Niki Jabbour - The Year Round Veggie Gardener

My latest blog post for Proven Winners

2012-01-31T16:30:00.001-04:00

Photo by Proven Winners

My newest blog post for Proven Winners has just been loaded onto their site. To read about some of my favourite picks for winter, click here!

The Hope Seeds catalogue has arrived!

2012-01-31T09:01:00.000-04:00

Photo by Hope Seed

I really love seed catalogues.. a sentiment I think most gardeners share. I tend to collect piles of them around the house, leafing through them whenever a few spare moments can be found. In case you missed it, here's a recent post about some of my favourite seed companies.

Yesterday the 2012 Hope Seeds catalogue arrived - perfect timing, just as we were leaving for the kids music lessons! So, I spent the hour immersed in pages of this incredible Nova Scotia company owned by Andrea Berry. In fact, much of the seeds offered in the catalogue have been grown by Andrea, something that truly impresses me especially with the rise of the world's largest seed company, Monsanto. Yikes! And, if Andrea didn't grow her own seeds, she tells you who did. Like Wild Rose Farm in Gilbert's Cove, NS or Mapple Farm in Weldon, NB. Love it!

So, now that my seed form is filled out and ready to mail (isn't that a treasured annual ritual too?) I thought I'd share my order with you. Keep in mind that my seed boxes are still rather full and this is just a top-up.. if you're interested in learning more about any of these veggies, I'd recommend that you go to their website and sneak a peek or even better, order a catalogue of your own!

Pole Beans:

Purple Peacock with assorted other beans. Niki Jabbour photo

Purple Peacock - Early, relatively tolerant of cool late spring soil and a heavy producer of jewel-purple beans. Yum!

Mennonite Purple Stripe - A new one for me, it sounds fantastic! Vigorous vines, purple flowers, abundant pods that are green and purple streaked. I'm in!

Beets:

Golden Grex - Another new one for me. Bright orange tapered roots, creamy white interiors, sweet flavour
Bull's Blood - great for deep green baby salad greens - even in the winter cold frames!

Carrots:

Jaune Carrot - Photo by Hope Seed

Atomic Red - A family favourite, this unique carrot produces deep red roots that actually get redder when cooked.
Jaune du Doubs - A yellow carrot - inside and out.

Celeriac:

Giant Prague - I just dug up a few celeriac yesterday from under the winter mulch and they were so aromatic and delicious! I can't wait to try this one, which is said to grow larger then traditional varieties.

Cucumbers:

Crystal Apple cuke - Photo by Hope
Seed

Mideast Prolific - Another annual must-have in our garden. These are the baby cukes from the grocery store that are so expensive!! Very prolific (as the name suggests) and just divine!
Suyo Long - A Japanese cuke that is beyond delicious.
Crystal Apple - Just like our favourite lemon cukes, but the spines are white, not black.

Greens:

Winter Greens Mix - Brassicas for the cold! Great for cold frames.. nice to try a pre-made mix, rather than me always mixing my own.
Ruby Streaks Mustard - My first year for this frilly ruby coloured mustard!
Golden Frills Mustard - Another new intro for me, this will make a nice planting partner to Ruby Streaks.

Onions:

Photo by Hope Seed

Rossa di Milano - A barrel shaped, long storage Italian heirloom onion with red skin.

Peppers:

Jimmy Nardello - Grew this last year for the first time. Is also on Slow Food USA's ark of taste!

Spinach:

Giant Winter - An open-pollinated spinach that is said to be very very cold tolerant. Can't wait!!

Summer Squash:

Photo by Hope
Seed

Cocozelle - Yes. A must have. An Italian, bush variety that is simply amazing! Great for edible blossom production too.
Costata Romanesca - Rich, nutty and wonderful. Said to be the only zucchini worth growing.
Pattison Panache, Jaune et Verte - So excited about this one too. A scallop type with light green fruits that age to green and striped.

Tomatoes (Andrea has a lot of lovely heirloom tomatoes, but I have so many seeds that I'm just getting one more this year):

Reisetomato - The first time I saw a photo of this tomato, I was astounded!! Click here to see a photo of ONE of these tomatoes. It's like a cluster of grapes and you just pick off each bump one by one. Fun!

CTV Morning Live and other tidbits...

2012-01-30T09:23:00.001-04:00

I'm sorry I've been a bit slack the past week.. Feb is going to be a crazy month for me and I'm working hard to make sure I'm prepared for it! Plus, with 'the book' now released, I've been busy with some media appearances. Coming up tomorrow (or Wed) morning, I'll be on CBC Information Morning talking about winter gardening with the lovely Margot Brunelle. I'll let you know when I have the date confirmation on that and will also post the online link after it airs.

Today, CTV Morning Live is coming over to tour our winter garden. Too bad there's no snow, but at least it's frosty outside! I'm not sure when that clip will air on tv, but will also post the info when I have it.

For now, you can also follow me on twitter at @NikiJabbour, but I promise a 'real' blog post soon.. and, if you want to check out my upcoming events, please visit www.nikijabbour.com I'll be at the Keshen Goodman Library in Halifax Wed Feb 1st at 7 pm for a talk on Year Round Vegetable Gardening and then the book launch is this Sat, Feb 4th from 2 to 4 pm at Halifax Seed! Can't wait.. :)

UPDATE - Ok, the lovely Heidi Petracek from CTV Morning Live has just left after filming in the garden for the past 45 minutes.. The segment will air on Wednesday Feb 1st at 8:15 am on CTV television.

Win a Copy of The Year Round Vegetable Gardener

2012-01-24T13:35:00.001-04:00

The lovely magazine, East Coast Living is offering a copy of my book to a lucky gardener! If you're not on facebook, go to their twitter page for more details!!

Good luck!

The Year Round Vegetable Gardener is now in Halifax!

2012-01-20T08:26:00.001-04:00

Wish this was my potting shed! It's
the garden shed of a neighbour of mine,
Faye. Isn't it gorgeous!!

Thank goodness for independent bookstores that don't have to go through 20 stops to get books on their shelves.. The Bookmark bookstore on Spring Garden Road (and in Charlottetown, PEI) now has copies of The Year Round Vegetable Gardener on its shelves!

On a related note, here's another review that has just come out of the UK - Click here!

Now, must get busy today on book 2! I have some exciting experts from across North America (and beyond) that are contributing to this book.. but deadlines are approaching and I need to get down to work! I will ignore the Kitchen Garden Seeds catalogue that arrived in the mail yesterday too.. so.. hard.. to.. resist..

UPDATE - Bayers Lake Chapters and Mic Mac Chapters also now both have copies!!

UPDATED UPDATE - Plovers in both Mahone Bay and Halifax also now have copies in stock!! (Thanks for the support Plovers!!)

UPDATE #10,000,000! - Ok, final update for now. I may just list these in a widget to the side of this blog. Halifax Seed now has copies of the book too. They will also be selling them at my lecture on year-round gardening at the Keshen Goodman library on Feb 1st at 7 pm in Halifax and at the book launch at Halifax Seed on Sat Feb 4th from 2 to 4 pm.

Have a great weekend!

Mark Cullen's Top Online Gardening Sites

2012-01-18T13:17:00.001-04:00

Wow, just heard that Mark Cullen, (aka 'Canada's Garden Guru') picked this blog as one of his top online gardening sites!! Click here to see! (also, check out the photo of Mark and I from this past year.. love my red eyes!! yikes!) :) Mark has been very kind to me and helpful with advice in this industry, so it was an unexpected treat to see his list today.

Thanks so much Mark, it's very appreciated!

Sprouting Shoots for Winter Greens

2012-01-15T17:10:00.004-04:00

I have to admit that I'm not much of a sprouter - using jars, etc to sprout seeds.. I know it's quick - typically 1 to 3 days for the end result, but I always forget to rinse often with fresh water, which leaves the possibility of nasty organisms like e-coli.

So, I instead, I 'green up' our windowsills with shoots! Growing shoots like broccoli, mustard, radish, peas, sunflowers and more is extremely easy. It does take a bit more time than sprouting seeds - about 7 to 21 days, but I love the end result. We toss handfuls in wraps, salads, pasta and stir-fries. Plus, the kids love to scissor harvest them! We simply plant them in shallow containers with about an inch of moist potting soil and wait for our crunchy, super nutritious treat to grow!

A week ago, I seeded some broccoli shoots and tonight we're harvesting most of them for a Sunday night pasta. Here's the week in review:

Just planted! Sow thickly and cover with plastic until the
seeds sprout in a day or so.

Day 2 - germination!

Day 3 - Here they come!

Day 5 - Almost an inch tall!

Day 7 - Time to harvest.. 2 inches tall and ready to eat!

They're almost too pretty to harvest...

Another photo that didn't make it to the book!

2012-01-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

I'm super surprised that this little gem didn't make it into The Year Round Vegetable Gardener! Here's a photo of my extremely dedicated editor from Storey Publishing, Carleen Madigan and I celebrating the end of the last photo shoot for the book..

we take our jobs VERY seriously!

A photo from The Year Round Vegetable Gardener and Thinking about Seeds

2012-01-13T14:46:00.001-04:00

My seed boxes are now organized and I now know what I need (and don't need!) for the upcoming year. I say year because I will order all that I need until next Jan. This means I have to think about what I want to plant for next winter's harvest.. takes a bit more thought, but will be worth it! :)

Since it's Friday and 10 C (50 F), I am thinking about spring. Therefore, I thought I'd post a summer photo that is included in The Year Round Vegetable Gardener to hopefully inspire you! My soil-covered hands with a small sample of some of our favourite tomatoes - Sungold, Black Cherry and Sweet Million.

Have a great weekend!

Upcoming garden events.. and Bob Cervelli!

2012-01-11T11:04:00.001-04:00

Bob, Carleen (my awesome editor from Storey Publishing)
and me in Bob's winter garden picking parsnips and beets!

I know that it's -15 C outside right now with the windchill and it feels mighty cold, but I have to admit that I'm kind of in a spring-like frame of mind. I've been busy working on presentations for numerous upcoming events (click here to check out the events which will be open to the public), reading advance copies of some fabulous soon-to-be-released gardening books (including Liz Primeau's In Pursuit of Garlic - LOVE it) and seeding shoots like broccoli, sunflower and radish.

I also just got an e-mail about another upcoming event that will be happening on Wed Jan 18th at 7 pm at the Tantallon Library. The wonderful Bob Cervelli, will be speaking on The Zero Mile Diet.. I'm hoping to attend, as he is a great speaker and an incredible gardener.

In fact, Bob is also featured in The Year Round Vegetable Gardener! We photographed his cold frames, unheated greenhouse and open garden beds in winter.. so much fun! Here's a photo from our winter shoot last Jan in Bob's garden. So much fun!

2012-01-10T09:39:00.002-04:00

A photo that didn't make the cut for the book..
but I love the look of the snow and cold frame anyway!
(photo by Joseph DeSciose)

Are you coming?!

I hope you'll join me and some garden-loving friends on Saturday, Feb 4th from 2 to 4 pm at Halifax Seed on Kane Street in Halifax. There will be a fun 'behind the scenes' presentation and door prizes! Plus, there will be copies of the book for sale and I can attempt to write something witty in your copy! (Don't hold your breath for witty! In fact, comment with your suggestions of what I should be writing in people's books!!)

For more info, please go to the Halifax Seed website or give them a call at (902) 454-7456.

Or, you can pre-register at the facebook page for the event - here!

Can't wait.. should be a blast!

Seed catalog time!!

2012-01-09T12:04:00.000-04:00

Ok, the Christmas tree has been cut up for mulch (covering a bed of overwintering spinach!), the decorations are down and packed away, and I'm ready for seed season! It seems to me that the seed catalog's have begun to arrive earlier and earlier every year. I got my first one last November! And although I was thrilled (remember, I'm a crazy gardener), I really have no intention of putting any serious thought, much less an order into any seed company until early to mid January. And so it's now Jan 9th and my thoughts are finally beginning to turn to seeds..

Of course, I should begin by cleaning up and inventorying my existing seed boxes (4 shoe boxes full now). But, for now, I wanted to share some of my favourite sources with you to get you in a 'seedy frame of mind' as well..

Annapolis Seeds

Their new 2012 catalog will be online in just a few more days - I can't wait.. Owen Bridge, the 20 year old owner of this amazing Nova Scotian seed company has some really interesting new introductions for the coming season. His selection of heirloom tomatoes has grown dramatically, and it was already pretty extensive. Last year I grew Cole, OSU Blue, Chiapis Wild and Black Cherry.. Plus, look for more beans, greens and other vegetables..

Terra Edibles Heirloom Seeds

Located in Foxboro, Ontario, this lovely small company has been around for many years, providing their customers with a huge range of heirloom tomatoes, assorted veggies, herbs and antique flowers. So many tomatoes, so little garden space! This year, I'm leaning towards Jaune Flamme, Earl of Edgecombe and Japanese Black Trifele for tomatoes, as well as their unusual climbing zucchini, Tatume!

Hope Seeds

Another Nova Scotian treasure, this heirloom seed company will also be launching their 2012 catalog shortly. Love their Drunken Woman lettuce, Giant Winter spinach, Costata Romanesca squash (the BEST!), Jaune et Verte zucchini (gorgeous!) and Pink Fir potatoes.. and Caribe potatoes.. and their excellent selection of Jerusalem Artichokes..

Halifax Seed

North America's oldest continually operating seed company is celebrating 146 years this year! They'll also be hosting my book launch on Saturday, Feb 4th from 2 to 4 pm - hope to see you there!! Happily, the 2012 Halifax Seed catalog also offers some excellent seeds - from Sungold tomatoes to Lemon cucumbers to Nero Di Toscanada kale to purple Mizuna to Napoli carrots!

Incredible Seeds

I haven't personally ordered from this new-ish company yet, but I thought I'd include them because they have a very good listing of heirloom and open-pollinated seeds. Located just outside Halifax, their catalog includes Purple Peacock pole beans, Lazy Housewife pole beans, Mortgage Lifter tomato, Cherokee Purple tomato and Cimmaron red romaine lettuce.

Pumpkin Moon Seeds
This is another great local company, based in the Annapolis Valley. Michelle Fike is an herbalist who offers a wide range of natural and handmade products, but she also collects and saves seeds from her heirloom and open-pollinated plants. Her seed list is not excessively huge, but offers a good range of veggies, herbs and annual flowers. For those gardeners who want to try everything, but don't want to buy too many seed packets, Michelle offers a handful of mixed packets like her Runner bean mix, pumpkin mix, carrot mix, beet mix heirloom tomato mix and so on. Love it!

Greta's Organic Garden

I've loved this website for many years, but only recently met the gardener behind it at the ACORN Conference and Trade Show this past Nov. I may have accidently bought a few packets of seed from her table at the show.. I picked up Lacinato Rainbow kale (so exciting!), Ruby Streaks mustard (super frilly), Cocozelle zucchini, Mid-east prolific Lebanese cukes, Montreal melons and more!

Call me optimistic, but spring is coming... it will soon be time to brush the dust off my grow-lights and begin seeding the Imperial Star artichokes.. but for now, I'll content myself with harvesting from the winter garden, growing indoor shoots like sunflowers and broccoli and flipping through the pages of my favourite seed catalog's, dreaming of the coming season..

This Sunday I'll be a Guest on The Organic Gardeners!

2012-01-06T18:19:00.000-04:00

Guess what? I'll be on The Organic Gardeners radio show this Sunday morning at approx 7:15 EST (8:15 Atlantic time)!! So excited! LOVE Doug Oster and Jessica Walliser Hope you will tune in live here!

I'm on Global Maritimes tonight!!

2012-01-04T15:55:00.002-04:00

Catch me embarrassing myself tonight on the 6 o'clock broadcast (Atlantic time) of Global Maritimes! They came by earlier today to film a 2 min piece on year round veggie gardening.. which took an hour in the -20 C weather.. I was so cold, that I was chattering during the interview! :) Not the coolest TV personality, I better stick to radio!

To find the link tomorrow or thereafter, click here!

2012-01-03T15:26:00.003-04:00

Extra! Extra! Read all about it.. My first blog post on the Proven Winners website has just gone online. Check it out here!

My first official book review (it's good!) and a few other programming notes..

2012-01-03T10:36:00.001-04:00

Oh my gosh! I just discovered that there are reviews of my brand new book out there.. Here is the link to the one I just found - Foreword Reviews! I am so excited.. To spend 2 years working on a book (plus the many years of research - aka 'epic failures' and 'modest successes') and finally see it come out (still hasn't arrived in Canada yet though - mere days I think!!) and have such a wonderful review, makes me ecstatic!

Ok.. cleansing breath.. must get back to work on book #2 or I will be in big trouble come September..

As well, in today's Weekly News, there's an article about the book!

Also, I hope you'll tune in for my spot on The Organic Gardeners radio show this coming Sunday, Jan 8th at around 8:15 Atlantic time (7:15 EST)! To listen live online - click here. I love Doug and Jessica and can't wait to join them on their extremely popular show..

Here's to a great 2012!!

I've joined twitter!

2011-12-30T10:09:00.002-04:00

I knew it was bound to happen someday.. but apparently someday has arrived. I joined twitter yesterday and will do my best to tweet timely, interesting, and if possible, witty tidbits of info. Check my twitter at @NikiJabbour.

Also, let me know what you think about my current background image on my twitter account - it's a photo of the tulips and forget-me-not's that I took this past April while visiting Monet's Garden. Ah.. April in Paris..

I will also soon have some more events to add to my spring schedule.. I have a feeling that Rhode Island and Philly may be in my future..

Happy New Year!

Proven Winners Blogs!

2011-12-29T16:59:00.004-04:00

Supertunia® Pretty Much Picasso®, one of my

favourite container plants!!

I'm getting a lot of e-mails about the Proven Winners blog (see the PW badge to the right of the page) and how people can read the posts.. My first post will be online in just a few days, but the other lovely bloggers from across the US and Western Canada can be accessed here - Proven Winners Blogs! Enjoy!

A look back at 2011..

2011-12-28T16:49:00.005-04:00

Is 2011 really almost over? I can hardly believe it! I also can't believe that it was way back in November of 2009 that I started working on The Year Round Vegetable Gardener and it has now been released (it's becoming widely available in the US and will soon be in Canada too - I promise!) At the time, I knew the book would come out late 2011/early 2012, but that seemed a lifetime away. Yet, here we are and 2012 is looking like a busy year - I have over 40 events/lectures/book signings, etc already booked and many more to come. Plus, I need to finish book #2, which is due in Sept (to be published by Storey Publishing in 2013).

I also love to travel and I was thrilled that 2011 brought some incredible trips. From the springtime gardens and markets of France and Belgium to the heat of Indiana and Kentucky in August. The US trip introduced me to 499 of my fellow garden writers from across North America and it was so much fun to meet those whose work I have enjoyed for years. I also have become a blogger on the Proven Winners website and my first post will be published on the site in just a few days!

Although I had less time for my own gardens this year because of travel and work, we still managed to enjoy a bounty of garden fresh veggies during all 12 months, thanks to our sneaky season extenders. Here is a bit of a visual tour through my 2011!

All the best to you and yours for a prosperous, happy, healthy and veggie-filled 2012!

Europe 2011!

Monet's garden on a warm April day.. truly a paradise!

Forget-me-not's and tulips - a classic combination.

Every corner of the garden was a perfect picture!

I just couldn't get enough of the spring blooming bulbs!

Is it real or a figment of my imagination? Mont St. Michel was a highlight of the trip.

The markets of Bayeux, France!!

Black tomatoes in the French markets

I so desperately wanted to take some of these veggie seedlings home!!

A big surprise - Howard Dill pumpkins (from Nova Scotia) in Bruges, Belgium!

Garden Writers Annual Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana - Aug 2011

The lovely Penny O'Sullivan, who co-wrote The Pruning Answer Book and is the author of The Homeowner's Complete Tree and Shrub Handbook. LOVE her!

Watch out - it's the Canadian contingent at Garden Writers! From left - me, Kathy Wood, Donna Balzer, Steven Biggs (Donna and Steve co-authored No-Guff Vegetable Gardening) and Donna Dawson, the genius behind www.icangarden.com

I loved this mischievous little dude that was tucked in an Indianapolis garden.

Doug Oster, Jessica Walliser and me at the Garden Writer's Convention. Love Jessica's book, Good Bug, Bad Bug and Doug wrote Tomato, Garlic, Basil and they co-wrote Grow Organic.

Indianapolis Slow Food Garden - a succession planting of arugula

I thought this was a charming sign stuck in the sweet potato bed!

My favourite kale - over 4-feet tall in Indianapolis!

Back home - my garden!

A late autumn peek under one of our mini hoop tunnels.

Painted lady runner beans - thanks to gardeningbren!

February carrots - a super sweet winter treat!

This is my neighbour's garden - honest!! :) Great idea though..

We let our annual poppies seed throughout the vegetable garden.

Love these crazy double poppies..

This nasturtium from www.reneesgarden.com boasted a very unique colour combination.

Hort East 2011 in Moncton, New Brunwick! I went to meet some of the readers of Gardens East magazine!

A White Christmas!!

2011-12-23T13:29:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm not sure how the last-minute shoppers are feeling, but it sure is nice to see a bit of white stuff before Christmas! We expected 2 to 4 cm (1 to 2 inches), but we ended up with 15 cm (6 inches)! Now that the barrage of fluffy snowflakes seems to be slowing, I thought I'd run up to take a few photos of the snow-covered garden. It's such a thick layer of snow, however, that it's hard to even see where the cold frames are hidden! I should probably shovel them off, but I know the snow will just add an insulating layer to them, protecting the veggies within from any cold weather. Therefore, I will just leave the snow for a few days. If it doesn't melt off by then, I will give them a quick cleaning.

Here are a few shots from a snowy Dec 23..

Thank you so much for following my gardening adventures this year and I hope you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate!!) and I wish you much happiness in 2012!

Kale orzotto with a blend of kales from the garden!

The mache (aka corn salad) cold frame - stuffed full for winter!

The failed deer fence looks pretty in the snow

One of the sunken cold frames and the deer fence in the backyard.

Where's the cold frame??

Another shot of the mache frame with my fancy prop

The giant Chinese silver grass - 10 feet tall at this point. I use the canes as bamboo stakes in the garden each spring.

Amazing Edible Seminar at Lee Valley

2011-12-14T15:51:00.000-04:00

With 'the book' coming out in just a few weeks - the official launch date is Jan 14th, but I'm told it could be in stores before then - my spring is starting to book up with workshops, lectures and other similar events. One of these will be taking place at Lee Valley in Halifax on Friday February 17th from 6:30 to 8:30. They just opened registration yesterday and I've listed the details below and the link can be found here - Amazing Edibles Workshop:

I hope to see you there!

Amazing Edibles 2 hours

Friday, February 17, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

"Grow your own produce" is the biggest gardening trend in decades. If you'd like to learn the basics of growing your own vegetables and herbs and extending your harvest season into the fall and winter, join Niki Jabbour for an interactive visual presentation. Niki will share tips on creating a garden that is as pretty as it is productive. Plus, she'll offer ideas on gardening in a small plot or in containers, creating compost, and using cold frames, as well as showcasing a selection of some of the best varieties for Nova Scotia gardeners. Fee: $20.00

Niki Jabbour is a food gardener and writer who lives near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her articles have appeared in Canadian Gardener, Garden Making, Gardens East, The Heirloom Gardener and other publications. She is the host of The Weekend Gardener, a call-in radio show airing throughout the Maritimes on News 97.5. Niki blogs at www.yearroundveggiegardener.blogspot.com. Her garden boasts over 40 heirloom vegetables and herbs that keep her family eating fresh food year round.

All seminar net proceeds are donated to United Way.

Seating is Limited
Please register early to avoid disappointment.
To purchase tickets call: (902) 450-1221
Unless otherwise stated, previous experience is not required
to participate in seminars.
Seminar tickets are not available online.
Beverages are provided at our seminars and a light
sandwich lunch is provided at all-day events.
Please discuss any special dietary needs
with the staff at time of registration.
In an effort to reduce waste, we encourage you to bring in
your own coffee mug and/or refillable water bottle.
We require that you wear closed shoes
(e.g. running shoes) to all seminars.
Prices are subject to GST.
48 hours notice required for cancellation refunds.
We reserve the right to reschedule seminars.
Lee Valley Tools Ltd.
100 Susie Lake Crescent
Halifax, NS
(In Bayers Lake Business Park)

The Cold Tolerant Asian Green Experiment!

2011-12-07T13:34:00.001-04:00

As a year-round gardener, I'm always on the lookout for cold-tolerant veggies that may be harvested from our devices - cold frames, mini hoop tunnels, etc - over the winter. Throughout the past two years, I've been experimenting with a wide assortment of Asian veggies like mustards, mizuna, tatsoi and so on. For a seed addict like me, it's a great excuse to keep ordering from seed catalogues and now that the new 2012 seed catalogues have begun to arrive, I've been busy adding new introductions to my ever-growing must try list!

Tatsoi has been a particular champ and thrives in our winter frames.. An interesting observation is that in winter it grows in a low rosette of shiny, deep green leaves - almost flat to the soil - while in spring/summer/fall, it's growth habit is more upright. I have tried it in several devices, but find it does best in a cold frame. Mind you, I've left it completely unprotected and was able to harvest through the snow and ice in mid-January last year.

Mizuna is another essential cold season green with pretty, finely cut leaves and various shades of green and purple. It has a mild wasabi-like flavour and is great young in salads or stir-fried when mature. It also makes a nice sushi roll if you don't have any nori sheets!

I've also had a lot of fun growing various mustards during this experiment - from the frilly, lacy foliage of Ruby Streaks, to the wide, huge leaves of Red Giant. Green Wave is also so pretty and is extremely slow-to-bolt in early to mid-summer. Flipping through my new Johnny's Selected Seed catalogue, I've added 'Scarlet Frills to my list for 2012 and Golden Frills - so delicate looking!

I have a feeling this experiment may not have an end!

My blend of Asian greens ready to be covered for winter.

Green Wave mustard - just look at that frilled edge!

Red Giant and Green Wave make nice planting partners - a colourful garden edge!

Tatsoi.. a lovely and super-hardy winter veggie

Late November Asian greens - getting a bit overgrown because of the mild weather!

New growth on the mizuna - where is winter!?

Proven Winners First Blog Post is Up!!

2011-12-06T14:41:00.001-04:00

To add on to my 'big announcement' yesterday of becoming one of Proven Winner's Garden Guru's, I thought I would mention that the first PW blog post has gone LIVE! It's by the lovely Genevieve Schmidt and you can find the link to her first post here - Proven Winners Blog

My first post will be in a week or so.. I'll keep you updated! By the way, I hope you take some time to check out the blogs of my fellow PW Garden Guru's.. I linked to them in my last post and I have also added them to my blog roll. I was lucky to meet a few of these wonderful garden communicators in person in Indianapolis last August at the Garden Writers Annual Convention and I hope to meet the rest of the crew in the near future!

On another note, I just got back from a gorgeous garden in Halifax.. it will be featured in an upcoming issue of Gardens East magazine - March/April, I believe. Typically when I am working on gardening articles in December, it's bitterly cold, snowy and impossible to see the actual gardens.. today, it's mild, green and the earth is so spongy that I'm glad I didn't wear my heeled boots! :)

Off to the Rhodo Society Christmas party tonight! Good food, friends and plant fun!

Big Announcement - Proven Winners Garden Gurus!!

2011-12-05T08:53:00.001-04:00

Pretty Much Picasso - LOVE that green edge!

Well, it’s finally happened! My dreams of becoming a national spokeswoman have come true and I am now an official garden guru for Proven Winners! To be honest, I have been a proven winners girl for awhile (just don’t tell the head honchos at PW), so it seemed like a natural fit when they asked me to contribute to their website and blog.

Perhaps we might seem like strange bedfellows – a nice, veggie girl like me and a company that prides itself on its ornamental plants – but my garden does extend beyond the realm of edibles you know (not that you can tell that from most of my blog posts!). In recent years, I have become rather obsessed with their awesome line of hydrangeas, as well as their container plants like ‘Pretty Much Picasso’ Supertunia and ‘Diamond Frost’ Euphorbia.

And no, this doesn’t mean that I have to go to garden shows and drape myself alluringly (Is that a word? Maybe I should say dramatically?) over the newly introduced plants like a model at a car show. Although, that does sound rather fun! Instead, it just means that I get to ‘test-drive’ (sorry, another car reference) a wide variety of new plants and introduce my favourites to you!

I’d also like to invite you to check out the blogs of my fellow garden guru’s who are also contributing to the proven winners site at www.provenwinners.com.. I’m thrilled to be associated with these talented writers and am looking forward to following their gardening adventures as well!

Cheers!

http://gardenertofarmer.net

www.reddirtramblings.com

www.cowlickcottagefarm.com

www.northcoastgardening.com

www.jpetersongardendesign.com

www.punkrockgardens.com

www.kissmyaster.co

Veggie flowers!

2011-12-03T19:22:00.001-04:00

This is the time of year when I spend a lot of time going through my photos from the past year as I start to put together calenders, Christmas cards and photo books to give as gifts this holiday season. Therefore, I've been putting off my 'real work' and instead immersing myself in a visual history of the last 12 months. As I re-organize and review all my photos (over 2000!), it's a good time to weed out similar images, but I also find that it inspires me with new post ideas! Hence today's post - on flowers from my veggie garden.. I did toss in a few flowering herbs, but most are my veggies in flower. I tend to not let too many veggies go to flower (and eventually seed), because space is valuable and once something has stopped producing, want to re-plant that bed ASAP. Yet, occasionally a few specimens are allowed to produce seed - like the mache below because it is such an easy way to ensure a non-stop harvest.

On a similar note, I've also been quite busy with writing - I have 3 big deadlines looming in just a week and I really need to move the progress of book #2 along a bit faster.. Book #1, The Year Round Vegetable Gardener will be hitting stores in just a few weeks (Woo hoo!) and the excitement of the upcoming 'official' book launch (early Feb) and all the other events that are booked is beginning to set in!

I will have another exciting announcement in just a day or so! But for now, I hope you enjoy these veggie flowers..

A single mache plant will produce thousands of seeds!

The flower buds of Giant Red mustard taste like broccoli.. yum!

Everyone loves chamomile.. especially the pollinators!

Evergreen long white green onions are super cold tolerant for winter harvesting and produce pretty summer flowers.

The pole beans - before the deer came!

'Sylvetta' arugula - also very cold tolerant for winter cold frames.

The soft blue blooms of endive is one of my favourites.

'Painted Lady' pole beans - I love the bi-coloured blooms

It's hard to capture the intense yellow of zucchini flowers - we grew 7 types this summer!