Grow Great Grub

When we left Chapleau and moved back to the Sudbury area there were two things I really wanted when I had my own house. I wanted a barbecue, and I wanted a clothesline. I know this does not sound ambitious, but after years of living in apartments or townhouses with no yards, I was looking forward to having a space to barbecue and somewhere to hang my clothes out to dry in the spring and summer.

We got the barbecue (almost a year after we moved), and my clothesline is a rope tied between two fence posts. Oh well. Not ideal, but it works.

With the house, came the yard. Our "lawn" is awful. The nicest grass is right beside the house or the driveway. The rest of the yard is full of dandelions (early spring), then hawkweed and clover. The hawkweed looks okay when the pretty, little yellow flowers are out, but once they go to seed, it looks horrible. We need to remove all the vegetation and put sod down if we want to have a nice, grassy lawn (like my neighbour...last year, everyone kept asking it was real, it was so uniform and weed free...hmmm, lawn envy).

My least favourite thing about my yard was the lack of plants. There were no flowerbeds, at all. I dug one up in the front and planted a bunch of bulbs. It actually looks really nice in the spring because all the crocuses come out, then the daffodils and then the tulips. I acquired some irises from my mom a couple of years ago, but they don't look great (despite being my favourite flower). After they are done, my front bed is just full of green: old tulips, irises and daffodils, green sedum, green hostas ( a couple variegated). Somewhere under all the green, I have two little lavender plants, but they hardly have a chance.

In the back, I had originally dug up two plots by the fence. (I have no idea why I though two separate bed would look better than one long one.) My mom dug up the sod in between the two to make one long bed. It looks much better. I actually tried to buy perennial plants that would flower throughout the summer, and I think I sort of succeeded. Then, I randomly would plant some tomatoes in the open spaces, or a few pea plants by the fence, so I can have a "vegetable garden" too.

I am a wishful gardener. I wish I could garden. My mom is a great gardener, but I never did much with her when I was younger. When they moved from Manitoba to Ontario, they didn't buy a new house, they bought a new garden. Her yard is gorgeous. I got married in my parents' backyard because it is so beautiful. I do not have a yard like this.

I often wish I could grow vegetables, but I thought this meant setting aside some land in the back where I would have an in ground place to plant fruits and veggies. Then, I came across this wonderful book called, Grow Great Grub, by Gayla Trail. http://www.growgreatgrub.com/ I am still a wishful gardener, but after reading her book, I feel I can have part of my garden in containers, and it won't be that bad.

Like I said, I will often plant a few peas or tomatoes in my flower bed. This year, I have also got some herbs in pots. I sowed some lettuce (mesclun mix) and basil in some big pots. Last year, the weather was just too cold, and my multiple tomato plants yielded so few fruit. I only have two plants this year, but I am hoping the weather will be more favourable, and I might end up with more fruit.

I bought a bunch of herbs at the end of last summer, but they all died in my house over the winter. I read through the book, and will try to use some of the tips to see if I can actually over winter these plants in my home until next spring. We shall see how that goes!

If you have been reluctant about trying your hand at growing your own food, check out this book. I borrowed it from the library. Even if you don't end up growing anything, it is still a nice read. It has beautiful photos, and some recipes for using the food you might end up growing. I really like that it is written by a Canadian, although the information is not specific to any geographic region.

Another great book (but more specific to pregnant women, or parents with new babies) is called Sprout Right, by Lianne Phillipson-Webb http://www.sproutright.com/. If you are interested in organic, natural recipes for you, your baby or your toddler, this is the book for you. Lots of great information about nutrition and quite empowering if you have been struggling with breastfeeding or your child has weight "issues".