Some of the most creative and useful gardening ideas come from home gardeners who problem-solve through the limited space of own gardens.
One small-space Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»gardener I know turned Romano pole bean plants into a decorative vegetable garden edge by growing them on low, horizontal strings that provided support without blocking sun from neighboring crops.
Another city gardener restrained the thuggish tendencies of golden oregano by growing it in tiny crevices between a wall of stacked rock and a rock path.
Gardening is always a dance between bringing some plants together and keeping others apart. A Surrey gardener places a border of colourful annuals, perennials and herbs around her vegetable garden that attract pollinating bees and other beneficial insects.
Meanwhile, another Surrey gardener shrugs off the advice of many arborists and rings his apple trees with deep bark mulch right out to the drip line. He says the mulch holds extra moisture for the trees, keeps down weeds, shrinks down the size of the lawn (making it easier to cut) and stops the trees from sharing grass fertilizer.
Rural gardens are friendly places for birds eager to have a feed at a gardeners expense. Some are eager to feast on corn and pea seed before it germinates, but other birds can be put to work.
One Maple Ridge gardener, for example, finds bantam chickens are great for taking care of pests and weeds while doing less damage the garden than larger hens. But she warns that bantams can only be let loose around established plants and arent safe around tiny seedlings.
Another Maple Ridge gardener has Indian Runner ducks on slug patrol in her garden. She says this particular breed eats slugs, lays eggs, doesnt injure the vegetables and doesnt need water as much as other ducks.
People who garden on slopes sometimes like to place vegetable and fruit gardens near the foot of the slope where water running downhill nurtures the plants, although structures uphill can shade the sun-loving vegetables below.
A North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»gardener gained height without shade by following the curve of her gardens slope with a line of heavy vertical timbers linked by horizontal beams like an airy Stonehenge.
Gardeners with imagination can also introduce all the creativity of flower gardens into their vegetable patch. A Coquitlam gardener uses rustic artifacts such as antique wooden ladders and tripods for her climbing vegetables.
On the other hand, gardeners may also use vegetable accessories for their flower displays. For instance, a Chilliwack gardener uses the florists device of long, silver curly wands to heighten the visual impact of a container with ferns. Another example is the Burnaby gardener who uses tomato cages as plant supports. She likes them when they go rusty and when winter snows arrive turns them upside down where they become all white like little snowy Christmas trees.
The same gardener has a unique way of storing her home-saved tomato seeds. First she puts them on a paper towel in a warm place. When they are absolutely dry, she folds up the paper towel and puts it in an airtight container for the winter.
In spring, when its time to plant them, she wets the paper towel and sprouts the tomato seeds right in place. When they shoot, she pots them up.
Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions Send them to [email protected].
