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Photo by Unsplash/Cherry Laithang
The first step in the permaculture design process is observation on site. In the northern hemisphere, creating thermal mass to the garden’s north provides a warming effect.
The northern edge of the garden also has the opportunity to house a vertical strutter that can bolster harvests for small spaces. We erected a vertical wall where we grow herbs on the vertical in pockets, and artichokes and Jerusalem artichokes atop the wooden structure. Our garden receives approximately 150 pounds of herbs and produce on this added urban garden vertical system.
Photo by Joshua Burman Thayer
Increase Edges and Margins
Early May
Early June
Early July
Single cut broccoli (transplant in mid-August)
Because we raise 75% of all the vegetables we eat and we eat a lot of them you can see that my light table is going to stay busy. Some of my decisions about when to start a particular vegetable indoors has to do with that year’s particular garden plan. Some plants have a longer time window than others for when they can go into the ground and still mature in the right weather. This allows me some flexibility based on what I want to grow and when.
Photo by Kara Holzmiller
Step 3
- Cut the picture frame pieces at 45 degree angles to match the size of the box. You need the inside of the picture frame to be the same size as the soil box. Assemble the picture frame with finish nails.
Photo by Kara Holzmiller
Step 4 - Gather the sand, potting soil and pea pebbles and mix together in a bucket. Succulents and cactus prefer a soil medium that is partially sand or grit, and a bit of peat moss.
Photo by Kara Holzmiller
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We used a ratio of 2 parts potting soil to 1 part sand to 1 part pebbles to 1 small handful of moss (torn up into small pieces).
Newfoundland is the only province in Canada where poison ivy is absent. Illustration by Mary Peterson
Poison ivy can be found in every province of Canada except Newfoundland. It can grow as a shrub, climbing vine, or ground cover, and the branches of older vines can even be mistaken for tree limbs. The character of growth varies according to location and type. Western poison ivy (Toxicodendron Rydbergii) usually grows as an erect shrub, while Eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) grows as climbing or trailing vine. As the names suggest, Western poison ivy predominates in Western Canada, while Eastern Poison ivy predominates in Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.
Indoor Gardening
The April/May 2020 issue of Mother Earth News featured an article titled “The Garden of Rebirth.” In it, author William Rubel had many clever tips on regrowing vegetables from the unused root portion of grocery store veggies. I followed his advice and put some green onion roots, and a few rotten beets that got overlooked in the root cellar, in my garden. A couple of weeks later, I began harvesting green onions and beet top leaves for salads. All free for the picking!
I wondered if I would be as successful with trying this idea indoors. So, about a month ago, I planted green onions in a pot of soil and anxiously awaited the results. In just a few days, the white of the onion base developed a green colour in its center, and a new shoot was visible. After the roots were firmly established, the onions grew almost an inch each day. It was exciting to watch their development; to witness obvious change on a daily basis.