Indispensable Tools

The potting shed houses nearly all of my gardening tools.  Some are used only a few times a year for specific jobs, but I have a small collection of tools I use all the time and could not do without.  Some might surprise you!

Large Tools

Indispensable Large Tools

Every gardener needs a shovel.  I have several, but the long-handled spade is my most useful one.  It's what I use to do those big jobs like adding compost to the beds and turning them over in the spring and fall.  Mine has had the handle replaced several times and the metal spade part is looking its age, but it's still going strong.  The hay fork I use to toss fall cleanup into the compost bin and it's what I use to move the compost from one side of the bin to the other.  This one is at least 30 years old with bent tines,  and like the spade has had the handle replaced a number of times, but it's still a very useful tool.  When the beds have been turned over, the rake makes them smooth.  This is really the only time I use it, but it's still a necessary tool.  Finally, my little pitch fork, while not the most necessary, is the only thing for lifting out perennials for division.  It's probably a good 15 years old, but was an expensive purchase and still looks good.

Small Tools

Narrow Trowel

Of the 5 trowels I own, this narrow trowel is my favorite.  I have larger ones, but this one is the best for digging the small hole needed for transplanting seedlings.  The spongy plastic handle is stained with fir pitch from the many times I've inadvertently left it outside, but the stout aluminum blade has stood up to many a battle with weed roots.

Hand Cultivator

To the hand cultivator shown above, I should also add a hand fork.  The cultivator grabs the roots of larger weeds so I can rip them out, while the fork will dig deep beside dandelion roots so nothing is left behind.  I don't have a good fork at the moment.  Most aren't stout enough to withstand the work I put them to and the last one I bought has tines that splay to the sides.  Not handy at all!  I'll be looking for one with the tines going straight down.

Felco Pruner

My pruner was a Christmas gift from my son.  It's a quality Felco pruner which he got from Lee Valley Tools.  It's extremely strong, sharp and well-made.  The bottom handle swivels to adjust to your grip.  You can get replacement parts for them - such as the springs and blades.  Mine does everything from pruning fruit trees and roses, to cutting the dried roots off garlic.  It pays to have good tools.

Large Knife

A stout knife is what you need to whack the roots and tops from leeks.  It neatly tops and bottoms rhubarb and hacks cornstalks for the compost.  Mine is a bit rusty and has a bite out of the blade, but it's almost the size of a machete and is always ready for action.

Plastic Knife

I have 2 of these little plastic knives in the potting shed.  They are the perfect tool for prying tiny seedlings out so they can be transplanted to larger pots.  They can slide a tiny seed into a better position so it doesn't sprout too near another seed.  Probably the cheapest tool you'll ever have, it's also one I simply can't do without.

Garden Bandit

My number one favorite tool is a Garden Bandit.  This was part of a retirement package from coworkers along with a number of small tools in a plastic trug.  I'd never seen one before, but having used it, I can't imagine gardening without one. Held straight up and down, it can slice out weeds right next to a plant.  Sideways, it cuts a wide swath.  This little gem can weed a bed in 3 minutes flat.  I also have to say that the plastic trug is a favorite, too!

Making It Count

When you don't have a lot of soil - or a lot of room - you have to make every bit count.  Our vegetable garden is in the sunniest spot on our treed 2-acre lot.  That also happens to be at the top of a rocky plateau with nearby cedars.  This is why our garden is mostly composed of concrete raised beds.  The concrete beds have concrete bottoms and the drainage is above ground so the hungry cedar roots can't get in.  When you garden in raised beds, you are concentrating the nutrition you add to the garden and the soil is loose because you aren't walking on it.  Because your nutrition is concentrated, you can grow a lot more in a small space than if you were growing straight into the ground.

The original part of our vegetable garden was 2 wood-sided beds plus 2 pits that we grow asparagus in.  The wooden beds are starting to rot now and we will put concrete sides on them to create one large Three Sisters bed.  The wide side of the "vee" between the beds is walled with tires.  Unfortunately there is the top of a monster rock in the middle of the "vee" so there isn't a lot of soil depth.  It'll do, though, for the squash component of the bed.  I can grow zucchini in the tires.

The original wooden beds which become the Three Sisters bed

We have used tires elsewhere in the garden as well.  Stacked 2 high and filled with rich soil, they create a container that I will grow cherry tomatoes in.  There are also 2 half-barrels that will also be used for cherry tomatoes.

Make-do containers for cherry tomatoes

In addition to the raised beds, on the north side of the plateau lies what was supposed to be the rose bed.  It has now become the rhubarb bed!  The soil here needs lots of building for the 6 rhubarb clumps.  Each spring, I add compost to the plants and then heap on a thick layer of unshreaded maple leaves.  The maple leaves smother any weeds which have plans to take over and the leaves rot into the soil.  This will take time, but eventually the rhubarb will have the kind of soil it needs.

Almost the entire garden.

Of course flowers have a place in my garden - it's not all practical stuff!  The central bed in the garden contains perennials - peonies, delphiniums, day lilies, phlox, as well as spring bulbs - narcissi, tulips, hyacinths and self-seeded windflowers and grape hyacinths.  There was an arbutus tree in the middle, but this winter we removed it.  There will be a lot more sun for the beds to the north now.

We have also tried growing blueberries, black currants, tay berries and raspberries on the plateau but the lack of soil made it very unsuccessful.  They have now all been removed.  Off the back of the plateau we have 2 large hazelnut bushes which are producing nicely.  A couple of years ago, we added 2 more hazelnuts, the roots of which have been inoculated with Perigord truffle spores.  In a couple of years, we might be digging up truffles!

The point of all this is to demonstrate that you might not have a lot of room, but with raised beds and some creative thinking you'd be amazed at how much you can grow!

Mason Bees

Without pollinators, the earth would be in serious trouble.  In fact life can't exist without pollinators.  North American honeybees are in a critical decline due to mite infestations which carry deadly viruses.  I know for a fact that some summers I never see a honeybee.  The gardener must rely more and more on other pollinators.

An excellent pollinator for the backyard gardener is the mason bee, osmia lignaria, also called the blue orchard bee.  It's a solitary bee and very gentle.  They don't sting and look rather like a large fly.  We've been providing nests for them for a number of years now.

A simple nest can be made from a block of wood with holes drilled in it.  The holes must be 5/16" inside diameter and at least 6 to 8" deep.  This last measurement is important because the eggs producing females are deepest in the hole, with eggs producing males on the outside.  Since the females are the ones who do all the pollinating, it is key that the most female eggs are provided for.

Another simple nest can be made of straws - again with an inside diameter of 5/16" - and placed in a plastic drain pipe to hold them together.  The ends of the straws must be crimped off.

The most satisfactory nests are ones which can be opened and cleaned since mites can kill off mason bee populations also.  We purchased ours from Quack Farm Nursery, who in turn got their supplies from Beediverse, the company of Dr. Margriet Dogterom who has been researching and promoting Mason Bees for over 30 years.  These days, mason bee supplies and even mason bee cocoons can be purchased from most nurseries.

Today was a lovely, sunny day and when I checked our nests, which are under the south-facing eaves of the potting shed, I could see that some of the straws have the mud plugs missing.  A careful search of the nearby flowering currant showed lots of bumblebees, but no mason bees.

Mason bee nests sheltering under the potting shed eaves

The first bees to emerge are the males.  They are distinguishable from the females by white hairs on their heads and longer antennae.  They stay near the nests waiting for the females to emerge so that they can mate with them.  The females immediately set about gathering pollen.  They take the pollen back to the nesting site and when they have a plug of pollen, they lay an egg on it and seal it in with mud.  Then off they fly to gather more pollen and lay another egg.  This all takes place in the spring at a time when fruit trees are blooming.  It's important that once mason bees start filling up the nesting tunnels that they are left strictly alone until the fall.  If the nesting site is moved, the eggs could fall off their pollen store.

Last summer's bees busily filling up tunnels

In summer, the egg hatches into a grub and starts eating the pollen plug.  When fully grown, it spins a cocoon and changes into a pupa.  Eventually it becomes an adult bee and stays that way until the following spring, when it emerges and starts the cycle all over again.

Anyone can promote the well-being of mason bees.  Now that spring is here, cocoons are readily available at nurseries.  Consider buying some and setting out some nesting blocks for them.  More information can be had at the Beediverse website.  There are books and DVDs available to help you set up your colony.  This is a win-win proposition for everyone from the bees to the planet!

Lettuces, Mescalun, Kale

Hyacinths coming into bloom

A sunny morning made for another day in the garden and it's time to plant out some of the seedlings in the potting shed.

First on the agenda is preparing the beds.  The bed that was to be planted with a dozen kale seedlings had a barrow load of soil removed which was added to the Three Sisters bed.  Next I sprinkled on some dolomite lime.  Brassicas need the addition of liming to prevent club root which likes an acid soil.  Two barrow loads of SeaSoil went on next and the bed was spaded over and raked.  Six little Winter Blend and six Lacinato seedlings were pressed into the ground.  I'm not sure what varieties are in the Winter Blend and I'm really supposed to plant this mid-summer as it's a blend specifically for growing in the winter, but I'm giving it a try now anyway.  I know the Lacinato will be a tasty kale as well as being a beautiful addition to the garden as the leaves look like ostrich plumes.

Winter Blend kale seedling

The bed that has the zig zag pea fence was targeted for the lettuces and mescalun.  Again, SeaSoil was added and worked into the soil.  I decided to plant some of the lettuces in between the zigs of the fence.  The growing peas will give some shade protection to the lettuces and keep them sweet longer when the warm weather arrives.  Winter Density, a butterhead/romaine cross, was planted there.  West Coast Market Blend mescalun was planted on the other side - I guess you could say in the zags. This blend contains seeds of curly endive, oakleaf lettuce, escarole, chicory, arugula and chervil.  Since I only planted 6 seedlings this time, I have no way of knowing what my plants are! I'll seed some directly in the ground in a few weeks.  Finally Super Gourmet Salad Blend lettuces were planted at the end of the pea bed.  Again, I will seed more in the ground in a few weeks.  Nearly all my seeds come from West Coast Seeds.

Winter Density lettuce seedling

The tomato seedlings are doing well in the potting shed.  So far, all are surviving - and thriving.  I seeded more Principe Borghese as I don't think I have enough.  I also purchased another package of tomato seeds.  Buckerfields didn't have the Stiletz I was looking for so I decided to try Moneymaker.  This may have been a mistake.  When I got home I looked it up in a gorgeous book on tomatoes I have,  "The Heirloom Tomato" as I was sure I'd seen the name in there.  Yup!  Flavour - Fair and under comments, "a commercial favorite much derided by foodies and home growers as being tough enough to bounce off a wall." Oh dear.  Note to self:  research before you buy!

Sweet Baby Girl tomato seedling

Tomorrow afternoon, weather permitting, I'll get the onion bed ready.  There's just so much to do at this time of the year.  There's always, however, time to stop and check out the flowers.  Oh, and the first Rufous Hummingbird appeared today!

Self-seeded Anenome Blanda

Planting Leeks

Leeks are an important part of our vegetable garden and we've been successfully growing them for years now.  I always grow a variety called Bandit.  It's a hardy leek and will last right through the winter.  I still have about 8 of last year's planting in the garden. This morning the weather was sunny and warm and I'm feeling a lot stronger, so it was time to get working in the garden.

Bandit Leeks

The first item of business was to prepare the bed.  One long bed will be devoted entirely to leeks.  Tomatoes grew in this bed last year and it had been turned over weeks ago with the addition of a couple of barrow loads of compost.  This morning I added two barrow loads of SeaSoil and turned it over again.  Since that sapped my strength, the planting was left to the afternoon.

I always plant my leeks in trenches.  I marked out rows in the soil about 9" apart across the width of the bed.  Soil was troweled out of the row to a depth of about 4" with the removed soil heaped up beside the trench.  As the leeks grow, the soil will be pulled back against the stems.  When all of the soil is level, I'll add chopped maple leaf mulch which will add another inch or two.  All of that portion of the leek that is covered by soil will be white - the section of the leek that is most prized in cooking.

Digging trenches for leek seedlings

Once the trenches are finished, it's time to plant the leeks.  Off come the gloves because the delicate seedlings need care in handling.  I planted 7 leeks per row.  I remove the seedlings from their pot and carefully break them up, taking care not to damage the roots.  A hole is punched in the trench and the seedling carefully lowered, soil pressed around it to nestle it into its new home.  It's back-breaking work doing a whole bed and I'm grateful for the raised beds at a time like this.

One tiny seedling.  The white portion at the top is where the seed cover sat

When all the seedlings have been planted, I place a tomato cage across each row to prevent cats from using the attractive loose soil for their toilet.  They will stay there until the leeks have grown enough to hold their own.  The second pot of leek seedlings remain in the potting shed so that there are seedlings to take the place of those that inevitably disappear.  Work done, I head back to clean the soil from my nails and sink gratefully into the couch with a steaming cup of tea.  One bed planted, five more to go!

Leek bed finished and protected with tomato cages

Coming back to life

After almost 2 weeks of being under the the thumb of a particularly nasty virus I feel like it's not just the garden that's coming back to life!  We've had some lovely weather lately, but I've been unable to enjoy it.  Today is the first day that I've got enough energy to go outside and actually do a little.

The tomato seedlings have nearly all sprouted and most are over-ready to be in their new pots.  Today was supposed to be a day of torrential rain and wind, but happily the weatherman was wrong.  Taking advantage of a nice break in the weather, I took the seedlings out to the potting shed to move them into their new temporary homes.  As usual, I've grown more tomato plants than my needs require but there are always friends happy to take in a stray or two.  I was able to pot up 11 Bonny Best, 4 Gold Nugget and 6 Sweet Baby Girl.  I had planned on growing Stiletz as well, but when the time came to start the seeds, the package was nowhere to be found.  Principe Borghese, always a slow sprouter, was just breaking the soil, so they were brought back into the house to get a little stronger.  I'll look for another main crop tomato next time I'm near seed racks as there's still time to get them started.

Newly transplanted tomato seedling

I'm using up the last of my Quack Farm potting mix.  I've filled 4" pots with the mix, watered well and made a hole to receive the seedling.  I plant the seedlings deep.  This serves two purposes:  firstly, it shortens the stem of the plant so it doesn't become too weedy and secondly, the buried stem sends out roots and makes a stronger base for the plant.  When transplanted to their final spot, they can again be planted deeply.  Once in their new homes, the seedlings were covered by plastic domes to keep in heat and moisture.  Tomato plants need heat to germinate but can take much cooler temperatures for growing.  There's no need to make them too cool, however!  They'll keep the domes for a couple of weeks or so until they're well-established.

Each little pot is marked with a homemade plant tag.  I cut the tags from old yogurt containers and write the names on with a grease marker.  I used to use Jiffy Markers, but they fade.  When time came to plant the seedlings, sometimes I couldn't read the names anymore!  Grease markers stay bright for several seasons.

One tray full of seedlings ready for the plastic dome

Transplanting done, there was time to take advantage of sunshine forcing its way through the clouds and take a tour of the property.  And by the time I'd done that, I was pooped.  No more work today!

King Edward flowering currant almost ready for the hummingbirds

Dwarf narcissus beaded with recent rain

Rhubarb thrusting up through their leaf mulch

Three Sisters Bed patiently waiting for the next step

Homemade Fertilizer

About 10 years ago I bought Steve Solomon's book, "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades".   It's a great book. Gardening on the west coast has very different needs as opposed to gardening east of the Rockies.  In the Gulf Islands (and Vancouver Island) we have quite mild and wet winters.  We don't get that hard freeze which is so helpful for killing off a lot of pest insects.  Our soil is also naturally acidic.  Steve Solomon says that we need to grow differently from how people grow back east.  He's very opposed to mulches as he says they encourage wood bugs and earwigs.  I agree, except I still put mulches on a number of crops once they're big enough to take care of themselves.  We have very dry summers here and our soil needs all the moisture-retaining tricks I can throw at it.  Plus the mulch is very good for the soil.

The most important thing I've taken away from his book is his recipe for "Complete Organic Fertilizer".  I make it up fresh every year.  It has quite a bit of lime in it, both agricultural and dolomite, which is important for our acid soil.  I believe he's changed the recipe somewhat from the one in the book I have, but I still use that original recipe.  The main ingredient in his recipe is seed meal and he recommends either cottonseed or canola seed meal.  I use the canola one because cotton is a heavily-sprayed crop.  Plus the canola probably comes from Alberta which is a lot closer to home than the southern States!

I scatter a quart of fertilizer on each raised bed (they're about 3'x14') just before I do the final turning of the soil and before planting.  Steve says that this lasts a couple of months and recommends side dressing as well.  A handful down each 4' row at the outer edge of roots scratched into the soil is his suggestion.  Longer-growing crops will likely require another side dressing or two.

So here's his recipe:

8 parts seed meal
1/2 part dolomite lime
1/2 part agricultural lime
1 part bone meal (up to as much as 2 parts)
1 part kelp meal (up to as much as 2 parts)