A Fix for Tiny Spaces

Only have a small space to grow a veggie garden…no problem according to Square Foot Gardening Instructor, Carolyn Klickermann.  Carolyn, one of 4 Square Foot gardening instructors in Ontario was the guest speaker at the September meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Carolyn’s enthusiasm for this type of gardening had members eager to start planning their 2016 vegetable gardens. Perhaps it was the idea of no weeding, no digging and no tilling that appealed to the members.

Using a power point presentation based on the work of the founder of this concept, Mel Bartholomew, Carolyn walked the members through the stages of this unique type of gardening.

Several key points….

-area for the garden needs to receive 6-9 hours of sunlight daily

-construct boxes to measure 4 feet by 4 feet and a depth of 6 inches; staple landscape cloth to the bottom and use Venetian blind slats for the grids, do not use pressure treated wood

-allow for walking aisles between the boxes

-soil…use a mixture of 1/3 compost (made from a variety of different ingredients…shrimp, leaf, kitchen, mushroom…at least 4-5 different types of compos), 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 coarse vermiculite…DO NOT USE EXISTING SOIL FROM YOUR GARDEN

-plant seeds in each square foot…2-3 seeds in each hole

-use rainwater to irrigate

-when you have finished harvesting a square, add compost to replenish the nutrients and replant

Carolyn suggested adding flowers to the boxes for some colour. She also suggested vertical planting for beans, squash, peas and yes even pumpkins! Keep the trellis on the north side of the box to maximize sunshine on the plants.

Due to the rising cost of seeds, she keeps left over seeds in their package in a mason jar with a bit of rice in the bottom. Store the jar in the fridge or cold cellar.

For more information on this topic, check squarefoot.com

COMING UP….

September 8…Fall clean-up of flower beds. Meet at 5:30 at Moira Garden.

September 12…Basket making course with Naneen Tyner.

September 19…Children’s Program….nature walk with Jim Pederson. Meet at Erin Palmateer pool parking lot @ 10:00.

October 6…Cooking with Trevor Telford, renowned chef at Black River Retreat. Trevor will share his culinary skills as he cooks dishes using fresh fall ingredients.