Vegetable gardening in Canada is made easier with gardening expert Douglas Green’s simple, commonsense approach.
With his sense of humor and encouraging voice, Doug shows you all the insider how-to and when-to information; helpful planting, harvesting, and organic problem-solving tips; and advice on growing vegetables in limited space.
Doug’s personal recommendations of more than 50 proven vegetables and herbs make this the must-have resource for anyone interested in growing vegetables in Canada. You’ll learn to grow healthy, abundant asparagus, broccoli, cucumber, kale, lettuce, pepper, summer squash, tomato, watermelon, winter squash, arugula, chives, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and much more. Find within:
Full-color photos
Canadian zone maps and what they mean
Tips for extending the growing season
Advice on compost and improving soil quality
How and when to water
Container gardening tips
Dealing with common Canadian pests, like deer and raccoons
Shade gardening tricks
Timing charts for sowing and harvesting
With the Guide to Canadian Vegetable Gardening, you will be on your way to eating healthier, saving money, and having fun doing it!
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I could write for a long time about growing vegetables but the main thing you really need to know is that growing your own vegetables is worth the effort. There is absolutely nothing like the taste of a sun-ripened tomato picked from your own garden and sliced onto a heavily buttered toast for a tomato sandwich, all accomplished within a few minutes.You won’t believe the sweetness of corn that goes from garden to pot to plate in three minutes. Getting kids (of all sizes) to eat their veggies is easy if you let them grow and pick sweet, edible-podded peas; there’ll be a lineup in the garden to pick them. Just don’t expect any peas to get to the table . . .
I’ve put exactly what you need to know to grow great vegetables in this chapter. This information has been distilled from literally years of answering vegetable gardening questions in my own nursery and Internet writing. Happy growing and set a place at the table for me!
ASPARAGUS
Asparagus is one of the greatest plants for an early spring garden and you either love them or hate them. I happen to love the garden varieties but I still collect the wild spears in early spring.
When to Plant
There are two ways to start an asparagus bed—the fast, expensive way or the slow, inexpensive way. Fast and expensive is to purchase the roots you’ll need. The slow and inexpensive way is to grow from seed.
While it is possible to start seed indoors in January, the easier way is to sow directly into the garden in mid-April. Soak seed for 48 hours before sowing by laying them on a damp paper towel. Asparagus seed is a very slow germinator; it takes about 30 days.
Where to Plant
Plant in full sunshine in your best soils. Do not plant in clay soil as any tendency toward waterlogging will rot the roots.
How to Plant
Dig a trench approximately 10 cm deep. Sow the seed 2 to 3 cm deep in the bottom of the trench and space the seed several centimetres apart.
After seed germinates, thin to 12 cm apart. Over the summer, gradually fill in the trench with soil while you are cultivating. Mulch over the winter to protect the young roots. The following April, before they start to emerge, dig up all the roots.
The fast folks will simply purchase asparagus roots while the slow gardeners will have spent a year growing their roots.
Dig a trench in the garden approximately 20 to 30 cm deep and 30 cm wide. Set the most vigorous roots 25 to 30 cm apart. Space the rows 1.2 m apart.
Cover the roots with 5 to 8 cm of soil but do not fill in the trench. Over the course of the summer, gradually fill in the trench as described previously. By the time fall arrives, it will be filled in without a lot of extra work. You want the spears to grow while you slowly backfill the trench; doing it all at once will delay their growth.
Care & Maintenance
Do not harvest spears the first year! You can take a single harvest the second year, the first week that spears appear. After that, allow all spears to grow foliage. By the third year, you should be able to harvest for 6 weeks. Allow all spears after this to mature.
Control weeds by using an organic mulch. Mulch also evens out the soil temperature, provides protection to the asparagus roots, and increases organic matter.
Additional Information
If you find your spears are thin, you are not feeding enough; spears should be thumb-thick. Thicker spears are the tastiest and these will be produced early in the season.
Leave the foliage alone until it turns yellow-golden brown in the fall; then you can cut it down and compost it.
Control asparagus beetle by handpicking, rotenone, or diatomaceous ea...
