Garden Trails

I was doing garden clean up today, and disturbed these ladybugs.
This is a good reminder that they overwinter in fallen leaves, and under what many people think of as “ugly garden waste”.

Well, it has been a while since the last time that I posted here.
I lost a lot of muscle mass when I was laid up over the winter, and going back to the full time job that I took in order to pay off a work truck has been a challenge in ways I would never have imagined. I knew my ankles would hurt and continue to be a problem, but I had no idea that between putting muscle back on and the strain on those still healing ankles, I would be coming home, eating, and falling asleep. Every night.
I have not gotten a lot of things done, either around the house, in my garden, in my social life, or for Garden Trails.

Almost every day goes like this; up at 5am, get ready, drive thirty to forty minutes, work starts at 7:30, off at 4pm, talk to managment, hobble to staff parking lot, drive thirty to forty minutes, get home, eat while watching a show or two, fall asleep, sometimes as early as 6pm.

Spring is here! What signs have you seen?

Back in October, I sprained both ankles really badly the week before I had planned to plant garlic. Said garlic has been outside, in paper bags, slowly growing roots. It has now been planted in the raised beds that I have out front!

For those that don’t know, in the greater Victoria region, the time to plant garlic is either in the spring, or for a longer growing time and a larger bulb, in the fall before frost. The fall planting means the bulbs put roots into the soil in the fall and warm winter days, and are read for a flush of growth when spring comes.

I am hoping, that because the bulbs were not in dry storage, but were outdoors, they will still put in a decent amount of growth this year.

A ‘w**d’ garden takes gold at RHS in Britain!
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/25/w**d-thriller-garden-w**ds-takes-home-gold-royal-horticultural/amp/

W**d Thriller: Garden of w**ds takes home gold at Royal Horticultural Society show The main w**d in the garden - Ragwort - is described as a 'native biennial which is a food source for a wide range of insects'

Great ideas from the UK for supporting our pollinators!
https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/about-us/news/how-to-mow-your-lawn-for-wildlife

No Mow May launches for 2021: here's how to mow your lawn for wildlife "Plantlife’s Every Flower Counts data reveals the severe impact the May 2020 drought had on wild flowers..."

📣 Why Mulch might save your plants.

In the season of water conservation and 💦 water restrictions, it’s important to use mulch around your plants.

Mulch creates a blanket of insulation between the air and the soil. It creates an easier environment for plants to retain the moisture they do receive, and where they need it, around their roots.

The most common organic mulches include straw, grass, decaying leaves 🍂 (leafmould), bark, manure, and 📰newspaper. By adding these organic materials across the surface of the soil and around your plants, you’ll support more stable conditions for growth.

There are plenty of other benefits to using organic mulch in your garden:

Conditioning soil
Reducing w**d germination
Retaining warmth in cold snaps
Protecting roots soil erosion
So in these hot times, the biggest key to success is to mulch, mulch, and mulch. Then when you are done, mulch more!

For further reading on how to conserve water in the summer heat, read our blog post, Good Watering Practices: 👇https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/good-watering-practice

This is a great opportunity for anyone that wants to learn about organic farming! Sol is very knowledgeable, and is great to work for!

FARM JOB: Victoria, BC - City’s Edge Farm, Farm Hand - Young Agrarians City’s Edge Farm in Victoria, BC is seeking a Farm Hand!

Here in Victoria, the snow has just left us, and yet, the Dandelions are are already blooming! I have seen a lot of Facebook posts sayi mg to leave them as the first food for the bees, but the bees are too smart to be out yet, (we will probably start seeing them in March), so if you don’t want these first flowers seeding all over the place, pull them now.

It is always tempting, when things warm in January, to go plant things. The last couple of years have taught me the wisdom of waiting until March....