By Karen Sherlock on May 9, 2014; illustrations by Katy Dockrill
Green and growing things go hand in hand with summer, but the thought of a big garden can be daunting - or maybe you just don't have the space. Justine Jenkins-Crumb, co-ordinator of the Master Gardener Program at the U of A's Devonian Botanic Garden, offers some tips to get you growing. Check out its gardening courses or visit the garden for inspiration. devonian.ualberta.ca
MASTER GARDENER TIPS
Push the Boundaries
Get growing sooner. Sow sweet pea, spinach, green onion and parsley seeds right into the ground as soon as you can find a spot of moist, snow-free earth, and enjoy bountiful results earlier.Keep sowing longer. Plant tiny Scilla siberica bulbs after Labour Day in massive patches under your trees. "Next spring they will warm you like tiny blue lights of joy," says Jenkins-Crumb.
Lazy Lawns
Take the long view. Take off your glasses and look at your lawn from the neighbour's yard across the street. Good enough? Leave it.
Learn to love clover. ("The bees do - hurrah for pollinators!" says Jenkins-Crumb.) The clover is fixing nitrogen in the soil, to the benefit of the grass.
Cut down on cutting. If you water and fertilize less, you won't have to mow as often, leaving time for that great book you want to read - or more gardening.
Gardening for non-Gardeners
Grow one thing you love. Is it sunflowers, mint or lettuce?
Reap what you sow. Eat what you grow or make bouquets of the flowers.
Do it again. Try growing another thing you love, maybe next summer, and then another. Before you know it, you're a gardener.
Farming in Miniature
Space isn't the final frontier. Grow edibles like tomatoes, kale and basil in containers. Scarlet runner beans can be grown in a big pot, with vines trailing up a wall.
Soil to order. For best results in containers, use potting mix and add slow-release fertilizer.
Try edible flowers. Pansies, calendula and pinks look lovely in a salad.
Follow the sun. Pots let you capitalize on sun and warmth by moving containers around. (Don't forget to water.)
