Ottawa, March 10, 2018 David Hinks Growing Organic Vegetables, Herbs & Edible Flowers Urban Organic Gardening Seminar 2018 Ottawa, March 10, 2018 David Hinks

If you don’t have land of your own…. Many other possibilities: Garden in a friend’s garden Private gardening group Horticultural Societies Food Bank Projects New models – spin or guerilla gardening Consider allotment gardens – for information: communitygardening@justfood.ca Garden in a community allotment or collaborative garden Some community gardens have allotments as well as opportunities for collaborative gardening Some also hold community pot-lucks and have gardening workshops and mentoring opportunities for gardeners

Design: More Raised Beds

Design: Community Garden – Metcalfe Street, Ottawa

Design: Riverside Park, Ottawa

Design: Last Duel Park, Perth

Design: Community Garden - Almonte

Resilience: Tilth Basically is the workability of the soil A well-balanced soil Holds water without becoming soggy Allows air to penetrate to plant roots and soil organisms Loose and easy to work Know what you can change and what you have to learn to live with

Resilience: Working With Soil In order to determine if soil is workable, take a handful and squeeze – if it stays together in a ball it is still too wet, if it crumbles it is ready. If it sticks to your shovel or boots it is not ready. Raised beds and well drained soil assist an early start by warming up much faster. Avoid compacting soil – do not walk on the beds and do not overwork the soil!!

Start Early! Victoria Day is not sacred! Long before Victoria Day, over half of my garden is planted. Frost-hardy vegetables such as lettuce, onions, peas and spinach can be planted outdoors as soon as the ground can be worked, often the first week of April. Onions and garlic need cool weather to produce the foliage which provides the energy for the bulbs that start forming when day length begins to shorten in late June. Garlic is very hardy - I plant it in mid-October for the next year’s crop. Semi-frost-hardy vegetables such as beets, carrots, chard and potatoes are best planted in late April or early May as they germinate slowly in cold soil. Look for a favourable micro-climate for a very early start

Planting Peas March 30 and Onions April 17, 2013

Caution: Heat Lovers The Victoria Day rule for planting the garden is still an important rule for heat-loving and frost-sensitive plants Basil and eggplant – very sensitive to cold – plant first week of June

Resilience: Planting Generally in rows that run North- South Broadcast (Square-Foot) or plant in rows Vine crops such as squash are usually planted 4 or 5 seeds in a “hill” – this is not a mound Keep moist until seeds germinate – especially important for carrots Seedlings are best planted on a cloudy day – avoid windy days Follow package instructions if they make sense – if final spacing is 12 inches put 2 or 3 seeds 12 inches apart rather than 1 seed every inch. Consider interplanting –rows of fast- growing plants between rows of slower-growing plants Plants vegetables like carrots, beans and beets every two weeks for a continuous harvest of succulent vegetables at their peak – this is called succession planting

Perennial Plants Perennials such as asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, or herbs Need to prepare the site well and keep it weed free

Herbs Most herbs can be treated as hardy vegetables – such as oregano, mint, lovage, dill, chives, sage, tarragon and thyme. Rosemary is a tender perennial that must be brought indoors in winter Basil is extremely sensitive to cold and is best started indoors from seed in April or buy seedlings Parsley – generally start from seed every year. Will survive winter but will go to flower fairly quickly as it is a bi-annual

Edible Flowers Bergamot (Monarda didyma) Some flowers are safe to eat only in small amounts.   Borage (Borago officinalis) and daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) flowers are diuretics   Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) can have blood-thinning effects. Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) can be harmful in large amounts, Toxic flowers are easily mistaken for edible varieties Unrelated safe and unsafe species may share a common name. Various non-toxic plants can cause severe allergies in some people.  Bergamot (Monarda didyma) Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) English marigold (Calendula officinalis) Lavender (Lavandula spp.) Mint (Mentha spp.) Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) Red clover (Trifolium pratense) Rose (Rosa spp.) Squash (Cucurbita pepo) Violet (Viola odorata)

Resilience: Crop Rotation An important control method for insects and disease – may also avoid soil degradation as different crops use varying amounts of nutrients Not that practical in a small garden – may not be compatible with companion planting May want to include a cover or green crop in the rotation Applies to vegetable families – plant vegetables in family groups and then move the family to another area next year Families: Solananaceae (Nightshade) – includes eggplant, peppers, potato and tomato Brassicaceae/Cruciferae – includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, mustard, radishes, and turnip Cucurbitaceae – includes cucumber, melons, pumpkins, squash, gourds and watermelon Fabaceae/ Leguminosea – includes beans, peas and peanuts Liliaceae – includes chives, garlic, onions and shallots

Leek Moth Leek is the preferred host of the leek moth; however, other allium crops such as garlic and chives are also very attractive to the pest. Larvae can cause extensive damage by tunnelling mines and feeding on leaf tissue and occasionally on bulbs Cultural controls include: crop rotation delayed planting removal of old and infested leaves destroying pupae or larvae early harvesting (to avoid damage by last generation larvae and population build-up) positioning susceptible crops away from infested areas destruction of plant debris following harvest

Swede Midge The swede midge adult is a tiny, light-brown fly (1.5-2 mm), difficult to distinguish  Damage symptoms are a direct result of larval feeding. Larvae produce a secretion that breaks down the plant cell wall Secondary bacterial infections are common  Crop rotation is the single most effective  control

The Harvest Most greens (Kale and Chard) and most herbs can be harvested throughout the season – harvest no more than a third of the plant at any one time and give it time to recover. Carrots and parsnips can be left in the ground over the winter Onions, garlic and potatoes can be harvested when the tops are dying – dry before storing. Pick crops such as peas at the height of tenderness. Many tender herbs can be dried or frozen. Even a small allotment garden can produce a huge amount of produce. It is always difficult to grow exactly what you need. Consider donating surplus to a food bank or shelter. Grow a row – donate a row!

Conclusions Growing vegetables can be easy, fun and rewarding Vegetables do not need to be relegated to the back yard Vegetables are much more resilient if you choose varieties suited to our climate, plant at the appropriate time, care for the soil and work with nature Diversity is important to create habitat for beneficial insects and to help ensure your probability of success Growing cool-weather vegetables can greatly expand your growing season and the productivity of your garden Start small - easy to grow one or two containers – most people can find a spot even in an apartment