Summer in Vancouver: Grow an Edible Garden
It is now easier for you to have the delicious taste of fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables from your own backyard. In this article garden guru Peter Cantley reveals his tips for planting your own edible garden.
A Sunny Edible Garden
First, find a sunny area to plant your edible garden. Edible plants typically need about six hours of direct sunlight to help them grow. Also, make sure that you use soil that is enriched with compost or manure that have nutrients to help your plants grow all season long.
Stay away from using any chemical pesticides. Instead, look for organic fertilizers that are safe for consumption. Bone meal is a great substitution and works effectively as a natural slow-release fertilizer for your plants.
Not sure where to start? Here are some easy ways to incorporate produce from your edible garden into your summer meals.
Savoury Salads
These days, you can grow nearly all the fixings for your summer salads right in your own backyard. Try planting a variety of herbs in a planter outside your kitchen door for an easy way to give your salad real depth.
Mighty Mato Grafted Tomatoes plants are great in salads. This plant grows up to six feet tall and has an exceptional ability to absorb nutrients from the soil and deliver plentiful harvests.
Try using the PC Gigantico Tomatillo in a homemade Mexican salsa or chop and add to fish tacos. Tomatillos are a staple of Mexican cuisine with a sweet, citrusy flavour that compliments spicy foods and a real kick to outdoor parties.
Kale Craze
Purchase a PC® Kale Bowl to enjoy the nutritional benefits of this super food all summer long. Chop it thinly and combine it with apple and honey salad for a fresh salad or bake the leaves in the oven to make kale chips. The possibilities are endless.
Longfoot Basil can be grown outside in the summer and placed on the window inside the house in the winter for you to enjoy fresh basil all year.
Need an extra flavour in your pasta? The selection of herbs in the PC® Herb Planter Mamas makes it easy for you to have a little taste of Italy right from your own backyard.
Go Exotic
There’s nothing like picking fresh figs off your own fig plant. This luscious and sweet fruit is always a family favourite.
Go exotic and try the PC Gigantico Bitter Melon which has a similar flavour to cucumber. This Asian gourd is also great stuffed or in stir-fries.
One of the hottest products for your edible garden this summer is the PC Gigantico Ghost Chilli Pepper. Watch this cone shaped spicy pepper mature from green to red over the season.
All President’s Choice garden products can be found at your local Real Canadian Superstore.
Peter Cantley is the vice-president of floral and garden for Loblaw Companies Limited. Peter has over 46 years of experience in the garden business and travels the world with his team to find new and exclusive garden products to bring to customers in Canada that will grow best in the Canadian climate.
