Top 10 crops to grow if the future feels uncertain
Jerusalem artichoke
It’s a thug, be warned. Once in the garden it is hard to get out. It will grow almost anywhere. The crop is a sweet starchy tuber that can be cooked similar to potatoes.
Kale
A hardy green from the cabbage family that is worth growing because it can be harvested all season and right through to the following spring. All parts of the plant can be eaten, stem, leaves and flowers. It readily self seeds in fall. Can be cooked or eaten raw in salads.
Potatoes
One of the easiest and most prolific crops. Pop them in in the spring and pull them out in the fall. They store easily so you can eat through to the following spring.
Herbs
(Copious amounts of all of them). If food chains are disrupted, and all we are eating is potatoes and kale, we will need some serious flavour to keep it interesting. Grow lots of sage, chives, thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, tarragon etc. The more variety the better.
Perennial arugula
Beets
An easy to grow green that just does not stop growing. It is drought-resistant and lowmaintenance. It has quite a spicy tang on the tongue when eaten.
Everybody knows beets, the sweet roots that are easy to grow and will last in the ground right through until the following spring. The leafy tops are also edible.
Claytonia (Miner’s lettuce)
Tomato
Soft spinach like green that’s worth growing because it grows all winter long. It is easy to grow and easy to eat. It self seeds readily.
The queen of the garden plot. They are a bit more labour intensive, but so prolific and so incredibly versatile. You can live off them in summer, but they can also be canned in a multitude of ways to be saved for winter. A must in my opinion.
Garlic
Life without garlic may not be worth living. If the world begins to unravel, we are going to need some serious flavour to keep meals interesting. Also garlic is said to be extremely healthy for you and it does have antibiotic properties.
- Jonathan Van Wiltenburg
Beans (fresh & dried)
Eat fresh green beans all summer, and the dry beans all winter. Beans grow very easily, once planted they romp along nicely. All you have to do is harvest.
Scholarships Each year Powell River Community Forest offers three (3) scholarships of $3,000 each to Powell River students entering (or already enrolled in) a forestry or natural resource management university program or in forestry-related occupational trades and training programs. Applications may be sent at any time. Visit our website for more information.
Perimeter Tiles / Drainage Landscape Preparation Certified Onsite Wastewater Systems Excavating & Site Services 604 487 0466 Rock Walls Serving the Sunshine Coast for 27 Years Office: 604-487-0466 • Cell: 604-208-2010
SEEKING NEW BOARD MEMBERS Life6 Cycle Housing Society is currently recruiting new Board Members who are interested in affordable 6 Sand Excavations housing by developing and applying their skills6 to advance this cause. The Board is seeking individuals who Gravel 6 Drainage & Erosion Control may have experience in financial or legal backgrounds, construction project management, administration, 6 Soils 6 Site social & Underground Services business, work, or who have a wide network of contacts in the community. The Board meets monthly Septic Systems type Ion&various II PLcommittees IN MP throughout the year. for a dinner meeting and works If you are new to town, or someone who has some time and interest in the social housing sector and CLARKE FULLER ROWP community development, we encourage you to apply. For more information on our mandate and to see a CELL 604 2010 description of the duties of a208 Life Cycle Board Member, visit the Society’s website at lifecyclehousing.com. RR#3 C-2 Stillwater Powell V8Aof 5C1 Interested applicants are asked to River submitBC a Letter Intent outlining why you want to participate and the skills you can bring to the Board.
Letters must be submitted electronically to lchouse@uniserve.com no later than 2 pm, Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
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