Four articles from qathet Living, via the Local Journalism Initiative

By Pieta Woolley

Even though she lives on a shallow well, Cathy Ickringill kept her garden going strong last summer. It flourished through the record-setting June heat dome and even the drought that followed. 

It helps, of course, that Cathy is the nursery manager at Mother Nature – so she knows a thing or two about gardening in weird weather. One key, she said, is shade cloth. The black, see-through fabric is suspended above the outdoor nursery at the gardening store, partially covering the plants. This year, the store will add more, to protect the whole nursery. 

“I mulch to keep the water in, just with lawn clippings,” she said. “The three secrets for surviving heat like we saw are mulch, shade and water. Most people are light waterers, and give their plants 10 minutes or so every day. Plants’ roots then stay at the top of the soil, and can dry out. I believe in deep watering, so I put myself on a schedule: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and at least half an hour so the roots go deep.” 

Apart from mulch, shade and water, Cathy suggests getting to know your soil now and getting it ready for planting season by amending and fertilizing. In a few weeks some early cool weather crops will be ready for their first planting.. 

Consider pushing your vegetable growing into the fall, when the weather has been more consistent. 

“Once the temperature goes down, Mother Nature does the gardening for you,” said Cathy.

“Don’t put that in the article,” Mother Nature owner Ron Pfister laughed. “Someone might expect us to come by and water!” 

What she means, of course, is the fall is less stressful for some plants (and the original Mother Nature waters them herself) – so the store brings in plant starts in July. “We call it ‘The Canadian Refrigerator,’” said Cathy. “You can just leave your veggies in the soil until you’re ready to eat them.”

Ron points out that people garden in very hot and dry locales such as California and Phoenix and with our growing seasons getting hotter we need to do a little extra to help our plants acclimatize.

“It looks like the weather might continue this way. The key is to help plants acclimatize to it,” he said.

Don’t fear trial and error: it’s what gardening is all about

By Jonathan Van Wiltenburg

How would I adapt my gardening practices going forward in respect to our changing climate, and events like the heat dome? I am not totally sure I will change too much.  

I always see the weather as being quite fickle, and so for me gardening is always a very dynamic process. I am constantly watching the weather and changing up my tactics from year to year. As the old saying goes “the only real constant is change itself,” and there is no better place to see this than in the garden.

However, what I will promote is resiliency in your garden, and by that I mean the ability for you and your garden to deal with adversity. Planting the right plant in the right place, water well and deeply, focus on creating good rich soil, learn how to deal with extreme weather events (including drought, heat, cold, rain and wind), use a lot of mulch, make additions of organic matter, be proactive on the pests and disease, choose disease-resistant cultivars, choose plants/seeds thoughtfully, save seed, plant with diversity in mind, use natives were possible, have a good grasp of timing, practice crop rotations, keep notes, and make ongoing plans. To me this sounds like a laundry list of smart, thoughtful gardening techniques. I would aim to do all these things even if our climate did not seem so bizarre! 

Making a resilient garden is a lot to juggle, and it is definitely no easy feat! It can take years to develop and fine tune. My suggestion would be that if you haven’t mastered all that was listed above, I would start there. 

If you can manage to get all that right, both you and your garden will be far better able to deal with whatever mother nature sends your way. Remember, gardening involves a lot of trial and error. I know it can be frustrating, but isn’t that sort of the fun of it too? Happy Gardening!

Jonathan writes qathet Living’s gardening column. He starts up again in April. 

Gardening During Climate Chaos

By Kevin Wilson

Build a living soil (using local resources) which holds water and nutrients to buffer your garden against both drought and flood.

Diversify plants, and varieties of each plant. Grow some things every year that like heat and cool. Push the season at each end, but don’t rely on success. 

Arrange your garden for a diversity of microclimates. 

Share plants and seeds with neighbours close by, and people far away in similar climates.

Think ahead and consider possible scenarios – climate and otherwise! What happens if you break both ankles and can’t care for the garden? Plan so that some things can survive STUN – Sheer Total Utter Neglect. 

If there’s a drought (no City water), how will you adapt the garden? If a volcano gives us “a year without a summer”, what can still give you a crop? If you have to move suddenly, can you take your plants/soil/compost with you? (I’ve moved my compost more than once). 

If you lose your income, what can you still grow? If “heat domes” become the norm, what varieties and plants will come through? Can you group plants together that need protection from torrential rain or hail?

Kevin Wilson is a long time gardener and seed saver in the UK and BC, and grows an organic annual vegetable garden, fruit and pollinator gardens, with his husband Alfred in a rather chilly spot in Cranberry. He wants you all to save seeds from your gardens and trade with him!

“Gardening is good for the planet and great for the gardener”

By Liz Quigley

Last summer’s extraordinary drought and elevated temperatures were a challenge for gardeners and farmers alike. Home gardens took a beating after about the first two weeks of heat. 

With water restrictions in place for City residences and wells running dry for many rural homes, it soon became clear that some plants did not like the heat dome any more than the sweating gardeners did. 

The unique soil conditions particular to each site also played a big part in how well both ornamental and veggie gardens tolerated the drought. The gardens with more organic matter in the soil made it easier for the soil to hold what little water was available and the plants, although stressed, were able to pull through with little sustained damage. Gardens planted in sandy soil were really struggling after only a few weeks of drought and many plants quickly declined. 

The lesson learned is to enhance your soil with plenty of organic matter so over time your garden will have a strong base to help sustain strong root growth under long periods of elevated temperatures and restricted water availability.

Looking ahead to this gardening season and many more, for existing gardens mulch the beds with products such as Sea Soil, for new plantings amend your soil and choose the right plant for the right place. Help cool your garden by planting deciduous trees that will provide shade. They will also cool your house and help reduce your cooling costs.

Don’t plant extensive lawn areas that require a ridiculous amount of water to maintain, or just don’t worry about them being golden yellow all summer.

We can not control weather patterns, but we can learn to adapt and change our habits to help reduce the effects on climate. Gardening and creating and preserving green space is one of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

Gardening is good for the planet and great for the gardener. It greatly reduces stress and we all need that in these very difficult times. Whether you have a large home garden or a few containers on the patio, getting outside, getting your face in the sun and watching your plants thrive is priceless.  

Liz Quigley is the manager at Springtime Garden Centre in Cranberry.

Top image credit: Start with your soil: February is the perfect time to start getting your garden ready for planting, say Mother Nature nursery manager Cathy Ickringill and owner Ron Pfister, seen here in the fertilizer room at the garden centre. Pieta Woolley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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