Talking Garlic at Burt's Greenhouses

Well another weekend...and another event about GARLIC!

This time I traveled to Wilton, ON to Burt's Greenhouses

to see Mr Brian Burt talk all about how they grow garlic.

Brian and Ruth have been growing garlic for sale for 5 years now.

Held in the greenhouse itself, it was a super informative talk.

It was interesting to learn from the growers perspective.

Why they grow what they grow and how.

Brian is a very animated speaker...

so it wasn't until I went to get out of my chair that I realized how long I'd been sitting.

He kept the small group hanging on his every word.

Brian spoke about some of the issues in growing garlic...

such as bulb and root nematodes.

They use french marigolds (as shown behind Brian in the above picture)

to help the garlic fight off the bad nematodes.

He also spoke about leek moths and 

how they spray the garlic in May with beneficial nematodes in the evening to combat this issue.

He grows Cutlass oriental mustard to fight off the pathological nematodes.

He overwinters the garlic in his greenhouses in order to 

maintain a consistent level of moisture and temperature.

He also top dresses the garlic rounds with chipped deciduous wood due to the high tannin content.

Brian mentioned that they specifically grow garlic rounds rather 

than bulbs to help keep the stock safe from pests that prefer a more developed bulb.

All in all it was a great talk that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in growing their own garlic.

It stores well (when properly harvested) and can be enjoyed in almost any dish!

I hope that Brian felt the event was a success and will repeat the event next September.

LOCAL BIZ: A trip to Burt's Greenhouses in Odessa

The time has finally come....for us to take our annual trip to Burt's Greenhouses.  Just north of the 401 at Odessa, or aroun 15 minutes one way from our house in Verona.  It turned into a whole family excursion.

Every year we trek on over to Brian Burt's place and raid the veggie plants section.  There are still a few veggies I buy as plants, as I don't have the proper set up for greenhousing myself.  Its just a little easier to buy them already on their way...and trust me, there is still a lot to go wrong even if you don't start your veggies as seeds.  Typically we buy tomatoes, eggplants and some other veggies we haven't tried before.

Its like a grocery store!  You walk down each aisle and wonder "What do I want to eat 2-3 months from now?"  The kids really get into it, even if they can't envision the end result some months off. 

These guys really know their stuff...and they do it in the greenest way possible.  Their greenhouses are heated with a biomass (I won't go into it...if you're curious, Google BIOMASS) or click on the Environmental tab on Burt's website to find out in depth how they do it.

http://burtsgh.com/

We wheel around the greenhouses looking at wonderous colours and shapes.  I learned the name of the garden I always dream of...an alpine garden!  A rocky sandy garden with nothing but ground cover plants...lots of succulents (another word I learned there!)

Owen learned that the hedge around this sand box smelled yummy...it was like lavender and lemons wafting in the spring/summer breeze!

I love the display of gardening next to the greenhouses...showing you what you could do with everything you just saw in pots and rows inside the greenhouses.  It was beautiful and smelled great!  (You could tell when you passed a lemon or bee balm)  What a beautiful display!  Something every one of us enjoyed milling around.

In the end, we came home with what may not look like much.  A small collection of leafy things.  If you look closer (and use your imagination) you can see a 3 meter long row of white onions, a huge patch of sweet potato vines, a couple of new pepper varieties (Trinidad peppers, Purple peppers x 4, Peppers Fooled Ya), 4 Glamour red tomato plants, 4 Lemon boy yellow tomato plants, 4 eggplant plants just dripping with pink and purple flowers, sweet millions cherry tomatoes heavy with fruit, an ostrich fern that will hopefully supply us with fiddleheads next spring and a paddypan squash plant that I can't wait to get growing!!!  So much on such a wee palette and only $30 or so.  Very easy on the wallet.

If you  haven't planted anything yet, or you just aren't sure where to start...a quick zip out to Burt's will help you out.  You'll know you bought your plants from a reputable and local supplier who is intent on shrinking their carbon footprint.  





Prepping the Ground pt 3

Prepping the Ground pt 3

I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing the Mathers.  Cam and Michelle are truly inspirational when it comes to all things gardening.  They have a combined gardening knowledge that astounds.  It is because of them that our garden this year was exceptional and far less trial and error.

Last May, I was able to attend a seminar that Cam was hosting at Burt's Greenhouses in Odessa.  It was a fantastic overview on how to start, maintain and relish your garden.  Cam is a garden fanatic of sorts and his enthusiasm is contagious.  He also happened to have his new book available after the seminar.  Lucky me I was able to snag one...but if you have someone who's a gardener on your Christmas list...feel free to pick one or two of them up here:

http://www.amazon.ca/All-You-Can-Gardening-Handbook/dp/0981013228

It is without a doubt the only gardening book I've ever read cover to cover....its that readable!

Manure

Now, about that manure.  It is in the aforementioned book that I discovered the true value of manure.  We are finally at a point in our lives (my husband and I) that we were able to grow asparagus.  It takes about 3 years before you can  harvest the asparagus after its planted.  A very kindly neighbour of ours (Thanks again Mrs Goodberry!) showed up one afternoon with a basket full of new asparagus seedlings.  I had no idea how to grow asparagus.  My family had been through 4 years of moving once a year.  The garden selections were strickly annuals.   


It was in Cam Mather's book that I discovered that you have to "do your part" as he says.  Yes, asparagus is the gift that keeps on giving, but you should assist it when you can.  Manure is the best way to boost your asparagus...as it has been traditionally grown in it for centuries.

The absolute best time of year to buy manure (unless you are in a rural area and can get some from nearby farms) is late summer or fall.  Garden centers will be wanting to get rid of this garden gold.  We picked up the stack shown above for only $1.99 a bag.  How's that for 'small purse'?  We choose a mix of sheep and cow.  There's no real reason, mind you, just personal preference.  If we had chickens at the house, my husband would skip buying manure and just shovel out the coop. 

Reading Cam Mather's book, I learned that you add manure in the spring to give the plant roots plenty of minerals and nitrogen to grow.  The result?  A very tall hedge of asparagus.  The lesson learned?  I wouldn't have planted the asparagus on the side that blocks all of the morning sun...but I was thrilled that the manure had such an effect!