DIG IN TO GARDENING
Whether you’re planting your first garden or your 50th, Saskatoon-based blogger Kristen Raney from Shifting Roots has advice with on how to get started as the weather warms. Michelle Berg explains.
Local garden blogger Kristen Raney and daughter Aulaire examine what’s shooting up in their backyard so far this spring. Gardening is taking off as people isolate at home, and Raney has some tips to put food on the table while enjoying the outdoors.
1 Follow the light and plant accordingly
For a vegetable garden to be successful, it needs at least six hours of light a day. Raney notes that it can be hard to judge how much light or shade you have, especially when there are no leaves on the trees.
“Look around and make note of any neighbouring buildings, tall trees, and shadows cast from buildings or sheds before you decide on a spot for your garden.”
2 Grow what you actually eat
“Planting too many types of vegetables could be overwhelming,” she notes. She suggests focusing on the vegetables you and your family eat in a typical week. As you gain confidence, you can keep experimenting with more. Some relatively easy to grow vegetables include potatoes, onions, lettuce and tomatoes.
3 The bigger the container, the better
Raney says many of her readers are trying to grow their vegetables in patio containers. She says the best way to do this is to buy containers that are as large as you can afford and have space for.
Not all vegetables can thrive in containers; if you have a patio garden, make sure you plant vegetables that will be happy in that environment.
“Choose varieties that are bred for containers. Look for the words ‘small,’ ‘tiny,’ ‘little’ or ‘patio’ in the variety name,” Raney says.
4 No such thing as set-it-and-forget-it
You won’t get the harvest you’re hoping for if you forget to water and let the weeds get out of control. Raney suggests setting an alarm on your phone if you have to, and making a habit of checking plants for weeds, pests and moisture once a day.
“Five to 10 minutes of maintenance every day is much easier than a two-hour weeding marathon on the weekend,” she says.
5 Don’t sweat it when you kill a plant
Even though Raney has been gardening her whole life, she still ends up killing a few plants every year. “No garden or gardener is perfect, and every year brings new challenges and lessons to learn.”
She says trying to have a perfect garden is setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, just try to keep on top of watering and weeding, ask for help when you need it, and do the best you can.