Did You Know? 4/30/11

Did You Know?

Few plants are salt-tolerant but beets and squash are two of the most salt-tolerant vegetables.

Beans and carrots are two vegetables that are salt-sensitive.

Pruning Hydrangeas

Are you afraid to prune your Endless Summer Hydrangea? This video addresses spring pruning for Endless Summer Hydrangeas. A must see for northern gardeners who grow these gorgeous hydrangeas. But, it is not limited to the northern green thumbs. If your Endless Summer Hydrangea died back over the winter, just follow these simple instructions and you'll be on your way to a full and healthy plant, ready for summer blooms.

Uncovering Your Hydrangea in the Spring

If you are unsure about when you should uncover your hydrangea in the spring, this video is what you need. It was prepared by Endless Summer Blooms, and provides specific guidelines for spring to yield the best results with your Endless Summer Hydrangeas.

Growing Sprouts at Home - the Cheaper and Healthy Alternative

This brief video makes growing sprouts easy to accomplish with the most simple of ingredients.  Sprouts are excellent in stir fry dishes and in sandwiches.  Imagine a ciabatta sandwich with your favourite meat and cheese, and sprouts sprinkled over top of the filling.  Delicious!

Here's a sandwich recipe I found on Good Sprout News:

Sprout Mountain Sandwich


3 slices cooked bacon
1/4 tsp. horseradish
1 tsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. relish
dash of paprika

Crumble bacon and mix with remaining ingredients. Spread the mixture on an open croissant. Then add in layers:

alfalfa sprouts
cucumber, thinly sliced
tomatoes
green onions, chopped

Enjoy!!

Happy Easter!

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

from The Gardening Life

Community Gardens

The cost of produce has increased by 12% here in Alberta, perhaps country wide.  So what does one do?  Do we dig a bit deeper into our pockets, eat fewer fresh vegetables and fruits, or do we become pro-active and grow our own?

If you live in an apartment with a balcony, you can grow a great myriad of vegetables and herbs in containers with the right light.  But for those without the right conditions or a yard, there are community gardens like the one in the photo above. 

More and more people are turning to community gardens to compensate for the lack of their own personal garden and it saves money too.  Growing your own vegetables can save a lot of the grocery budget.  I was watching a Global Edmonton news segment about community gardens wherein one interviewee said she saved $500 last year by growing her own produce.  That's significant! 

Some community gardens offer raised bed gardening, which is ideal for those with physical limitations, and/or in ground gardening plots.  Check with your local community to see if there is one near you.

Failing that, one can grow in containers too.  Most vegetables require about 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.  Check with your local garden center for advice on growing in containers.  This blog will also run a feature on container gardening and I am teaching a class on the same in mid-May.  Check back here for more soon.

Hanging Basket Basics

Rob Sproule, of Salisbury Greenhouse, discusses some hanging plant basics including plant selection and fertilizer.

Time To Grow - CityLine

Time To Grow - CityLine

Click on the link to read an interview between Tracey Moore and Frank Ferragine, author of Get Growing.

Annuals in Containers - Rob Sproule

Rob Sproule, of Salisbury Greenhouse, discusses in this brief video annuals to grow in containers.

Containers for Gardening

Rob Sproule, of Salisbury Greenhouse in Sherwood Park, discusses in this brief video the selection of pots available to start your own container garden.