Greetings Gardeners!
What perfect transplanting weather this is! We got the vegetable garden transplanted this week (a big thank you to my garden helpers!) and the rain and cloud cover couldn’t be more perfect to help the transplants get over transplant shock and start establishing. As long as it doesn’t last too long, of course!
Brassica Tips
The Brassicaceae plant family includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard, radish, turnip, rutabaga and Brussels sprouts. Brasssicas have been grown for thousands of years, with prudent selection of desirable qualities (such as tasty flower shoots, in the case of broccoli) from wild Brassica plants resulting in the familiar crops we grow today. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are heavy feeders and like regular watering. Use a balanced, naturally-sourced fertilizer when planting and mulch with aged manure to help retain moisture. The root brassicas don’t require as much feeding, but still benefit from regular watering. Be sure to give your transplants enough space to mature (I plant them sixteen inches apart) and a minimum of eighteen inches depth of soil, if growing in a container or raised bed.
Feature Plant: Marigolds
Marigolds are easy to grow and provide foliage and blooms all season to the first frost. They come in a range of sizes and colours, from the shorter French marigolds (Tagetes patula) to the taller African marigolds (Tagetes erecta). Many marigolds have pungently scented foliage and are often used as companion plants to help keep above- and below-ground pests away from crops. They are also great companion plants to attract beneficial insects and bees, as they are nectar-rich. In the Asteraceae plant family, marigolds prefer to grow in full sun and benefit from dead-heading (removing finished blooms) to encourage blooming all season long. One of my favourite marigolds is Tagetes tenuifolia (Citrus marigold): finely cut foliage with a strong citrusy scent and abundant small blooms, perfect for containers, popping in around the greenhouse and adding to salads for a citrus, punchy flavour!
Ready this Weekend
I’ve a few more flowers ready to go this weekend, including cosmos and dianthus. The second seeding of salad greens are ready to go too. The tomatoes are looking great (some of them have green tomatoes on them!) and the petunias are ready to grow!
The nursery is located at 103121 Alaska Highway, 10 mins west of Haines Junction, just past Bear Creek, on the right. Watch for the sandwich board! Open Fridays 2pm-7pm, Saturdays and Sundays 10am-4pm. See you there!
In Growing Harmony,
Jolene
