Good to Grow!

What does it take to make a vegetable container garden? Keep reading to find out!

1. Choose a container and get it ready: Gardens to Grow works with wooden baskets. Because drainage is so important to the health of the plants in the container, smaller baskets have 4 drainage holes in the bottom while bushel baskets have eight. Note: If you wish, line your basket with plastic; most of our gardens this year will be plastic-free, but it is definitely an option.

 

2. Line the bottom: Placing weed barrier cloth on the bottom of the container prevents drainage holes from becoming clogged by damp soil.

3. Mix it altogether and just add water: A mixture of potting soil, compost, bloodmeal and bonemeal, and vermiculite (in some cases) can be found in our garden baskets. 
 

4. Fill 'er up: Different amounts of soil are required by different crops. And of course, the size of the container affects how much it can hold!

5. Plant and wait: Decide what plants will make their home in your container and get to work! Most crops do not require light to germinate, but after they're up, don't wait too long to introduce them to the sun!

6. On the move: If the weather is extreme, don't hesitate to move your garden (into the shade, out of the rain/wind, etc.). Also, if you have critter problems, make sure your garden is in an appropriate location.

7: They grow up so quickly: Enjoy your plants while they're young...

...and also when they're old!   

If you like what you see, contact Gardens to Grow for tips and tricks or to place an order! Large gardens are $25 and small are $15. E-mail rachelmollydyck@gmail.com to learn more about the unique options we are offering. 

Options for 2015!

The season is upon us, and exciting container garden options are in store!
Large baskets for $25:
-Veggie Basket: your choice of green and yellow bush beans, cucumber, or bush peas
-Italian Blend: tomato and 3 herbs
-Salsa Mix: sweet pepper and 3 herbs
-Green Garden: kale and spinach garden

Small baskets for $15:
-Herb Basket: 4 herbs
-Mini Green Garden

Place an order today: rachel.m92@gmail.com

Stay up-to-date with Gardens to Grow!

Check us out on facebook for weekly posts and stay tuned for more in the coming season: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gardens-to-Grow-by-Scatterplots/314522618635451

A beautiful cob of corn, starting to form and then attacked by a racoon! Hmm, what can be done to protect these tasty plants from persistent critters?

Pickles, pickles, pickles!

Canning is an amazing thing! Pictured here are the dill pickles I recently made - $4 or a jar of dilly goodness :)

Plant photo challenge!

Check out Gardens to Grow by Scatterplots on facebook and participate in the "name-that-plant" photo challenge! Feel free to send in interesting plant photos and factoids :)

Pictured here is last week's plant photo: the potato plant.
A neat fact from littlepotatoes.com: "Potatoes are becoming more and more important in the developing world. That’s because they’re an easy crop to grow. They yield more nutritious food, more quickly and on less land than any other crop."

People even grow them in recycling bins! How cool is that? Reduce, reuse, and reap the benefits! 

Summer 2014: Ready to Grow!

Forget-Me-Not! (Hence the photo of these flowers, taken in Quebec :)
Though I (Rachel) have been traveling for the last month, Gardens to Grow and I are back and ready for summer! The hope is that both fresh and as canned produce will be available for sale through the business this summer. If you have a favourite canned recipe, let me know about it: rachel.m92@gmail.com. We shall see what adventures await in the garden and in the kitchen!

The Snider Family Farm

Like last year, Gardens to Grow is partnering with The Snider Family Farm in St. Clements in Summer 2014 to sell farm-fresh, chemical-free produce to customers in the Waterloo Region! 

Both traditional and unique all-natural produce offered includes:
Beets (red, albino, and golden), rainbow carrots, orange carrots, radicchio, eggplant, kohlrabi, kale, lettuce, cucumber, potatoes (red,
white, and even blue!), beans (green, yellow, and purple!), and much much more! Also available are a variety of flowers.

This summer, sign up to have vegetables delivered to your home or business on a weekly or bi-weekly basis in the quantity of your choice. To discuss prices, contact Rachel: rachel.m92@gmail.com.

Spring is coming!

Though it hardly feels like it, Spring is on its way, which means that the gardening/farming season in Southern Ontario is getting closer!

In addition to growing bushel basket container gardens, selling fresh produce, and getting into urban agriculture, Scatterplots will hopefully be involved in some new and creative gardening endeavours for Summer 2014.

The latest idea:

•  Installing in-ground or raised-bed gardens for people and maintaining them throughout the summer, or taking the produce grown on their land and selling it for them!

If you have any interest in or feedback on this idea, please advise! Contact Rachel Dyck at: rachel.m92@gmail.com

And enjoy the rest of these wintery days as best you can!

A great fall harvest recipe!

This recipe is from the cookbook Simply in Season:

Company Muffins

Yields: 18 muffins

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat bran or rolled oats
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In large bowl combine and stir well.

2 large tart apples (peeled, cored, and shredded)
1 1/2 carrots (shredded)
1 cup walnuts or flax seed meal
1/2 cup raisins

Add and stir to coat. Make well in centre.

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

In separate bowl mix together. Pour into flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes.
 
Photo courtesy of: http://www.numnumsbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/mango-apple-carrot.jpg

It's November 11, and some plants are still growing strong! Parsley and thyme (mostly grown in containers this year) have been transplanted into the garden in preparation for the winter, and carrot tops are still looking green. The lettuce has become slightly bitter but is still growing, and so is the spinach. And broccoli is still producing - hooray! A little goes a long way :)
Check out Gardens to Grow by Scatterplots on Facebook for a link to info about storing carrots in the ground over winter: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gardens-to-Grow-by-Scatterplots/314522618635451

Garden Poem

By Rachel Dyck

Dedicated to Evy Dyck, an amazing supporter and wonderful grandmother to many grand-plants

Sometimes the world seems so heavy
Lonely and laden with strife
Amidst all the chaos around us

A garden can teach us of life

Each summer I grow a small garden

and put in the work I must do
now let me say that it goes both ways;
the garden – it helps me to grow, too

So many things that I notice

while working with plants as they grow
are lessons – reminders – that show me
things I might think that I know

It begins with preparing and planting

for the season that lies up ahead
at first, the garden looks empty;
barren, perhaps even dead

Then when I’m feeling discouraged

when I’m tired of waiting for birth
I notice a tiny green shoot
sprouting up from the dark brown earth

A wee little seed that was sown

grows into a plant of great height
Not because of my skills, but what a great thrill
to be part of a precious new life

The weather can cause great frustration

the weeds and the insects are bad
but in spite of the questions and toiling
a garden, it makes a soul glad

Gardeners, they need not be genius;

willingness is the key
the hope that is found in the garden
is what makes it worthwhile for me

 

 

Selling veggies door-to-door in St. Jacobs - an entrepreneurial experience!

Pay $10 for a combination of garden-fresh produce-in-a-box! Veggies include carrots, red and white onions, tomatoes, potatoes, endive, beets, garlic, cucumber and leeks. Pick-up location in St. Jacobs, or contact to discuss delivery.

Gardens are now available at half price! $10 for a mini-herb garden, $17 for a full-sized bushel basket garden (bean, tomato or sweet pepper). E-mail rachel.m92@gmail.com for details while this offer lasts!



These gardens are soaking up the summer sun!

This photo has been submitted by Gardens to Grow customer Nancy Stayzer. E-mail Rachel (see "Contact" page) you have a photo or tip to share with other gardeners. See more photos in the "Gardens to Grow"page on this website. 

The gardens have been enjoying the rain! Pictured here are the Bean Blend, Salsa Basket and Salad Greens baskets. Contact Rachel at rachel.dyck@yahoo.ca with all inquiries.

Mid-season update

Summer is here and gardens are growing! Take the opportunity to have a hand in your own food and try one of the following vegetable container gardens this summer: $35 Bushel Basket Gardens: Bean Basket, Italian Blend, or Salsa Basket Garden $20 Mini Gardens: Mixed Herb or Salad Greens Garden Contact Rachel at rachel.dyck@yahoo.com to inquire about other customizable options

Garden Options Summer 2013

Bushel Basket Gardens - $35: • Bean Basket (green and yellow bush beans) • Italian Blend (tomato plant, 3 herbs) • Salsa Basket(pepper plant, 3 herbs) Mini-Gardens - $20: • Salad Basket (baby leaf blend, spinach) • Scarborough Fair Herb Basket (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme) • Tea-time Basket (chamomile, peppermint, lavender, lemon balm)

Come visit Gardens to Grow at Taste of Woolwich today between 4-6:30pm to check out new options for the season! Also, come hear our presentation on container gardening being made at the Elmira and District Horticultural Society today at 7:30pm at Trinity United Church in Elmira. Admission fee for either event: $2