CANADIAN REGION: What are you doing April, May, June, 2020

Well, here we go on a new quarter year on this thread.  I hope Canadians and others have a good gardening session now that the year seems slide by so quickly.

Yesterday we had a one hour snow-storm and the snow disappeared as quickly as it came.  I only knew that it was an hour as I only woke up the last ten minutes.

It was a soggy mess after it all melted but at least it soaks the ground ready for sowing seeds when it gets a little warmer.

We all need to get moving to produce food as we do not know what is ahead of us all.

I was able to get out into the garden and managed to fill two garbage bags of brush etc and took them up the hill behind my house where I dump things that cannot go on the compost heap.

Then I became chilled and went indoors. This afternoon I looked out my kitchen window and thought I would do another session. The phone rang and after I finished talking the snow was coming down very heavily so that put paid to my good intentions.
At least the phone call stopped me getting snowed on. Look on the bright side.

Yesterday I managed another hour outside in the garden clearing brush from an older perennial bed.

Today I am about to continue even though it is not as warm as yesterday.

Gotta keeo going.

My posts may get a little boring but at the moment not much to write about, except the days are finally warming up but the nights are still near freezing.

Not much doing as I, among millions are still confined to home but  so lucky to be able to spend time in my garden, at last.

My was neglected last year because of the time I spent in England and on returning I had weeks to catch up with the lawn mowing (12 inches high) and the hours I spent picking apples off my old tree and then drying them.  I have given heaps of them away but still have enough for myself and more until this year's harvest comes in.

I missed out on the cherries as they had no rain and all the cherries were still on the tree and dried up. With hindsihgt I could have picked those cherries as they were all dried and I realise now that they were perfectly edible with adding water to them.   I have only just thought of this, months too late.

What I am doing now is spending time cutting down all the brushwood that has taken over  the perimeter  and it all needs to be tided up before it, along with the ivy, takes over the house, and just plain tidying it up.   I am getting on with it before the green takes over and I cannot see what I am doing.

KJ your posts are never boring. I am always amazed at the amount if work you do in the garden. Keep those posts coming.

trolleydriver wrote:KJ your posts are never boring. I am always amazed at the amount if work you do in the garden. Keep those posts coming. Thanks

Thanks, TD, the feeling is mutual and even more in your favour as you produce much more than I ever had.  And you also paint lovely pictures and work at keeping yourself as healthy as possible and don't give up.

trolleydriver wrote:KJ your posts are never boring. I am always amazed at the amount if work you do in the garden. Keep those posts coming.

+1

Hi all
Glad to see there is a Canadian forum as I look out at the snow flakes trying to accumulate! I am new to SFG and looking for a big bag of vermiculite: no one seems to carry it in bags bigger than 9l.

I built my boxes and they're sitting there looking empty....

Wendy

hellowe57 wrote:Hi all
Glad to see there is a Canadian forum as I look out at the snow flakes trying to accumulate! I am new to SFG and looking for a big bag of vermiculite: no one seems to carry it in bags bigger than 9l.

I built my boxes and they're sitting there looking empty....

Wendy

Welcome Wendy.  Are you near Ottawa?  I get 4 cubic feet coarse vermiculite from Ritchie's Feed and Seed, several locations in and around Ottawa. The cost is about $30. Not sure if they are still open during the pandemic. They may take online orders for pickup.

hellowe57 wrote:Hi all
Glad to see there is a Canadian forum as I look out at the snow flakes trying to accumulate! I am new to SFG and looking for a big bag of vermiculite: no one seems to carry it in bags bigger than 9l.

I built my boxes and they're sitting there looking empty....

Wendy

  Wendy
From Kelejan in British Columbia
I am your host for all of Canada.
Even though we have a large country we do not have quite enough members to have smaller groups like the U.S.  If we had a group for Ontario only that most likely would take 90% from Canada as a whole. 
I am hoping with the New World Order that I believe once we get through this Virus problem, that more people will discover gardening and in particular our form of Square Foot Gardening. Welcome again.

Welcome Wendy from Northern California. We will probably see 80 today. No snowflakes here. Looking forward to your posts. We   our Canadian neighbors.

countrynaturals wrote:Welcome Wendy from Northern California. We will probably see 80 today. No snowflakes here. Looking forward to your posts. We   our Canadian neighbors.

CN, thank you so much for that last line.  We also  you, our American neighbours.

I managed an hour's gardening yesterday, getting rid of brush but it turned cold, and this morning is is worse, with 9C, cloudy and the wind is making the tree at the bottom of my driveway being thrashed to and fro like mad.  So I am staying in today unless the wind drops.

Tomorrow a forecast of a couple of inches of snow.  Rest of the week not much different, except that the weather forecast changes from day to day as it is impossible at times at it is all so changeable.

It seems all I can do in my garden so far is to clear the brush that had not been touched for at least two years.  This morning I woke up to -4C with a forecast of +9C which it never reached even by 2pm.  it was still cold at +4C with a fierce gusty wind so I could only manage an hour and was so glad to come inside.

I am trying to get all this stuff out to the curbside for Tuesday morning to be hauled away.  Was not able to obtain biodegradable bags as the City Hall as closed its doors.
I did buy a plk from the supermarket but they cost 60 cents each and were not very large.  So some of the stuff I will have to save until next month and if no free bags are available I will wait until a neighbour can take them to to compost dump at the other end of our city.

I sounds so cold there.

sanderson wrote: I sounds so cold there.

It is sanderson.  You know it is when the lawn is covered with white stuff that crunches  and it isn't snow.  I could take a chance and sow some seeds but they had better not come up until the night temps are well above freezing.  The first thing I will be planting are the garlic I never got round to last year.  That will be my job tomorrow once the frost has gone.  I do have bags of shredded leaves I can cover them with and also wood chips that have been in a heap for a year and looking very nice.

I did get all the yard waste out to the curbside in time this morning.  Whew!  Now I have until May 19th to get the rest out.

At least, being confined to my house I can at least do some gardening, especially as my brother in England is feeling that I will not be able to getto England by the end of 2020. :-(

Hang in there Kelejan!  I’m glad to hear you are staying in.  I know it’s hard, and this is just so strange for us all.  

Scorpio Rising wrote:Hang in there Kelejan!  I’m glad to hear you are staying in.  I know it’s hard, and this is just so strange for us all.  

This evening at 7pm I am going out into the road and banging on my triangle, the one that my husband and I watched being forged in front of us.  It will be the first time I have ever used it with intent. It makes a lovely sound and I always envisaged it being struck to call the menfolk into supper. Alas it was not to be.

Does anyone here live in the Cities where they go out at 7pm to cheer all the people who are having to work in all sorts of dangerous situations like care worker, doctors, and so on?  We may even have some caregivers in our subdivision perhaps we will get to know them? 

I must say it can get very lonely here in my quiet backwater on the edge of our little city.  We are the last to have our roads cleared of snow or gravel etc. as our road leads nowhere.  But it is quiet and I love that.  I will let you know how many of us turn up.

Hi all - I'm brand new here!

I'm transitioning my veggie garden to raised beds and would like to try SFG. Hopefully those raised beds will get finished and filled soon!

In the warm days (2), we just had, I was able to get a bunch of comfrey starts potted. as I'm selling them on kijiji. Once the weather warms up again, I'll be potting more!

Other than that I do Winter Sowing - planting seeds in plastic jugs in February - very fun! And I have a hydroponic garden in the basement - to support my green smoothie habit - still have to buy greens, just not as much.

Linda

Ivanderb from Ontario 
 
Canadian Hostess
Kelejan from British Columbia


There is lots of information here on this wonderful  Forum on Square Foot Gardening.
Just ask questions and someone will be around to answer as we all like to spread our knowledge even the newcomers.  One day even you will be able to answer someone's question knowing that you will be right.
While you are on this page, your will notice at the top left-hand corner where there is a box with the heading SEARCH which in time you will find a mine of information going back years.
All the best to you.

Kelejan wrote: Ivanderb from Ontario 
 
Canadian Hostess
Kelejan from British Columbia


There is lots of information here on this wonderful  Forum on Square Foot Gardening.
Just ask questions and someone will be around to answer as we all like to spread our knowledge even the newcomers.  One day even you will be able to answer someone's question knowing that you will be right.
While you are on this page, your will notice at the top left-hand corner where there is a box with the heading SEARCH which in time you will find a mine of information going back years.
All the best to you.

Hi! again, Ivanderb from Tavistock, Ontario. I am glad to see you doing so well with your own thread, Hello from Tavistock. You will be able to keep that as your own thread for years, if you wish. Just drop in here sometimes. 

hellowe57 wrote:Hi all
Glad to see there is a Canadian forum as I look out at the snow flakes trying to accumulate! I am new to SFG and looking for a big bag of vermiculite: no one seems to carry it in bags bigger than 9l.

I built my boxes and they're sitting there looking empty....

Wendy

Hi   Wendy, I received your email this morning and I hope I have solved your problem.
If I do not hear from you, I will pass on your problem to someone who is a lot more clever than I am. 

PS The POST reply box is below on the left hand corner.