Hello gardeners!

Don’t you just want to get out there and plant something? Or maybe you already have. This spring holds so much promise, more than any I can recall.

This is the issue with our picks for new plant varieties being marketed this year. One that I’m really excited about is the hanging blueberry. As someone who gave up on planting acid-loving blueberries in my more pH-balanced garden years ago, I can hardly wait to get my hands on a couple. Container-grown corn is another that intrigues me, and I quite like the look of ‘Ice Cream Dream’ Shasta daisy.

I acquired a Vegepod over the winter, the raised bed with a self-watering system and an air-permeable cover that is taking the world by storm. I was inspired by the Two Olde Dawgs building one in this issue. The Vegepod is sitting on my porch right now and I can hardly wait to fill it with tomatoes. The weather has been so promising, but I’m determined to wait until May to plant them. Kevin Twomey told me to hold off on planting tomatoes in Episode 2 of the Canada’s Local Gardener Podcast.

Another possibility would be to put some peanuts in the Vegepod; I’ve written a story on growing peanuts for this issue and Toronto is a good place to try it. We definitely get enough heat here, but even in my hometown of Winnipeg it would be worth a try. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right?

I’m also longing to start new gardens by planting potatoes and mulch over grass and weeds, but my entire yard is already garden, so I’ll have to wait until I’ve moved into a new place with a bit of uncultivated land. Greg Auton tells us how to do it in this issue and between the article and his videos, I’m eager to give it a go.

Sherrie Versluis, also known as the Bird Girl in Winnipeg, has a story all about woodpeckers for us, and Dorothy Dobbie has written about peat and other soil helpers. Dorothy also has a story on a garden in Victoria, built by painter Helen Stewart. I’ve rounded out the issue with stories on two of my very favourite gardens: Kim Sinclair’s in Winnipeg, which I visited almost two years ago, and Jay Wesley’s Japanese-inspired garden in Halifax, of which I’ve only seen pictures. This country is full of absolutely amazing gardeners.

I’m looking forward (fingers crossed) to visiting more of these beautiful gardens this summer if I can travel across the country. I already have my flights booked to go out west, and my plans are solidifying to drive through Quebec and the Maritimes for the first time this year. If you’d like me to visit your garden, give me a shout by email. I’d love to hear from you!

Shauna Dobbie, Editor shauna@pegasuspublications.net