Time to kick back and Enjoy!

With summer solstice behind us (the longest day of the year) we are engaged in summer time gardening activities in earnest.  That means that even our friends in Newfoundland are planting.  Poor things, I feel guilty having so much fun in my own Ontario garden from about the second week of April on, knowing what is going on out on the ‘rock’. 

But then, I don’t feel guilty for long.  No longer than our friends on the lower main land of B.C. or Vancouver Island do come February when they begin cutting the grass and harvesting daffodils while the rest of us freeze.

As I watch the magnificent sunsets at about 10 pm this time I remind myself that there are people reading this who do not get a sunset at all right now.  This is God’s gift to northern gardeners – I mean TRUE northern gardeners like those of you north of Edmonton, in the Territories etc.  The gift is an intense growing season that cannot be matched by the rest of us. 

Take tomatoes for instance.  It is possible to grow them over permafrost.  All you have to do is get them into the earth now and make sure that the earth that you use is raised up above grade, to take advantage of the passive power of free solar energy.  Given that your tomato plants will not see the dark of night for some time, they will spend all of their time growing while, in the rest of Canada, our tomatoes are taking a daily rest when the sun goes down. 

Back to the garden.  I am spending a lot of time on the ‘giving’ end of a hoe these days.  I am knocking the stuffing out of small weeds in the flower and veggie garden like no ones business.  I ALWAYS sharpen my hoe before I set out in the garden for some weed-wacking.  The hoe ‘gives back’ later in the season when the flowers bloom like crazy and the veggies mature to harvest.  Speaking of which, I am picking arugula, red lake leaf lettuce, radishes, peas and Boston bib lettuce to beat the band.  Many readers will add to this list. 

Remember to mulch your tomatoes now with lots of clean straw – about 25 to 30 cm per plant.  Use loose straw, not compacted down.  It will compact with rain and roots will grow through it from the bottom of the plant.  Straw mulch will control weeds and maintain moisture levels while you play at other things. 

We have waited oh so long for this very time of year… it is our reward for tolerating a Canadian winter.  Go for it – enjoy it.

And take in one or more of the many public tours of private gardens.  Take a camera.  Contact your local horticultural society for tours in your area.

Talk soon.  And keep your knees dirty!

Mark

’10,000 gardening questions answered’