By Daina Scarola
The spring my husband and I bought our house along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia we were anxious to get to work preparing and planting our first organic veggie garden. We chose an ambitious sized area next to the lawn where the grass mysteriously wasn’t growing. We thought, oh how perfect, we don’t need to dig up thick rooty turf! As we set to work trying to dig and turn the soil with shovels and garden forks, we grudgingly realized the land was more suitable as a gravel parking space.
Optimistic, we decided we just needed to invest some sweat equity, compost, manure, sand, peat moss, lime, and a huge load of organic topsoil. First we removed all the rocks and stones, both big and small. Then we shoveled in scoops of sand, peat moss, and manure as evenly as possible. The Naturally Nova Scotia’s caretaker and farmer, David, offered to drive the tractor a couple kilometers up the road to our place to save our backs and a lot of time. With the tractor bucket he scooped and turned and blended the new soil for us. By the end of that day, our 10’ x 30’garden space had grown from a flat compressed gravelly bed to about 6 inches of soil. Fueled by our excitement we planted so many varieties of plants. Although few of them did well that first year, they all contributed rich nutrients and inches of new soil for the following year.
If you’re not fortunate to already have rich soil, vegetable gardening can be costly in the beginning. But once your plot and soil are established, your annual costs are usually only the seeds. However, some vegetables can have higher annual costs than others. For example, if you wish to grow tomatoes, you’ll have to start them as early as two months under grow lights, and later invest in tomato cages for each plant. I prefer to buy the transplants and set them directly in the garden in late spring when the night temperatures are mild.
After ten years of organic gardening, we still have much to learn. But what I do know, is how incredibly satisfying it is to grow our own produce. Each growing season is different providing alternating good and bad crops. Since I enjoy experimenting with different varieties and placement in the rows, I’ve learned which plants do well for our microclimate, and which are better off buying at the local market.
Last weekend as my husband and I prepared the soil for seeding, I noticed a great sign that our soil has reached optimum health. This is the first spring our soil is void of white grubs, which feed on roots and can damage plants. It also smelled rich with organic matter. I decided to keep our planting design simple- 5 large rows. From the back I planted beans and onions, carrots, beets, radicchio, and lettuce. Between each row we added straw to help keep the weeds down and retain moisture. Instead of planting tomato transplants in the garden, I will plant them in pots on our deck. In another small garden I will plant cucumbers and zucchini. And in the front of the yard near the apple trees I will pile a mound of compost and toss in some pumpkin seeds. Voila!
One of my favourite reference books is Carrots Love Tomatoes – Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, by Louise Riotte. If you plan to grow your veggies in a tight space, this is a great book to read first. It is loaded with great tips and tricks for the novice and experienced green thumbs. If you have a small area to work with, companion planting could help you organize your plants efficiently and promote healthy crops.
My husband’s grandparents in Italy have a small back yard by North American standards. In their 15’ x 30’ plot they use every bit of sunlight and soil to grow a large variety of plants- fruiting trees, vegetables, herbs, grape vines, and ornamental plants- with room to spare for egg-laying hens and two turtles! When they visited our home a few years back, all we had growing on our 0.7 acre lot was our vegetable garden, two apple trees, and a cherry tree. They were quite upset that we were not using our land to its full potential! While we found it funny at the time, I do plan to eventually add a few fruiting trees so our front yards can become a small orchard- plums, peaches, pears, expand our garden, and maybe even try growing sweet Nova Scotian grapes on an arbor to our veggie garden.
Before I get too ambitious, next up on my list is to build a fence around our garden. This morning I took pleasure in watching a pair of bunnies romp around the front yard. When they decided to play tag (aka the mating game) hopping in the veggie garden from mound to mound, I cringed at my newly planted seeds! Last year they enjoyed a buffet of beet and carrot tops. Aside from good soil and water, a fence could be a gardener’s best friend. Next weekend I will work on my fence. I’m optimistic this year will be our best one yet! I promise to post an update at the end of this year’s growing season with lots of photos…
The spring my husband and I bought our house along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia we were anxious to get to work preparing and planting our first organic veggie garden. We chose an ambitious sized area next to the lawn where the grass mysteriously wasn’t growing. We thought, oh how perfect, we don’t need to dig up thick rooty turf! As we set to work trying to dig and turn the soil with shovels and garden forks, we grudgingly realized the land was more suitable as a gravel parking space.
Optimistic, we decided we just needed to invest some sweat equity, compost, manure, sand, peat moss, lime, and a huge load of organic topsoil. First we removed all the rocks and stones, both big and small. Then we shoveled in scoops of sand, peat moss, and manure as evenly as possible. The Naturally Nova Scotia’s caretaker and farmer, David, offered to drive the tractor a couple kilometers up the road to our place to save our backs and a lot of time. With the tractor bucket he scooped and turned and blended the new soil for us. By the end of that day, our 10’ x 30’garden space had grown from a flat compressed gravelly bed to about 6 inches of soil. Fueled by our excitement we planted so many varieties of plants. Although few of them did well that first year, they all contributed rich nutrients and inches of new soil for the following year.
If you’re not fortunate to already have rich soil, vegetable gardening can be costly in the beginning. But once your plot and soil are established, your annual costs are usually only the seeds. However, some vegetables can have higher annual costs than others. For example, if you wish to grow tomatoes, you’ll have to start them as early as two months under grow lights, and later invest in tomato cages for each plant. I prefer to buy the transplants and set them directly in the garden in late spring when the night temperatures are mild.
After ten years of organic gardening, we still have much to learn. But what I do know, is how incredibly satisfying it is to grow our own produce. Each growing season is different providing alternating good and bad crops. Since I enjoy experimenting with different varieties and placement in the rows, I’ve learned which plants do well for our microclimate, and which are better off buying at the local market.
Last weekend as my husband and I prepared the soil for seeding, I noticed a great sign that our soil has reached optimum health. This is the first spring our soil is void of white grubs, which feed on roots and can damage plants. It also smelled rich with organic matter. I decided to keep our planting design simple- 5 large rows. From the back I planted beans and onions, carrots, beets, radicchio, and lettuce. Between each row we added straw to help keep the weeds down and retain moisture. Instead of planting tomato transplants in the garden, I will plant them in pots on our deck. In another small garden I will plant cucumbers and zucchini. And in the front of the yard near the apple trees I will pile a mound of compost and toss in some pumpkin seeds. Voila!
One of my favourite reference books is Carrots Love Tomatoes – Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, by Louise Riotte. If you plan to grow your veggies in a tight space, this is a great book to read first. It is loaded with great tips and tricks for the novice and experienced green thumbs. If you have a small area to work with, companion planting could help you organize your plants efficiently and promote healthy crops.
My husband’s grandparents in Italy have a small back yard by North American standards. In their 15’ x 30’ plot they use every bit of sunlight and soil to grow a large variety of plants- fruiting trees, vegetables, herbs, grape vines, and ornamental plants- with room to spare for egg-laying hens and two turtles! When they visited our home a few years back, all we had growing on our 0.7 acre lot was our vegetable garden, two apple trees, and a cherry tree. They were quite upset that we were not using our land to its full potential! While we found it funny at the time, I do plan to eventually add a few fruiting trees so our front yards can become a small orchard- plums, peaches, pears, expand our garden, and maybe even try growing sweet Nova Scotian grapes on an arbor to our veggie garden.
Before I get too ambitious, next up on my list is to build a fence around our garden. This morning I took pleasure in watching a pair of bunnies romp around the front yard. When they decided to play tag (aka the mating game) hopping in the veggie garden from mound to mound, I cringed at my newly planted seeds! Last year they enjoyed a buffet of beet and carrot tops. Aside from good soil and water, a fence could be a gardener’s best friend. Next weekend I will work on my fence. I’m optimistic this year will be our best one yet! I promise to post an update at the end of this year’s growing season with lots of photos…
