Growing your own
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 | 07:49 AM ET
By Elizabeth Bridge, CBC Digital Archives writer
The snow's all gone in Toronto, and that's got me casting a critical eye over what passes for a garden in my backyard. I'd really like to go beyond boxes of herbs, lettuce and feeble cherry tomatoes this year, and not just because growing one's own vegetables is suddenly in vogue.
Michelle Obama breaks ground on the White House garden. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, FILE)
I grew up eating fresh garden vegetables and berries all summer long, the products of my mother's daily labours in our garden. She grew up on a farm, and growing her own food is just something she's always done. During our annual visits to Winnipeg we enjoy her ultra-local produce, though our trips are regrettably never long enough to encompass both strawberry and raspberry season. My toddler was so delighted by Grandma's fresh peas last summer, she ate them right out of the shell.
Health, great flavour, saving a few bucks and eating locally are some of the reasons I want to grow more of our own food this year. I know we can get all those things from the offerings at the farmer's market, and we do. But the farmer's market can't provide family memories and nostalgia. Plus, there's something satisfying about eating what your own hands have tended, and those are the things I want my daughter to experience.
However, our yard is small and it's home to a large apple tree that, while lovely and fruitful, spreads out a wide canopy whose shade discourages any sun-loving plant. So as the the days get longer and the planting season creeps up, I'm trying to figure out what edibles I can grow in a small space with little sun.
Failing that, what will thrive in movable boxes besides herbs, lettuce and a few cherry tomatoes? The Canadian Press has tips for new gardeners, but I'm a little beyond the abject-beginner stage and look forward to tips from experienced gardeners.
Do you have any tips on good websites or book titles that will help my garden grow? Have you had luck with cultivating veggies in the shade? I'd love to hear your advice.
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Amber Hildebrandt writes for CBCNews.ca in Toronto. Growing up on a farm in Manitoba, she acquired an insatiable appetite, but it was during a stint in Japan that she developed her discerning tastebuds and "foodie" ways.
Andrea Chiu is an associate producer at CBC Radio Digital. Though she loves to eat, cook and discuss food,
don't ask her to bake. It never turns out well. She tweets as @TOfoodie on Twitter and organizes food and wine events in Toronto called FoodieMeet.
Tara Kimura is the consumer life reporter for CBCNews.ca, covering a wide range of issues that range from rising food costs and the growing organic movement, to new trends in the marketplace.
Andree Lau is a CBC web reporter in Calgary. Her journalism career includes seven years as a CBC-TV reporter. Her own blog called "are you gonna eat that?" chronicles her eating adventures (including sampling snake and camel hoof tendon).
Jessica Wong is a CBCNews.ca writer who loves to eat and cook, as well as discuss, read and watch programming about food, sometimes all at once.
Kevin Yarr, CBCNews.ca's writer in Prince Edward Island, wrote about food and beer for national and regional magazines before joining the CBC. He acquired a desire for new tastes on his first trip to Europe, and an appreciation of eating locally and in season when he finally settled down on P.E.I.
Elizabeth Bridge is a writer with the CBC Digital Archives in Toronto. She first ventured into the kitchen as a child to indulge a sweet tooth by baking cookies and making fudge. A student budget compelled her to be a vegetarian (for a while) and instilled in her an ongoing curiosity about food and cooking.
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Comments
Groverpants
Since most of the vegetables I can think of are annuals, they put the majority of their energy into the plant, not the roots. That means just about anything can be grown in containers, as long as it gets enough nutrients and water. Some containers are self-watering.
I also have a shady yard, but I have a porch roof that gets sun for most of the day and has a window directly above. I plan to container-garden on that rooftop this year on this site. However, I am also of limited experience in this particular endeavour, so we'll both have to see how it goes!
Posted March 26, 2009 03:00 PM
Patchou
Ottawa
A most hand book/refference for any food garden is "carrots loves Tomatoes". It explains anything you would want to know and why. It uses a method of companion gardening that is very productive and organic based. Meaning, one plant protects the other from bugs with its sent or one grows atop the soil (tomatoes) while the other next to it grows below (carrots), thus doubling your crop for the same space. Really a must read.
Posted March 28, 2009 05:56 AM
Mary-Lou
Kingston
I love my garden! All the fresh produce, the feel of the earth, healthier living. I, too, have an apple tree in my yard and a large evergreen. I use the branches to add string to and plant pole beans beneath. They seem to thrive under the apple tree. If you plant garlic directly under the apple tree, you will have fewer pests on the apples.
Posted March 30, 2009 02:12 PM
Tashana
Toronto
The only experience I've had growing anything to date was a gerber daisy in a pot a few years ago (it died) :( I will be moving into my own apartment within the next year, and am getting more and more interested in balcony gardening. The tip on 'carrots love tomatoes' is certainly something to consider - thanks!
Posted March 31, 2009 07:44 AM
Ricardo
Montral
Bought an AeroGarden (a bit pricey) and can not cook enough basil as it keeps growing and growing. The chives died and I replaced it with a sprig of Rosemary and hoping that it will take. Plenty of dill, oregano and thyme. All hydroponic and bought 30 nutrient sticks @ the Dollar store. It is on my counter and is shaped like an apple turn-over and fits in a corner fine.
Posted April 1, 2009 02:34 PM