 1600s, and some of the oldest strains are still around. But every year new varieties and combinations are introduced, so a...

After years of promoting Community Supported Agriculture, I finally broke down and joined a CSA program at one of the local organic farms. What a great decision it was, too! Back in February we signed up for a “small” farm share at Cropthorne Farm on Westham Island here in Ladner. For an upfront investment of about $350, we get a box of freshly harvested, certified organic vegetables every week. This particular farm’s CSA program is now full, and we got a small discount for registering early in the season. Every Tuesday, we drive out to the farm and pick up...