Dear readers and gardeners

This is the final issue in our first year of national publishing. Hooray!

And what have I learned in this issue? Well, for one thing, I learned just exactly what threshing and winnowing is. You can grow your own wheat, and it’s not hard to do. Cultivate a few blades in a potted arrangement or a few rows in your garden. And if I ever get the two or more acres my heart dreams of, I may just plant an eighth of an acre in wheat. This would give me four bushels of wheat kernels, which could be milled into over 160 pounds of flour, which would make 240 loaves of bread. Except… threshing and winnowing look like some mighty hard work. Maybe I should plant far less and just enjoy the experience and a loaf or two of bread.

Easier for sure to focus on potatoes, about which there’s a lot of information in this issue, from how to grow to the history of this nutrient powerhouse. I planted three in my tiny vegetable plot and thought they were disintegrated for sure after showing nothing for two weeks, but now they’ve poked their heads above the soil and are growing like gangbusters.

One plant I’ve never tried before is begonias, but Dorothy (my mother) has some good information on them, making me wonder if it’s too late to add some in pots. Or do I dare to try one inside, like the polka dot begonia also covered herein?

Greg Auton gives us the rundown on the many different ways you can store your produce once it’s ready. Freezing it, canning it, pickling it, or just leaving it in a cool, dark place are some of the things you can do. Greg will walk you through these and a few more besides.

We also have how to build a labyrinth garden, propagating shrubs, collecting seeds, and a story from Dan Rubin about how they’re building greenhouses on the south side of a hill in Newfoundland. Makes good sense!

We have three gardens for you to peruse: the Spirit Garden in South Surrey, BC; Olivia Warrington’s Mediterranean-inspired garden in Winnipeg; and the home garden of expert plantsman Larry Hodgson of Quebec City.

It’s been a busy time, not only with all these articles but with our bi-weekly podcast. My mom and I gab with someone from the gardening community about some aspect of gardening for about an hour. It’s relaxed and chatty and fun. Have a listen by going to our website, using the QR code, or looking for Canada’s Local Gardener Podcast on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

I hope to leave in two weeks to visit gardens throughout the summer, meeting the people who make them happen and taking pictures, with all the COVID-19 preparations you can imagine. It will be glorious! See you in the fall! Check out the growing library of Canada’s Local Gardener Podcasts!

Shauna Dobbie Editor shauna@pegasuspublications.net