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Rock Garden: Before and After Photos

Published on August 28, 2019August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Blog Posts

Hey guys, If you’ve been following me at all, you’ve already seen my post about the mixed flower and vegetable garden that we have out front. The main garden (aka the rock garden) that I use for growing veggies is located on the other side of the house, at...

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The Front Garden: Mixed Flowers and Veggies

Published on August 8, 2019August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Blog Posts

Hey guys, As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been editing my photos from the past few months. The front garden photos are now ready. This garden bed was the first area to thaw in the spring, so I planted radishes and other cold-hardy veggies until the weather...

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I’m Back! A New Start and a New Garden

Published on July 30, 2019August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Blog Posts

Hi all, I haven’t posted lately due to life stuff. Long story short, my engagement to my ex-fiance ended earlier this year. I’ve moved back to Muskoka to be closer to my family and hometown friends. That means I had to start a new garden. Gardening is basically therapy,...

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The Garden Plot: Summer 2018 Update

Published on July 27, 2018August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Blog Posts

Hey fellow gardeners, foodies, and nature lovers! How’s your summer going so far? The weather has been brutal here. If you live in Eastern Canada or the Northeastern U.S., you already know about the record-breaking heat waves we had this month. Here in Ottawa, our Canada Day celebrations were cut short...

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Update on the Backyard and Front Garden

Published on July 10, 2018August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Blog Posts

So I’ve been working on the back yard and the front garden for the past few years. When I first moved in with my then-boyfriend (now fiance!) in 2015, The back yard was an oasis of concrete and dog poop. The front yard wasn’t much better — the garden...

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Grocery Store Plants: A Date With Dragonfruit WITH UPDATE 2017

Published on August 21, 2017August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Blog Posts

I couldn’t resist the corny title. I have a date plant and several tiny dragonfruit cacti growing on the windowsill right now. As you can see, I’ve got some other plants growing there as well. There’s a small orchid plant, a spider plant cutting, a mini lavender rose bush,...

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Spring 2017: Garlic, eggplants, raspberries and grapes in the garden plot

Published on June 20, 2017August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Blog Posts

It seemed like winter would never end — especially when we got snow in May — but the warm weather is finally here. And you know what that means: gardening! This is my second year with the same garden plot, so I’m off to a good start already. I created...

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How to Make Your Own Raspberry Liqueur

Published on May 29, 2017August 11, 2020 by Katrina Category: Recipes, Recipes & Gardening Projects

So I’m a fan of cocktails (martinis especially), and I want to start making them at home. That may sound easy enough, but there’s a problem: Most cocktail recipes call for two or three types of liqueurs, and each bottle costs anywhere from 20 to 30 bucks. Is it...

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How to Make a Lightbulb Greenhouse

Published on March 16, 2017August 12, 2020 by Katrina Category: Gardening Projects, Recipes & Gardening Projects

I’ve had this project on my list for years. As a fan of DIY hacks, any sort of repurposed/reused doodads, AND gardening, how could I resist something as cool as a light bulb greenhouse? Any plants that you grow inside it will reuse the water supply, which is helpful if...

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How to Grow Legumes: Yin-Yang Beans

Published on January 15, 2017August 12, 2020 by Katrina Category: Gardening Projects, Recipes & Gardening Projects

Are you looking to grow something different this year? If you’re anything like me, you want to break the monotony of growing tomatoes, carrots, basil, and other common vegetables and herbs. Or, maybe you’re thinking of long-term survival strategies. As a fan of “The Walking Dead,” I cannot help...

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My life right now: crab apples. Got the apples fro My life right now: crab apples. Got the apples from a neighbours tree. Used a food strainer to filter out the seeds and skin, and now there's a test batch of apple butter simmering away in the slow cooker. Now I need to get the jars ready. And then back to sorting more crab apples while watching Supernatural. So exhausting yet also satisfying!

#eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #foraging #foragedfood #crabapple #applebutter #preservingtheharvest #homepreserving #preservation
Tomatoes in progress: yellow pear, cherry (sweet 1 Tomatoes in progress: yellow pear, cherry (sweet 100), and beefsteak. Hurry up and ripen!! 🍅

#vegetablegarden #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #gardenersofinstagram #eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #growingfood #tomato #sweet100tomatoes #beefsteaktomatoes #yellowpeartomatoes #solanum #solanumlycopersicum
Monarch butterfly from July that I kept meaning to Monarch butterfly from July that I kept meaning to post. There were two hanging out in the front yard. They couldn't have been the same caterpillars I posted here: the timing wasn't right. I do think they laid eggs, because I found a couple more tiny caterpillars shortly after this visit.

#canadiangardening #ontariogardening #gardenersofinstagram #gardencritters #insectsofontario #insectsofcanada #butterflies #monarchbutterfly #nativespecies #purpleconeflower #gardeninglife #canadianwildlife
The mystery plant finally grew a female flower. Do The mystery plant finally grew a female flower. Does anyone know what it is? I'm guessing pumpkin or maybe a round zucchini. 

#growingfood #vegetablegarden #gardenersofinstagram #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #cucurbitaceae #plantidentification
My first ever cucumber! I'm surprised nothing ate My first ever cucumber! I'm surprised nothing ate it. Maybe chipmunks don't like cucumber. Lots more are on the way. Fingers crossed that nothing eats those, either!

#canadiangardening #ontariogardening #vegetablegarden #gardenersofinstagram #eatwhatyougrow #growingfood #gardening #cucumbers #cucumissativus #cucurbitaceae
Harvested some yellow beans (bush variety). They'r Harvested some yellow beans (bush variety). They're doing better than the scarlet runner beans despite planting them later. The groundhog also left them alone, so that helps too. 

#canadiangardening #ontariogardening #gardenersofinstagram #vegetablegarden #eatwhatyougrow #growyourownfood #gardening #yellowbeans #phaseolusvulgaris #fabaceae #waxbeans
Cucumbers are coming in 😁🥒 #vegetablegarden Cucumbers are coming in 😁🥒

#vegetablegarden #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #growingfood #growwhatyoueat #eatwhatyougrow #gardenersofinstagram #gardening #cucumbers #cucumissativus #cucurbitaceae
Ok, I know I posted the bee balm already, but I lo Ok, I know I posted the bee balm already, but I love this photo. ☺️

#gardenersofinstagram #gardening #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #nativeplantsofnorthamerica #beebalm #oswegotea #scarletbeebalm #flowers #pollinatorfriendlygardening #pollinatorfriendly #monardadidyma
These are the beets I was GOING to pick today. Swi These are the beets I was GOING to pick today. Swipe to see what happened to them last night... The Groundhog ignored the cabbage in the catch-and-release trap in favour of eating at least 3 of my beets. He (she?) thankfully left the rest of them alone (for now). I'm heading out soon to pick what's left before they disappear, too! 

#gardenersofinstagram #vegetablegarden #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #eatwhatyougrow #growyourownfood #gardenpests #gardeninglife #beets
Day 1 of fermented pickles experiment. I've had mi Day 1 of fermented pickles experiment. I've had mixed results with fermentation in the past, so I'm doing a practice batch with store bought cucumbers before trying anything with the homegrown cukes. Used 1 large horseradish leaf instead of grape leaves. I'm following the directions for #sourpickles from the book #wildfermentation by #sandorkatz . 

The jar is now in a corner of the kitchen covered with cheesecloth. Hopefully it'll turn out well. 

#fermentation #fermentedfoods #pickles  #cucumbers #veganfood #vegetarianfood #fermentationexperiment #foodpreservation
My father grows garlic every year, so of course th My father grows garlic every year, so of course that means he gets garlic scapes! He gave me a whole bunch this year (thanks!), which I turned into pesto. My usual pesto recipe doesn't work quite the same with scapes. They are much more bulky and fibrous than basil and other herbs. I'll provide the "recipe," or general guidelines for whoever wants it.

Garlic scape pesto
(For a 1-cup batch)

Blend 2 tbsp slivered/chopped almonds in food processor with 1 cup chopped garlic scapes and 1/4 tsp salt. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (quality matters here), and blend again. Scrape down the sides and add another 2-3 tbsp olive oil at a time as needed, blending and repeating until you have a thick, mostly smooth paste. The pesto doesn't need to be perfectly smooth, but the larger fibrous parts should be mostly blended. Add more lemon juice and/or salt to taste. 

Keep in mind the flavours will meld better once they've been in the fridge for a while. Enjoy!

#veganfood #vegetarianfood #veganrecipes #eatwhatyougrow #growyourownfood #vegetablegardening #garlicscapes #pesto #garlicscapepesto #gardenfresh #veganpesto #gardeninglife
There's wild basil growing near the garden! At fir There's wild basil growing near the garden! At first I thought this was wild bergamot and became very excited. A search online revealed that's not the case, but I wasn't too far off: It belongs to the same family (mint). It can be made into tea or used in cooking, according to the internet. Has anyone used wild basil before? Any suggestions on what to do with it?

#gardenersofinstagram #gardeninglife #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #wildherbs #foraging #nativeplantsontario #nativeplantsofnorthamerica #plantidentification #wildbasil #clinopodiumvulgare #lamiaceae
The bee balm finally bloomed! With so many of my c The bee balm finally bloomed! With so many of my crops being eaten and nearly destroyed by The Groundhog, these flowers gave me the morale boost I needed. 

This scarlet variety, also known as Oswego tea (monarda didyma), is native to North America. Scarlet bee balm is sometimes called bergamot, not to be confused with ~wild bergamot~ which is the purple variety (monarda fistulosa). It's related to mint and therefore spreads easily. I planted this last summer and already it's twice the size! Hopefully it will attract hummingbirds this year.

#gardenersofinstagram
#canadiangardening
#ontariogardening #wildflowersofnorthamerica #beebalm #monardadidyma #oswegotea #scarletbeebalm #pollinatorfriendlygardening #flowersforpollinators #edibleflowers
We have monarch caterpillars again this year! They We have monarch caterpillars again this year! They're so small they must have hatched recently (swipe for size comparison). In the next 7-17 days, they will keep eating milkweed leaves and growing larger. Then they'll crawl off to a safe area, build their chrysalis (cocoon), and transform into monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterflies are an endangered species. One way to help them is by planting milkweed; it's the only thing the caterpillars eat. We have common milkweed in the front garden and, even though I think its flowers are ugly, it's worth it just to see these caterpillars. They bring me so much joy. ❤️

I'll keep an eye on them and post pics as they get bigger. Fingers crossed that I'll find a chrysalis this year!

#monarchcaterpillar
#danausplexippus
#caterpillar #insectsofontario #insectsofcanada #monarchbutterflycaterpillar #gardenersofinstagram #ontariogardening #canadiangardening #pollinators #milkweed #endangeredspecies #gardeninglife
Chipmunk gathering unripe chokecherries. I was fix Chipmunk gathering unripe chokecherries. I was fixing a broken bean stem when I heard the rustling and looked up. 🙂

#canadianwildlife
#ontariowildlife #crittersinthegarden #chipmunk #gardenpests #gardenersofinstagram #gardeninglife #chokecherry #sciuridae
Performed surgery on the cucumber plant today. The Performed surgery on the cucumber plant today. The stem split at the base, so I taped it up. Added a tomato cage to hold the plant upright while it heals. I might build a trellis for it later... really do not feel like it right now. It is 28 C outside. Gross. Let's see if this guy recovers.

#vegetablegarden #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #growyourownfood #eatwhatyougrow #gardenersofinstagram #gardening #cucumbers #cucumissativus #cucurbitaceae #plantsurgery
I couldn't resist grabbing this Rubus Nova raspber I couldn't resist grabbing this Rubus Nova raspberry bush today. It was on sale! Developed in Nova Scotia, this hybrid variety is supposed to be well suited to Northern climates.

I'm planning to order an Ontario native variety this year, so this plant is my "backup' in case my first choice sells out. It can't hurt to have two types of raspberry bushes, right? Now I need to decide where to plant it. 

#vegetablegardening #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #gardenersofinstagram #growyourownfood #eatwhatyougrow #gardening #raspberry #rubus
The first scarlet runner bean flower bud appeared The first scarlet runner bean flower bud appeared this morning! I hope that I'll get to harvest some for myself. How do you protect bean plants from chipmunks? Would bird netting work?

#vegetablegardening #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #eatwhatyougrow #growyourownfood #gardenersofinstagram #gardening #scarletrunnerbeans #phaseoluscoccineus #fabaceae
First harvest of peas: English peas on the left, s First harvest of peas: English peas on the left, snap peas on the right. 🙂

Also, the chipmunk came back! Despite catching and releasing 5 chipmunks, there's at least one more still living here. I turned around from taking photos to see him sitting on a rock, eating a pea pod right in front of me! 😩 Then he scurried into the bushes to finish off his meal (see last photo). So far he seems to prefer the English peas (on the ground) than the snap peas (on the trellis). Maybe I should look for netting to wrap around the plants.

#vegetablegardening #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #eatwhatyougrow #growyourownfood #gardenersofinstagram #gardening #peas #snappeas #englishpeas #firstharvest #gardenpests #chipmunk #pisumsativum
Growing sorghum this year. The reason it looks lik Growing sorghum this year. The reason it looks like grass is because it IS a type of grass! Originally from Africa, sorghum is "the fifth most important cereal crop in the world." * It can be cooked whole and used in the same way as other grains (e.g. base for stir fry), ground into a flour, or popped like corn. 

Its growing needs are similar to corn, though it is more drought tolerant.

This is my second planting this season, since Chippy ate the first batch of seedlings. I put down plastic netting to discourage digging. So far so good.

*source: wholegrainscouncil.org

#vegetablegarden #canadiangardening #ontariogardening #gardenersofinstagram #gardening #growyourownfood #eatwhatyougrow #survivalfood #selfsustainable #sorghum #sorghumbicolor #poaceae
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