Food Gardening

Published in Harrowsmith magazine, Spring 2023
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Terminology
At first, the term “food gardening” sounds odd. After all, we eat a lot of stuff that we don’t grow, including some food that other people grow but we cannot. Like pineapples or avocados.
In recent years, much has been written about so called odd-ball edibles, like edible flowers and foraging for food in the wild that obviously we don’t grow in our gardens but nevertheless is grown. Alas, let us not confuse things too much.
We will stick with “food gardening” when describing the plants that can be grown in a Canadian garden that provide food. Keeping in mind that there are rules to this that should compel each of us to read further and learn more. The humble rhubarb plant, after all, produces nutritious, edible stems but poisonous leaves.
Importance of Planning.
If you want to go on a vacation, a trip, what is the first thing you do? Determine where you want to go and laying out an itinerary. Squeezing the most out of your food garden is much like that and much of the success you will enjoy will come from your execution of the plan. Knowing what you want to grow is a great place to start and that should include your favourite food plants that you CAN grow. There are some practical limits to this. We love sweet corn but growing it in our urban gardens makes no sense when it is a space hog and when so much of it is available locally in the season.
Other vegetables that are space hogs, but can be fun to grow, are pumpkins and winter squash. Plants that make efficient use of space: that produce lots of food for the area that they take up in your garden, include tomatoes (stake them high), peppers, all bean plants, peas, leaf lettuce, mesclun mix, all root crops, and herbs. This is another important consideration when drafting a list of the food plants that you wish to grow this season.
Order your seeds early, as we have learned in recent years, some are in short supply and obtaining your favourites is a matter of first-come, first-served. Browse the retail seed racks in February and March, even though you may not sow some seeds until May or early June. Best to have them on hand when you need them.
Create a drawing of the plot you plan on planting. A simple pencil drawing works but you can use a computer and even obtain access to digital drawing tools if you wish. The idea is to have a plan of what you will sow and plant where. Keep in mind sun exposure, above all. Keep the tallest plants at the back so they don’t shadow the shorter plants.
If you plant in rows, run them north/south to maximize sun exposure and do not forget to use a fence or wall for support of climbing vines, like runner beans and nasturtiums and for the radiant heat that bounces off the vertical structure. This will provide an earlier start and harvest for many heat-seeking food plants.
Finally, be sure to plan on proper soil preparation (see below).
And remember that your plan is merely a guide. Be prepared for the unexpected and enjoy the surprises that nature provides on your journey.
Importance of soil prep
We say that 90% of the success you achieve in your garden is the result of good soil preparation. It could be less than that and it could be more. Fact is, you would not build a house in Canada without a proper foundation, so, too, with your garden. Compost and natural nutrients are the base of a productive garden.
Begin by digging a hole about 30 cm or a foot deep and examine the quality of the existing soil.
If it is clay based and heavy, add lots of sharp (play) sand to open it up and allow water to move through it.
If it is sandy, add lots of molded leaves and finished compost to retain moisture and add nutrients.
If it is typical topsoil or loam, add three or four centimetres of finished compost or composted cattle/sheep/horse manure. No need to dig it in, as earth worms will move it deep into the existing soil. This will boost the natural goodness of your soil and help support everything that you grow.
Avoid the use of chemical fertilizers through the growing season. Use compost tea as an alternative, by soaking a pillowcase or cloth sack 1/3 filled with finished compost for 48 hours. Use the solution to water your garden and empty the pillowcase of compost into your garden.
#1 Watering tip
Avoid over watering. After seedlings are established, which generally takes up to a month from planting, reduce the frequency of watering. Push your finger into the soil up to the second knuckle. If the soil is cool, it is damp. If it does not feel cool, it is dry enough for a good soaking. Better to water infrequently but deeply than too often and with just a shower. Approached this way, plants put down deeper roots and are more drought and heat tolerant.
Warm season/Cool season crops
Many Canadians wait until the long May weekend to start planting; however, this is not necessary as many food plants thrive in the cooler temperatures of April and early May. We sow our carrots the second week of May in our zone 5 gardens. Onions, lettuce, beets, and peas will germinate and grow when sown late in April, in most Canadian gardens.
Some plants are tolerant of light frost and will grow well when planted out in late April or early May. These include all the brassica family (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale etc.) and Swiss chard.
Some crops should be left until the soil warms to about 18oC which may be early June in many parts of Canada. These “warm season” crops include tomatoes, peppers, corn, and squash (winter and summer).

Best Fruit Trees for small gardens.
If you garden on a small lot and want to enjoy fresh fruit from your own property, look for the following fruit trees:
Dwarf apples. There are countless varieties to choose from. Be sure that your favourites will perform in your growing zone by checking with your supplier. We love Granny Smith apples, but they require a longer growing season than our zone 5 gardens afford.
Peaches and nectarines. While not dwarf, per se, these trees lend themselves to severe pruning come early spring. Peaches are winter hardy to zone 6 (Toronto) and Nectarines to zone 4 (Montreal/Ottawa).
Most other fruiting trees will mature to about 7 meters or 21 feet. If you have the space for one tree that will produce fruit and some shade in years to come, consider a pear, plum or cherry tree.
Favourite food plants:
Mark –
Kale. I enjoy growing kale mostly as it produces for such a long time. I begin harvesting the largest leaves at the bottom of the plant in late July and pick my last leaves in late November, even early December. I have lots of friends who really enjoy kale (smoothy anyone?). I wish I liked eating it more.
Leeks. Another productive crop that is insect and disease resistant, easy to grow and fun to watch mature throughout the season. While it needs a long season to grow into something useful, I sow leaf lettuce, arugula and mesclun mix near or around my leeks early in the season. This is an efficient use of space. Leeks and kale are the last crops that I harvest from my garden each year: great way to spread out the fun of growing food.
Tomatoes. I am a happy fan of the #1 food crop in Canadian gardens. Tomatoes are easy to start indoors from seed, grow quickly, and once they begin producing fruit, don’t stop for up to 12 weeks. Look for varieties that are best suited to home growing, not mass production, for best flavour and keeping qualities.
Ben-
Garlic. Simple to grow, stores well, and is so much better than anything you will find at the grocery store. People who like garlic tend to love garlic, and I find that it is always well received as a gift. Go to a farmers market to find the biggest, healthiest bulbs late in the summer and select the best looking cloves for planting that fall. Plant pointy-side up, 2-inches deep and 6-8 inches apart and top dress generously with compost as garlic is a “heavy feeder”. Come mid-late June, prune your garlic scapes down to the top leaf. The “scape” is the thing that looks like a pigtail, which can be fried or mashed into a zesty, garlicky pesto. When the lower leaves start turning brown in late summer, pull your garlic and leave them to cure somewhere warm and dry for 10-14 days.
Pumpkins. The large, sprawling leaves of a pumpkin plant can take up a lot of space but also serve well to shade out weed pressure throughout the garden. Plant a diversity of pumpkins and squash to serve culinary purposes, such as the “Early Sweet Sugar Pie” for baking, or delicate squash for easy veggie sidedishes, and for décor, such as “Cinderella” pumpkins for fall displays. Direct sow your seeds in rows 6-10 feet apart, in 6-12 inch spacing in late spring when the soil is starting to warm up. Spraying the tops and underside of the leaves with a 50-50 mix of milk and water is a home remedy for the common powdery mildew, and make sure to rotate your pumpkins and squash as they mature to avoid “flat spots” where disease can occur.