Lodge and Legend: Volume 2 • Issue 1

FROM THE GARDEN
SPRING HAS SPRUNG IN TO A VERY HOT SUMMER:
Tips and Tricks for planning your
Summer Garden
Spring can be a chaotic time for a farmer. The weather doesn’t care about your crop plans, priority lists,
planting schedules, or harvest needs. Late frosts can delay the planting of your tomatoes, peppers,
and eggplant, which have been dying to get into the ground since you started them back in February.
The bugs are emerging with the warmer days and they are hungry.
We had a challenging winter at the Saskatoon farm beds, but the new high tunnel saved us
as it allowed us to start many of our vegetables under its protective roof and walls.
But besides the bugs and possible late frosts, most of the chaos doesn’t translate into
the home gardening space. The days start getting warmer, everything turns green, and
nurseries start to stock vegetable starts. This is an exciting time for the home gardener!
Here are a couple of things to remember when planting your summer garden:
Replenish Nutrients
If you’ve grown some cold-hardy vegetables in the fall/winter/spring, you’ve probably just
cleared them out to make room for your heat-loving summer crops. You need to restore
the nutrients that those plants have consumed while they were growing. I prefer to use
compost, worm castings, and/or organic composted poultry manure. These are all low/
broad-spectrum ways to add soil biology and nutrients to your garden.
If you plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or zucchini in containers, hanging baskets
or even five-gallon buckets, you can take advantage of mobility, limited space, and
finding the best sun available. However, every time you water, you are leaching
nutrients from the soil. Remember to regularly apply those nutrients every two to
three weeks for continued growth and fruiting.
Water Regularly
Even moisture on a regular basis is key to a plant’s healthy growth; just one inch of water/
rain per week is ideal. Although Edmund almost has a heart attack every time he gets the
water bill, he knows this is essential for his farm-to-table vegetables for Saskatoon.
Make sure you water until the plant is thoroughly moist, but not drenched. Setting up
an automatic timer with drip irrigation will save you lots of time, and even allow you
to go on vacation without having to worry about the garden.
Cover Bare Soil
Keeping the soil covered will help prevent erosion, weeds, and compaction from rain
or watering. It also keeps the soil cooler and retains moisture better.
Leaves or mulch will help maintain moisture and provide nutrients as they break
down over time. When the plants grow up and form a canopy, they can also have
similar properties.
Come by and greet me at Saskatoon! While I am in and out all week, I am usually
there early Thursday and Friday mornings all summer to harvest!
WHEN YOU EAT
AT SASKATOON
SUMMER,
LOOK FOR:
•••
Fresh salad greens,
broccoli, radishes,
tomatoes, beets
and more — they are
all mine!
•••
As always,
Happy Growing!
These garden tips (and
many more) provided to
you by Chris Miller,
That Garden Guy, LLC
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