Gardening pics, hacks, successes, and or failures

[IronNoggin]

Just back from Saskatoon.
While there I was reminiscing about Mom's awesome Saskatoon Berry Pies back in the day.
Decided I should try and grow a couple of the bushes out here, so found some at a local nursery, one "Smokey" and one "Thiessen":

Went and collected a bit of 4" sewage pipe and cut it to just over 2 feet.
Stuffed the plants inside of those:

And they fit perfectly in my checked in luggage for the flight home.

Gathered up some overly large pots when back home, and put the plants into their new temporary home:

Temporary in that the question of where to put them has to be settled between me & She Who Rules (focusing on just which of her ornamental plants will have to go... Wish me Luck! LOL!)

Hoping they take off here, and think they likely will.
Looking forward to our first taste of Saskatoon Berry Pie!

Cheers,
Nog

 

[Breakin"even]

Does anyone know a good spot in the Nanaimo area where I can get some Kelp for the
garden. All I've found is Eelgrass, which I'm making into a tea. Just waiting for a digital TDS
tester from Amazon to check how strong the brew is. Just 12$ for the tester. LOL

 

[Cookie's Cutter]

Just back from Saskatoon.
While there I was reminiscing about Mom's awesome Saskatoon Berry Pies back in the day.
Decided I should try and grow a couple of the bushes out here, so found some at a local nursery, one "Smokey" and one "Thiessen":

Went and collected a bit of 4" sewage pipe and cut it to just over 2 feet.
Stuffed the plants inside of those:

And they fit perfectly in my checked in luggage for the flight home.

Gathered up some overly large pots when back home, and put the plants into their new temporary home:

Temporary in that the question of where to put them has to be settled between me & She Who Rules (focusing on just which of her ornamental plants will have to go... Wish me Luck! LOL!)

Hoping they take off here, and think they likely will.
Looking forward to our first taste of Saskatoon Berry Pie!

Cheers,
Nog

Nog, Saskatoons are actually native to the BC Coast. 2 years ago we had a really wet spring and around the first week of July we found enough Saskatoons in the bush around Port alberni to make 3 or 4 pies. Last year it wasn’t so good. We also bought some plants from a nursery last year and they are only about 3 feet high now. We will probably get enough berries for a bowl of cereal this year.

 

[Oly1]

Just back from Saskatoon.
While there I was reminiscing about Mom's awesome Saskatoon Berry Pies back in the day.
Decided I should try and grow a couple of the bushes out here, so found some at a local nursery, one "Smokey" and one "Thiessen":

Went and collected a bit of 4" sewage pipe and cut it to just over 2 feet.
Stuffed the plants inside of those:

And they fit perfectly in my checked in luggage for the flight home.

Gathered up some overly large pots when back home, and put the plants into their new temporary home:

Temporary in that the question of where to put them has to be settled between me & She Who Rules (focusing on just which of her ornamental plants will have to go... Wish me Luck! LOL!)

Hoping they take off here, and think they likely will.
Looking forward to our first taste of Saskatoon Berry Pie!

Cheers,
Nog

Nog, Saskatoons are actually native to the BC Coast. 2 years ago we had a really wet spring and around the first week of July we found enough Saskatoons in the bush around Port alberni to make 3 or 4 pies. Last year it wasn’t so good. We also bought some plants from a nursery last year and they are only about 3 feet high now. We will probably get enough berries for a bowl of cereal this year.

Had lots of Saskatoon berries up North around Prince George when the kids were growing up. Always had a couple bushes around the property. My daughters favourite breakfast was Saskatoon berry pancakes. We had to go pick them fresh and had them every weekend when the berries were in season. Also had quite a reserve in the freezer for later in the year. Never tried a pie, but it sound delicious.

Oly

 

[ILHG]

All this berry talk is bringing back so many memories. I spent my summers around @walleyes back yard growing up. Picking wild blueberries is a family tradition. I can remember trips where a entire 5 gallon bucket was filled. Nothing worse as a kid having to fill a pail with berries before being aloud to play.

There is nothing better you will ever eat than Grandma's homemade blueberry pie.. The cabin smelling like fresh baked pies.. Some of my best childhood memories

 

[Breakin"even]

I recently tried a new organic weed killer and it worked well on the weeds
growing in the cracks on the driveway. I heated a gal. vinegar and added a cup of salt
and one tbsp. of dish soap. Once the salt dissolved, I poured it back into vinegar
container and drilled a 1/8" hole in the cap. I then squeezed the container over the
weeds, which produced a gentle stream. A couple days later the weeds started dying,
and now they are dead. I used regular vinegar but pickeling or industrial strenth would be better.
The vinegar breaks down quickly in the environment, but the salt does not. I'm going to try it
in a sprayer on my landscaped rocky slope beside the house. They say if you spray on a hot dry day
it will kill on contact, so one needs to be carefull spraying around shrubs and flower beds.

 

[Sea lyin’]

Nog, Saskatoons are actually native to the BC Coast. 2 years ago we had a really wet spring and around the first week of July we found enough Saskatoons in the bush around Port alberni to make 3 or 4 pies. Last year it wasn’t so good. We also bought some plants from a nursery last year and they are only about 3 feet high now. We will probably get enough berries for a bowl of cereal this year.

Millions of them in the okanagan. Growing wild on the side of every road it seems like. They ripen up here mid July. When the saskatoons are ripe, the salmon start showing up In Mabel lake.

 

[wildmanyeah]

 

[Sitkaspruce]

Got the garden in on the weekend and cut the lawn for the first time this year!

Lots of plants in the ground as well as seeds.

Woke up to rain this morning, will be good for the garden.

Then at 9 this morning, I could hear the wife swearing and stomping around.

Walked outside to this



So we had to devise a way to protect the plants!!! Sheets went on the squash boxes and the big tarp went on the big garden with more squash, garlic, zucchini and numerous other plants





It has warmed up now and supposed to be +6 tonight, but today was supposed to be +12 and light rain......

If the plants die, I am going fishing for a long time!!!!

Cheers

SS

 

[Breakin"even]

Then at 9 this morning, I could hear the wife swearing and stomping around.

That reminds me of gardenining in Prince George, where are you at Sitkaspruce?

 

[Breakin"even]

Spinach ready selective logging, I recommend this type. It's called perpetual Spinach, super hardy and bolt resistant, unlike the regular stuff.

 

[nicnat]

I recently tried a new organic weed killer and it worked well on the weeds
growing in the cracks on the driveway. I heated a gal. vinegar and added a cup of salt
and one tbsp. of dish soap. Once the salt dissolved, I poured it back into vinegar
container and drilled a 1/8" hole in the cap. I then squeezed the container over the
weeds, which produced a gentle stream. A couple days later the weeds started dying,
and now they are dead. I used regular vinegar but pickeling or industrial strenth would be better.
The vinegar breaks down quickly in the environment, but the salt does not. I'm going to try it
in a sprayer on my landscaped rocky slope beside the house. They say if you spray on a hot dry day
it will kill on contact, so one needs to be carefull spraying around shrubs and flower beds.

I've been using this mix for a few years, it works very well.

 

[Sitkaspruce]

That reminds me of gardenining in Prince George, where are you at Sitkaspruce?

5 hours NE of PG.

Snow is gone, tarps are folded and put away and we are expecting +25-27 temps by early next week.

Cheers

SS

 

[Rain City]

5 hours NE of PG.

Snow is gone, tarps are folded and put away and we are expecting +25-27 temps by early next week.

Cheers

SS

And then bugs!

 

[Sitkaspruce]

And then bugs!

Actually, they are not bad in town. We have our doors open all summer and might kill a dozen and we have brush and a park across the street. In the bush they can be bad, depending on location. I used to live in the Fort St. James, Port McNeill and Bamfield and to be honest, the high valleys on the Island were worse, especially the black flies when I was logging. Forth St. James was bug heaven at this time of year, but once the heat of summer rolled around, they were only bad in the thick bush.

Stuff grows real well up here, lots of sunshine.....

But the fishing sucks up here......

Cheers

SS

 

[Rain City]

Actually, they are not bad in town. We have our doors open all summer and might kill a dozen and we have brush and a park across the street. In the bush they can be bad, depending on location. I used to live in the Fort St. James, Port McNeill and Bamfield and to be honest, the high valleys on the Island were worse, especially the black flies when I was logging. Forth St. James was bug heaven at this time of year, but once the heat of summer rolled around, they were only bad in the thick bush.

Stuff grows real well up here, lots of sunshine.....

But the fishing sucks up here......

Cheers

SS

Well that's good to hear. It's my duty as a city boy to say that whenever someone talks about living in rural BC.

 

[jim morrow]

In Alberta we have to wait for the long weekend in May to plant. When we cancelled our trip to the coast last year that is exactly what we did. Had stopped gardening years earlier due to being hailed out three years in a row. Will plant again this year but a smaller garden because it is hoped we will be gone fishing LOL. We fed a bunch of families with this one... And it kept us busy I guess...


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I like the colour of your soil, nearly black. Here in Chilliwack, I am surprised how light brown and clay it is for most farmers. I am amazed how early some plant their corn, perhaps they use sprouted corn?
My spinach is bolting now, done I guess, so that makes room for watermelons...
beet greens now to harvest. some tomatoes are setting fruit, and cucumbers are blossoming.

 

[Wild Bill]

Any of you have problems with Sow bugs destroying your seedlings and what can you do?

Sow Bugs-Pill Bugs - PEST CONTROL CANADA

Sow Bugs and Pill Bugs Sowbugs are land crustaceans which look very similar to pillbugs, at least at first glance. Sowbugs are small crustaceans with oval bodies when viewed from above. Their back consists of a number of overlapping, articulating plates. They have 7 pairs of legs, and...

pestcontrolcanada.com

 

[Breakin"even]

Sow bugs destroying your seedlings

I had them eating my Arugala starters this spring, luckly they where in a tray and I could move them.They where eating at night, I found them sleeping in a near by drain. They like a wet and cool, coverd home. I have found them last year in a pile of bricks near the garden. I'v seen them travel over 20" from home to food before. They seem to live in groups so if you can find there home it helps control them. Since they seem to travel from home to food putting up barriers around seedlings can help. I found once plants get larger the damage is acceptible.

 

[Breakin"even]

I bought a 20kg bag of granular fert. from Share care the other day. It was cheap and not organic, my bad.
I will through some around my shrubs. I decided to melt some in hot water for a liquid batch of a more instant
fertilize. After desolving it there where these dark objects remaining, after examining them they are rocks about
half the size of the origional granuals. WTF!