I have seen some fancy and sturdy handcrafted diamond willow canes and walking sticks. Perhaps you have one or even make them yourself. Today, I shall tell about a different kind of walking stick that you can grow in your garden. Jersey cabbage is the common name for a famous heirloom Channel Islands kale (Brassica […] Read more
Take This Cabbage For A Walk
Hey Potato, Open Your Eyes
White-fleshed spuds have long been a Canadian staple. Fortunately, you can find good varieties in other colours, too. A reliable provider of tasty tater treasures is Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes, Box 70, Bowden, Alta., T0M 0K0. Write to this address, call 1-877-224-3939 or email [email protected] request a print catalogue. Half the fun is thumbing through […] Read more
Give Your Tomatoes A Little Milk
Every day is a gardening day — learning, listening, doing! In this column I’ve got more tomato talk and seed sources coming up. I begin with a highly recommended hybrid tomato variety by Vicky Berg, manager of the garden seed department at Early’s Farm & Garden Centre in Saskatoon. The variety is called Primo Red. […] Read more
Tips To Prevent Tomato Blight
Having a crop of blighted tomatoes is enough to make any gardener cry and maybe shout: What did I do wrong? I shall deal with tomato blight today. But first, here’s a little cookie joke I picked up over the Christmas and holiday season. Q: Why did the shortbread cookie cry? A: Because its mother […] Read more
Cranberry Loaf Suits To A Tea
December is one month of the year when I like to talk about something other than direct hands-on gardening. Seasonal houseplants such as amaryllis, azalea, Christmas cactus and poinsettia will have to play second fiddle. Occasionally I think I came out of the womb with a guitar in one hand, a packet of seeds in […] Read more
That Tomato Looks Like An Orange
Sometimes we get so caught up in filling our garden with red tomatoes that we forget there are other colours. No devoted gardener should ever resist trying orange, yellow, black and yes even green tomatoes that stay green or fade to a pale-olive colour when they’re ripe. Besides all this, there are long keeper tomatoes […] Read more
Cabbage Calms The Upset Tummy
Best sauerkraut ever Here’s the old German sauerkraut recipe the Singing Gardener first printed in his January 12, 2009 Grainews column: For every five pounds of shredded cabbage placed in a large container, add 3-1/2 tablespoons of pickling salt. Toss well with clean hands to distribute salt throughout. Do not waver from the ratio of […] Read more
Dogs Don’t Dig Coleus Canina
This earth-friendly annual discourages pets and wild animals from digging for a place to unwind or from doing their business in the garden. It’s a worthwhile alternative to repellent sprays. In the past, I’ve used a pair of metal coat hangers to find an underground stream of water. But that’s a story in itself that […] Read more
Start Angelonia From Seed
In retrospection during last year’s travels, I observed that fresh cut flowers were always big sellers at farmers’ markets and everywhere else I appeared. It’s important to keep a path to the flower garden open. Regardless of how big or small, you can grow something beautiful on it. Start with planting the seed as the […] Read more
When the economy is down, pick yourself up with a garden. It’s good for the soul, and growing your own food can save you money
Food prices are rising across our nation. Here’s the one that stalls inflation. Take up gardening! Just like the tallest sunflower, the biggest tomato, the grandest corn stalk and the most impressive carrots you ever grew, or the highest beanstalk that Jack ever climbed, gardening has taken on a brand new dimension. March 27 has […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
