Linda Gilkeson

This spring has unfolded remarkably like last spring, both in lack of April rainfall (around 75% below average over the region, again) and the same higher than average temperature regime. Nighttime temperatures have consistently been above average all spring, resulting in flowering and plant development in my garden occurring about a week earlier than last year. We have already had record-breaking warm days in April and a couple of hot days are forecast, starting today. While it might be another challenging year for some vegetables it should be another great year for fruit crops. At this point the soil is so warm that you can probably plant most things. If we do get a cold night, the warmth in the soil should protect tender plants if you cover them with plastic or floating row cover. I am dithering on when to set out cucumbers, beans, melons, basil, peppers and corn seedlings, but mine are all shortly going to be too big for the trays I started them in so it will force my h…

One effect of last year’s drought is haunting us this spring as clouds of pollen billow from the huge crop of stress cones on conifers all around the region. We always see pollen from alder, maple and other trees in the spring, but this year, everywhere, there are masses of small reddish brown cones on branches of spruce and fir trees. It doesn’t mean those trees are going to die, but they did get a fright and are making an effort to reproduce this year in case it is their last chance. It will be a happy season for squirrels and seed eating birds…..meanwhile back at the garden: Buying vegetable seedlings: As a greater variety of veggie starts is coming into the nurseries, I thought it would be good to review what to look for when buying seedlings to transplant. The key thing to remember is that stressed seedlings never become the plants they could have been if they had not been stunted by poor watering practices (too dry, too wet), lack of nutrients, or from becoming root-bo…

The fast start to spring last month seems to have slowed down a bit with the recent cold weather, but it sounds like we are in for a nice stretch of warm, mostly sunny days starting this weekend. In most gardens there have been few, if any, days that garden soil has been dry enough to work due to constant rain. To tell if your soil is dry enough to handle, squeeze together a handful of soil: if it makes a compact ball that doesn’t crumbled apart easily when you gently rub it between your hands, it is too wet to work. Soils with more clay will be the last to dry out and their structure is easiest to damage by cultivating while they are too wet (resulting in hard clods). Sandy soils dry out sooner, but even my own sandy, well-drained soil is still too wet to work today. Anyway, trying to sow too early makes it more likely you will lose tiny plants to roots rots, cutworms, slugs, pillbugs, wireworms, birds, cold, rain (sigh)…..making it all much easier to wait until the soil warms…

Another early spring looks to be upon us:  Flowering plants I track as indicators in my yard are blooming only 1-2 days later than they did last year. Last year was the earliest I have experienced on the coast and the warmest on record globally. With overwintered broccoli and cauliflowers making heads and chard and kale beginning to grow, it looks like spring is here. At current vegetable prices those overwintered crops are green gold (at this rate, are we going to have to start locking our garden gates!?). Seeds to plant: If you are growing your own seedlings, this is the month to start celery and celeriac (indoors, on bottom heat). They are slow to germinate and the tiny plants grow slowly. You can also start leeks, onions and shallots this month from seed indoors on bottom heat.  Given that this may be another very early spring, starting peppers, eggplants, even a couple of tomatoes or zucchini this early might work out, especially if you have a sunroom or greenhouse to m…

HERE IS THE BIG NEWS! - Resilient Gardens 2016: Climate Change, Stress Disorders, Pest Update is off the press and for sale through my web site, a few local bookstores, and at all of my talks and workshops this year. Read all about it! Now that's out of my system, here are some tips on what to do right now: First, stop worrying about the garlic: I know it is really shooting up, but the young leaves are very hardy. If there is more cold coming they should be fine (and you can't stop them). If you want, pull away the mulch just enough to let the shoots grow straight. If you don't do this, they will poke through eventually anyway. Pruning: With buds swelling and the snowdrops blooming, it looks like the warm conditions will bring out fruit blossoms early again this year. Usually we can count on having all of February to finish dormant pruning of fruit trees, grapes and berry bushes, but it is a good idea to finish up your dormant pruning sooner, if you can. Several fru…

Well, here it comes: It looks like the first Arctic outbreak of the year could be coming our way early next week. At the moment, the forecast is for the coldest weather to start Tuesday, with lows of -5 to -7oC (18 to 23oF) predicted through at least Thursday over the whole south coast. Don't be lulled by the fact that we are in an El Nino winter, which is supposed to give us a somewhat warmer than average temperatures: the last time we had a 'super' El Nino in 1997/98, there was apparently 2 warmer than usual months and one colder than normal month. We need to be ready for anything! And here's the good new (for some of us, anyway): after next week's freeze our Brussels sprouts will be tasty and sweet... SO, finish mulching around plants this weekend and completely cover over the tops of your root crops with a good thick layer of leaves, straw or other mulch. The hardiest leafy greens are usually fine to about -5oC (23oF), but since the forecast for next week is for…

I have had several questions recently about storing crops so thought it was time to review storage conditions. The closer you can get to the ideal conditions, the longer the food will keep, but even in less than ideal conditions, much of it can be stored fresh for a reasonable time. Food that must be kept dry: onions, garlic, winter squash, sweet potatoes. It is ideal if it is cool (10-15oC/50-60oF), too, but dry storage is most important. The problem is that the really cool storage places most of us have, such as crawl spaces, garden sheds, detached garages, etc. are too damp. While it is hard to find a place in a modern home that is cool, it isn't hard to find dry storage. Insulated, dry basements and insulated attached garages can work (as long as there is no gasoline smell to contaminate the food), but you can also store these crops in the house, in a back bedroom or cupboard. I am surprised how many people tell me they store these crops in the guest bedroom, which mak…

It is the first day of fall and here are some things to do in the garden: Pinch your Brussels sprouts: To force the plants to plump up their sprouts, pinch or cut off the centre top-knot of leaves by the end of September. If your plants are large and already forming nice sprouts, this is optional. If your plants haven't made sprouts yet, then this will make the tiny sprouts grow really quickly. If plants are still quite small (several people have told me they put in late seedlings), you might as well pinch the tips out and see what happens. Brussels sprouts are biennials, which means if they don't make sprouts this fall, they won't make them in the spring either because they will grow flower stalks instead. But the flower sprouts are very tasty and tender, so don't give up on your plants no matter what size they are as there will be something to harvest. Last chance thinning: When I checked my carrots the other day I found some were too crowded and that a flurry of reme…

I had a surprise at the end of July when I found a pear lying on the ground under my tree: it hadn't been knocked off by critters--it was ready to pick! In fact I picked about half the crop of Red and Yellow Bartletts that day, which is about 3 weeks early compared to last year. That reminds me to mention that unlike other tree fruit, pears are of better quality if they ripen off the tree. When they are left on the tree until soft enough to eat they are usually brown in the centre, the flesh is grainy and beginning to spoil in places; when taken off the tree they ripen evenly from the inside out. You can tell when a pear is mature enough to pick if you gently lift it upward and sideways. If the seam where the fruit stem meets the twig pops cleanly apart, the pear is ready to pick. If it just won't pop off or if you have tugged so hard that the twig or stem breaks instead of snapping cleanly at the joint, give the crop more time. While summer pears are mostly ready this month, w…

This week the cooler weather is coinciding nicely with the right timing for sowing Swiss chard, kale, collards, kohlrabi, beets, rutabagas, winter radish/daikon, radicchio and hardy endives for your winter garden. Chard or kale planted earlier in the season will continue all winter, but you might want to sow more now to account for the fact that replacement leaves don't grow in the winter. I plant about 4 times more chard for winter harvests than I use in the summer to ensure a good supply of leaves until growth starts again in March. If you can find good quality started seedlings (e.g., from Chorus Frog farm stand on Salt Spring), transplanting is an option, of course, but if your local supplier is selling sad, yellowing seedlings, skip it. You would be better off sowing seeds directly in the garden--they will quickly outgrow stressed seedlings, which may never recover. With the cooler and maybe a little damper outlook for the next few weeks it should be easier to get seed…

Yes, I know, it is hard to think about next winter but it is time to start seeds of overwintering broccoli and cauliflower for harvest early next year.  And from now on, every couple of weeks for the rest of the summer is another planting 'window' for various crops. I have posted my winter harvest planting chart on my home page so that you can print it out and post it to remind you what to plant. The chart shows sowing dates, which can be either directly in the garden or in seedling flats. Given the difficulty of keeping things cool and watered this summer I am opting for starting more of this year's crops in flats where I can mind them more closely. Or start them in the garden in a small nursery area that you can keep shaded and watered easily. First, broccoli and cauliflower: Start seeds any time from mid-June to the end of the month. If you want to buy seedlings later, I suggest you check with your local nursery or seedling source to find out what varieties they will have…

Meteorologists are warning that the expected El Nino climate pattern this year is going to be a "super El Nino" comparable with the 1997-98 year. For coastal British Columbia, that brings record heat waves in the summer. With unprecedented warm Pacific water now reaching our coast, combined with a strong El Nino, which also brings warm water across the Pacific, gardeners need to be on top of managing for high temperatures. It starts this coming weekend and Environment Canada has issued a weather alert for a prolonged period of hot weather for coastal British Columbia, starting tomorrow and continuing through early next week. Predictions are for 27-31 degrees C (80-90 F), with the higher temperatures further inland. Managing for heat: Garden vegetables are most vulnerable to heat damage at this time of year because plants are still small, with shallow roots and young leaves. Shade young plants and seed bed: Cover small plants, at least for the midday heat for a few days…

With the weather stable, warm (and way too dry), I think we are quite safe putting out celeriac, celery, cucumbers, even melons and sweet basil. The first 2 are easily vernalized by a late cold spell (causing them to go to seed)and the latter 3 are very finicky about the cool, damp conditions often found on the coast at this time of year. In fact, for inland coastal areas, it is forecast to be hot tomorrow so watch out for your tiny seedlings and seedbeds: they will probably need to be shaded them to get them safely through the hot part of the day. And it is time to start mulching plants that are large enough or like cooler soil (such as peas, cabbage, lettuce, onion family). With the very dry spring we have had and this long stretch of sunny, warm weather, mulches to slow water loss and cool the soil will be appreciated by plants. I covered mulches in more detail about this time last year so for more info, see my June 6, 2014 message. Sweet corn: Though we can certainly sow…