Last year too much rain, this year not enough... Extreme weather may be the new normal, so it’s best to be flexible and gather some tools for the job. The upside of the hot weather? No slugs!! They will be back in a rainy year, so keep an eye on the patterns next spring and get your slug bait early.
Here are a few tools and tips to help with hot weather, next time it comes around.
 
Straw mulch for vegetable beds: A small square bale of straw can go a long way to retain some moisture in the ground and reduce huge temperature swings. Garden centres sell out quickly but sometimes you can find an ad on Kijiji. Spoiled or weathered straw is totally fine for the garden if you can find it, and in fact it’s less likely to blow away. If you find straw for next year, be sure to place it inside a large, sealed garbage bag or store it in a mouse-proof location.
 
Tree leaves are also helpful, especially when partially composted, aka leaf mold: In the fall, fill up garbage bags, dampen the leaves, then tie up the bags and poke some air holes with a fork. Turn the bags a few times before freeze up. In our climate, the leaves take a very long time to decompose, but the leaves can be added to your compost or used as a mulch to feed the soil and retain moisture.
 
Soaker Hose Irrigation and other Watering Tips
Leaving the garden to go camping is more difficult when heat and drought strike. It helps to have great neighbours who can help with watering, but extra tools and tricks are also important.

Soaker hoses are relatively cost effective and easy to lay out and remove. In my yard, I snaked two joined soaker hoses through the middle of the flower beds all along the edge of our fence line. I normally do not have to worry about the apple and plum tree and the native and non-native flowers there, but in July, the soil was cracking and some plants were showing drought stress. So I attached the soaker hose to one of my large rainbarrels and filled it up with tap water (no rain water was left in July). Once the soaker hoses and the soil were somewhat hydrated, I reduced the flow. It took about 2 days for the barrel to empty out. That was enough water to keep the plants alive and saved me a lot of time watering, especially when my priority is usually the veggie garden and planters.

I love growing food in containers as it allows for earlier growth. Also, you can take advantage of some sunny spots where you can’t have a garden bed, and some containers can be moved into the garage or house when an early fall frost threatens.
For containers, we can’t use garden soil because it’s heavy and hard. Potting mix is made from peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. While it’s light and holds water quite well, peat moss comes from our precious wetlands that are drained for harvest. Coconut choir is an option but it comes from very far away and has its own challenges. Therefore, I like to reuse my potting mix for as long as possible.
In the fall, I remove the plants, let the mix dry out and place the containers in a shed or under the waterproof deck. This is important for containers that might crack when the potting mix freezes.
In the spring, I dump all the containers out onto a tarp on the lawn (some grass is a useful work surface…). Then I usually mix in compost, up to about 20-30% of the total volume, and I re-moisten the dry mix.
This spring, I found that my potting mix seemed very dense and heavy. Since I also add compost, some worm castings and I use organic fertilizer, I think all kinds of microbes are happy in my containers. They are composting organic materials, which means that some good soil building is going on. This is a bit of speculation on my part as I don’t have the tools or skill to prove it.
I decided to purchase some perlite, a volcanic rock rich in silicon that is heated to expand the particles (see white perlite in photo). This creates important air spaces in the potting mix. Perlite also holds water, but less than vermiculite, another mineral that's part of most potting mixes. I used a shovel to mix the perlite thoroughly into the reused potting mix before watering and adding the growing medium back into my containers. Since the mix does not contain a lot of nutrients (other than what’s in the compost), I add a granular organic fertilizer to each planter at transplanting time.

In June I had the pleasure of visiting two permaculture-inspired farms. I’ve lived away from the farm and in a city for about 25 years now, but I still feel a strong connection to farming. Therefore, I love having a chance to spend a day at a farm once in a while.
 
My first visit was Stony Creek Farms near Rochester, about an hour north of the city. There was a call out to help with chores after one of the owners was injured. I carpooled with Stefan, and the two of us arrived just in time to feed and water the pigs, impressive Berkshire/Tamworth sows and cute piglets. I got the job of milling wheat and peas, then mixing that with water and some milk to create a healthy mash. It was dusty, noisy work, but I stuck Kleenex in my ears and was happy to grind away. Then I spent some time helping Stefan with building frames for a chicken coop – I love sawing and drilling to build useful stuff! Next came the sheep, as they needed some hoof trimming before being sold to a new owner. In teams of three, we managed to flip each sheep on its back and hold it while the more or less willing animal got a pedicure. Soon a few hours had slipped by and it was time for a nice roast, salad and some pasta. We were all dirty and tired, but happy to dig in and lend a helping hand.
Stony Creek Farms offers “beyond organic” meat and veggie shares, and you can learn more about the farm here: http://stoneycreekfarm.ca/
 
Another fascinating visit was an organized tour of Grassroots Family Farm. Takota Coen and his parents run this organic farm and CSA. Takota explained how permaculture is about creating connectivity to increase the health and productivity of people, plants and animals. We saw how the Jersey cow and her calf grazed under rows of fruit and nut trees, reducing competitive grasses and fertilizing the plants. Sophie’s milk is added to the pig mash as a pro-biotic and to pre-ferment it. The free roaming chickens get some of this healthy grain mix while cleaning up what the pigs drop or do not eat. Animal manure is composted right along with straw bedding in the spacious, wind-protected pig corral. Both pigs and chickens help this process and reduce pests with their natural tendency to dig and scratch.

Out in the fields, we also got a tour of an extensive water harvesting system and swales that provide moisture to long rows of fruit trees and berry bushes. Melt and rainwater collects at the lowest point of the farm in a dugout. Water is pumped to the highest point on the farm with a solar powered pump. A small pond at the top of the hill holds this transported water. Takota can lower a standing pipe in the pond to direct pond water into a series of swales. These are ditches that follow the contour lines on the hillsides. Water will spread out in the swales and then slowly percolate downhill, feeding the pasture grasses and growing food forest. A direct pipe from the pond also provides enough pressure for some direct irrigation of field crops and gardens closer to the farm buildings.

The Coen family has spent time learning about permaculture and from like-minded farmers, taking risks to experiment and making changes as needed. It was a pleasure learning about how they take pride in growing healthy animals, soil and plants for our benefit. You can learn more about this farm here: www.grassrootsfamilyfarm.ca

For a long list of other fabulous and fascinating Alberta farms that offer direct sales or CSA shares, you can visit http://www.csaalberta.com/

Every garden and edible landscape evolves and follows the patterns of succession, a natural change in the biological community over time. As trees and shrubs grow, the amount of light on the ground decreases. The herbaceous layer or ground cover plants may thin out or if they self-seed, the seedlings may pop up in sunnier spaces. More shade-loving species will start to grow more vigorously. The amount of rain and heat is also an important factor in how productive the plants are.

What I love about a natural and edible landscape is the experimentation it allows us to do and the observation, learning and pleasure we derive from interacting with an evolving ecosystem. When you spend some time observing the changes and taking stock of what’s happening in your yard, you can make some interesting discoveries. Here are some things that have captured my interest in my yard this summer.
 
Arctic Beauty Kiwi is Growing Fruit!
I purchased a pot with a male and female kiwi and planted it in a fairly dry spot in almost full sun about 7 years ago. Some sources recommend that it be grown in part shade, in well-drained soil that should not be allowed to completely dry out. My kiwi certainly does not have the benefit of perfect conditions and while it has grown a little bit every year, it’s still only about 4 feet high. It now receives a little bit more shade from spruce trees in the area, and in April the temperature barely dipped below freezing. These conditions were favourable and for the first time, the vine is growing a few kiwis. They are still very small and I don't think there is more than a handful, but it’s exciting to see this exotic fruit develop into a berry-sized treat in our cold climate! Scroll down for a photo.
 
Wild Strawberry Bounty
Another sweet little treat is the wild strawberries that have been producing with abundance this early summer. I dug them up in a quarter of land that was being developed. Over the years, they have spread to cover bare soil, moving to sunnier spots but also doing well under the apple tree and other partially shaded areas. For many years, I rarely saw any fruit, especially in very dry areas. However, in the last couple of years, maybe due to warmer weather in April, I have been able to pick small handfuls of what I call “edible sunshine”.
 
Sea Kale Here to Stay?
Permaculture aficionados love to find unusual edible plants, especially when they are a perennial, reducing the amount of work it takes to plant every year. Sea Kale is an edible perennial listed in “Perennial Vegetables” by Eric Toensmeier and other sources. Many years ago, I met some friendly folks from the Devonian Botanic Garden who were selling seeds, and I was excited to discover sea kale. I planted the seeds but only a couple of them grew. Outdoors, they did not thrive and I lost one to a pest. After moving the remaining plant once, it seemed to be doing better, but the plant was small and I almost forgot about it. However, to my delight, it has almost doubled in size this year! Sea kale is listed in some sources as a Zone 5 or Zone 4 plant. So that’s a bit of a stretch for our gardens, but with a warming climate, we should be able to grow it in Edmonton. My spot in my Edmonton front yard is proving to be pretty good. It receives almost full sun and in winter, the plant is under a pile of snow from the driveway. I have renewed hope that it’s here to stay, and next year I may be able to harvest some leaves in early spring. For more info, visit this online info.

To grow your own sea kale, you can contact a local garden centre to ask if seeds or plants can be ordered in. Apache Seeds had some seeds this spring from Sutton (UK), but you’ll have to put this on the list and make some calls for 2017. If you want to order your own, this Canadian company has it listed.

Fruit trees and berry bushes are the key species of a food forest. They are an investment for the long term and are worth a bit of money and care to keep them healthy. It is rather tragic when wildlife causes major damage that leaves the plant susceptible to stress and disease.

An easy way to protect trees and small shrub is with a wire fence. Here are some tips on what to buy and how to get extra mileage out of this product. I am a big proponent of the permaculture principle to “stack functions”, so I like to find many uses for an item or materials I purchase.
 
Materials
You will have to look, google or ask for the following terms, depending on the hardware store you visit: Welded Wire Fabric or Fence, Garden Fence, Rabbit Garden Fence
The gauge of these products is around 14. The larger the gauge, the thinner the wire and the floppier or weaker the fence is.
Suppliers in Edmonton and Area: Home Hardware, Home Depot, Lowe’s and maybe others.
 
Mesh Size
Ideally, you can find a sturdy product with a mesh size 2 inches by 2 inches or 2 inches by 1 inch. Larger mesh size is available, but you need to be careful – if you have small children, their hands may get trapped. A mesh size of 1 inch or smaller is usually a less sturdy product as well. It will work, but you will need to support it with stakes.
 
Poultry Netting, Chicken Wire or Hardware Cloth or most plastic products are generally very floppy and will not work without a frame. If you have lots of mice, you may need to use hardware cloth, which has a finer mesh to keep them from chewing all the way around the trunk of a tree.

Creating a Cage
For trees, create a sturdy wire cylinder around the trunk that has a diameter at least twice the size of the trunk. That way you don’t have to cut a new piece as the tree grows.
The height of the cage should be about 2 feet minimum. You want to be sure that a hare or jackrabbit cannot reach the lower branches or reach above the fence when we have a winter with lots of snow.
The rolls of fence are usually around 2 feet to 4 feet tall. I cut my wire closer to 3 feet tall, as I also use the cages for temporary compost bins when I don’t need them for plants (see more info below)
 
Shrubs grow much faster and you really only need to protect them for the first couple of years. Once the shrub is 2-3 feet tall and well branched, even heavy pruning by a rabbit will not kill the shrub.
 
With the welded wire fence, you will need to wear thick gloves and wire cutters. Place the fence around the trees and shrubs and use a pair of pliers to bend the cut wires and connect the fence into a cylinder. You can also use twist ties or plastic zap straps to connect the ends.
 
Stacking Functions – Using the Cages for Composting
The wire cages are really important when trees and shrubs are young, and during the winter when our local Jackrabbits have nothing else to eat. So eventually, you may not need all your cages or you only need them during the winter.
 
I like to connect together some extra welded wire fence to create larger cylinders (2.5-3.5 feet in diameter) for storing dry leaves or extra compost, and I have even used a cage with extra compost that needed more curing as a growing bed for cucumbers, melons and potatoes. Check out this blog post and photos below.

Two easy permaculture principles to try out in an urban yard are to “catch and store energy and materials” and to “use biological and renewable resources”. This year I decided to put my red wrigglers to work in the garden. I found a used plant pot and drilled some holes around the sides, then sunk it into a raised bed between a zucchini and tomato plant. Next I put in some leaves and kitchen scraps – bedding and food for my worms. I placed a handful of worms from my indoor worm bin inside the new home and covered them with more leaves. Finally, I covered the “worm home” with a piece of tree stump to create a roof. Voilà! I now have a fertilizer generator and kitchen waste processing plant right next to nutrient hungry plants. 

We certainly can’t complain about the different vegetables we can grow in Edmonton! I recently reviewed a list in preparation for my spring gardening classes – there are at least 26 kinds of veggies we can grow!

Some are a little trickier than others because they grow best with lots of heat, such as pepper, tomatoes and eggplant. There are a few methods to extend the growing time for these plants, including growing them in containers. These can be moved in and out of the house or garage to avoid early or late season frosts and they can also be placed in a location that is more protected and warmer than the rest of the yard.

I have a number of containers, two of which work really well for the purpose of extending the growing season. They are containers with sub-irrigation, featuring a water reservoir at the bottom and the plant roots have access to ample water as long as you replenish the reservoir once in a while.

This year I grew two different kinds of eggplant in an EarthBox. This sturdy plastic container is fairly stylish and comes with coasters, which makes it easy to move and turn as needed. Although I follow the setup instructions from the manufacturer fairly closely, I do add some compost and worm castings to introduce microbes into the system. These boxes are not cheap, but they should last ‘forever’ and are great for people with limited space or for keeners who want to try a specialty crop.

I have also made a cheaper version of this system with two buckets, a yoghurt container and a piece of plastic tubing. Using a jigsaw, I cut a hole the size of the 650 mL yoghurt container in the bottom of the first bucket. I also drilled 5mm holes all over the rest of the bottom of that first bucket. Then I riddled the sides of the yoghurt container with holes and placed it in the bottom hole of the bucket. The potting mix in the yoghurt container sits in the water reservoir and therefore wicks water up into the rest of the potting mix. I also cut an additional hole for the plastic tube in the first bucket. The tube is pushed into the hole and all the way down to the bottom. The first bucket is then set inside the second bucket and watering is done into the plastic tube to fill the reservoir at the bottom. You also need an overflow hole so you can’t fill overfill the reservoir.

For other instructions, you can google “Global Buckets” and you will find many ways inventive folks have created their own version of a sub-irrigated container.

I grow a chocolate mint plant in a large container. This eliminates the worry that it will spread aggressively in the garden.  

This year I added a Mojito mint to the pot. With all the rain we had, it suffered from powdery mildew. In late summer, I chopped it all down and it recovered nicely, giving me another small crop of mint in fall.

At the end of the season I like to dig this pot into an empty raised bed. This way the plant will overwinter and start growing again once I pull it out and clean off the container.

To overwinter the pot, I dig a hole deep enough that I can sink the entire pot into the soil, then back fill and cover with soil. I add a layer of leaves or straw and mark the spot with a stick.

Last year, ants invaded this pot, so I pulled out the plant and repotted it with some fresh potting mix and compost. Then I kept it on our deck and the ants left it alone.

I have overwintered other perennial plants in this way, including a shrub I purchased on sale in the fall. I never had time to decide where to plant it - it survived well in the container in the ground and got a permanent home in spring.

Growth in the potato tower has been great. I have added more compost and leaves (see bands of different coloured material - click on photo to enlarge) and I will need to add more very shortly. The musk melon in the second cage is doing ok, but I'm sure it will grow much better once we get some heat.

As part of our Organic Gardening program, we discussed different types of garden beds. Our session also dealt with composting and options for compost bins.

I have always wanted to make some kind of potato tower. Last fall, I made a quick compost pile (while the snow was flying), but because I made it so late, it did not have a chance to decompose very much. So during our class, we turned the pile onto the lawn, mixed it with some wood and water, and piled it into a wire cage. (During the winter, I use these cages to protect my trees and shrubs from rabbits).

Then we planted potatoes in it, leaving some space to add some straw and leaves as the potatoes grow. After 2 weeks, the potatoes are just starting to poke out.

We also had some partially composted material for a second “vertical growing cage”. I added a layer of soil and seeded some buckwheat for a cover crop. In a week or so, I will be planting a muskmelon in it, just to see if it will grow and mature. I love experimenting in the garden, don’t you?!