Calgary Gardening Thread

Surrealplaces · #1 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 5:46 PM**

This thread is for anything green that grows.......Vegetables, shrubs, trees or flowers.

I might be the only one here that likes to do gardening, but I figure it's worth starting a thread to see who else is into it.

Surrealplaces · #2 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 5:49 PM**

Might as well kick this thread off with some veggie pics. Tomatoes, Squash and Cukes

Starting out in my office late March.

March 30th by Surrealplaces, on Flickr

Early May

Day in the life of a Tomato by Surrealplaces, on Flickr

Yesterday

There you are by Surrealplaces, on Flickr

Sweet Millions by Surrealplaces, on Flickr

Doug_Cgy · #3 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 5:52 PM**

I love this topic. I'm by no means a green thumb, but I so appreciate plants and people who push zone boundaries on what they grow.

I've planted tomatoes, peas, cukes and flowers this year. So far all are doing well, except the cukes.

Jimby · #4 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 6:49 PM**

I grow 3 kinds of lettuce, onions, 2 kinds of parsley, cilantro, thyme, chives, basil, lemon verbena, mint, fennel, oregano, rosemary, and nasturtiums.

Balcony garden by LUMIN8, on Flickr

RWin · #5 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 6:54 PM**

Another gardener here although not very motivated this year.

About 12 years ago my oldest daughter got a spruce tree for arbour day. It was about 4" tall maybe? We moved about 6 years ago and dug it out to bring it along with us. That set it back a couple of years. Then the top died the third year (I think it was hit with some hail). But it's had 3 more good growing years since. By the end of this growing season I suspect it will be a bit taller than my daughter at about 5'5".

Chadillaccc · #6 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 6:56 PM**

I love gardening as well, great idea for a thread. Moving into my new place in Mount Pleasant, I have been doing a lot of gardening this year. This is the most gardening I've done since I did landscaping when I was a teenager. We have a great back yard for of trees and shrubs with some nice areas for gardens. I've spent about $200 so far on plants this year.

SAM_2328 by Chadillaccc, on Flickr

SAM_2332 by Chadillaccc, on Flickr

RWin · #7 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 7:18 PM**

Here's a couple from this year.

We started some lupins (among other things last year). It's done pretty well this year:

I took that a couple of weeks ago. There's a pink one as well. They've started to go to seed though so the glory days are almost over.
The Hollyhock next to is about to flower too. I'm surprised it came back because I thought hollyhocks flower in their second year and then die. This is the third year for this one (unless I miscalculated).

Another - this one I guess is technically a weed but I wanted to see it grow. It's called salsify and you see it growing by the roadside all over. I find these a little creepy for some reason but they are edible. Every part of the plant. I was curious what it tasted like (you can see where I broke off one of the leaves) and it was pretty bland actually. Apparently the root is much better. The first one is from May 17 and the second one of the same plant is from last week.

Surrealplaces · #8 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 7:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug_Cgy

I love this topic. I'm by no means a green thumb, but I so appreciate plants and people who push zone boundaries on what they grow.

I've planted tomatoes, peas, cukes and flowers this year. So far all are doing well, except the cukes.

Cukes can be temperamental. I grew 8 from seed and kept 4, giving away the other 4. The 4 that I gave away are all toast. My four cukes are doing really well, but that hasn't been the case in other years.

RWin · #9 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 7:26 PM**

Another one I really want to grow is cardoon. I tried a couple of years ago and again last year. But being a mediterranean sort of plant, it's a little cold here. Really I should start it inside in January and then move it outside when there is no chance of frost. Two years in a row I didn't start until the end of March and this year I missed the boat all together.

So from last year, this is what the baby plant looks like:

This is about as big as it got before the cold hit:

And this is what it would look like if it got big enough to flower (about 6" tall). The main part of the flower is a good 3" across. I took this one at the Chatsworth garden in the UK about a year and a half ago (the English climate is mild enough that it is perenial there and this plant is about 6 years old):

Surrealplaces · #10 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 7:37 PM**

I love the challenge of gardening in Calgary. With a short temperamental season, it's not easy, but the trick seems to be in finding little tricks that can beat the zone we are given.

RWin · #11 Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 7:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surrealplaces

I love the challenge of gardening in Calgary. With a short temperamental season, it's not easy, but the trick seems to be in finding little tricks that can beat the zone we are given.

Yup. I'm thinking about digging up certain perenials and storing them in a warmish place over the winter to be replanted in the spring.

Surrealplaces · #12 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 3:46 AM**

For vegetable gardens, having cold frames can help get things started earlier. I never really got a chance to use them this year because the bad weather ran so late. I put poly over the frames for about 4 or 5 days when I first planted and I think it helped.

Back yard garden by Surrealplaces, on Flickr

Chadillaccc · #13 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 4:46 AM**

This thread is giving me some good ideas. I am new to gardening in my very own back yard, so I basically have no idea where to start, especially with what plants do well in our climate. I can't wait to plant some more!

Doug_Cgy · #14 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 6:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surrealplaces

Cukes can be temperamental. I grew 8 from seed and kept 4, giving away the other 4. The 4 that I gave away are all toast. My four cukes are doing really well, but that hasn't been the case in other years.

That's what I'm hearing. Thinking I may replace with some flowers, or another tomato plant

Doug_Cgy · #15 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 6:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

This thread is giving me some good ideas. I am new to gardening in my very own back yard, so I basically have no idea where to start, especially with what plants do well in our climate. I can't wait to plant some more!

Now that we've upgraded to a Zone 4A - I'd like to attempt to try a few fruit trees. I'm thinking that might have to wait until next year though.

Surrealplaces · #16 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 8:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug_Cgy

Now that we've upgraded to a Zone 4A - I'd like to attempt to try a few fruit trees. I'm thinking that might have to wait until next year though.

I've got a crabapple and a regular apple. The regular apple tree has grown apples, but nothing great. My neighbour across the street has an apple tree that has been growing nice bigl sized apples in recent years. I've been thinking of trying graft some of his branches onto my apple tree.

Surrealplaces · #17 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 8:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug_Cgy

That's what I'm hearing. Thinking I may replace with some flowers, or another tomato plant

Bedding out flowers are dirt cheap right now

Doug_Cgy · #18 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 8:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surrealplaces

I've got a crabapple and a regular apple. The regular apple tree has grown apples, but nothing great. My neighbour across the street has an apple tree that has been growing nice bigl sized apples in recent years. I've been thinking of trying graft some of his branches onto my apple tree.

Awesome! You'll have to keep us posted on the progress.

I'm thinking Cherry

Surrealplaces · #19 Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 8:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug_Cgy

Awesome! You'll have to keep us posted on the progress.

I'm thinking Cherry

I haven't seen cherries grown in Calgary, but if you could get it going, it would be awesome. Much of what grows in Calgary seems to depend on the part of the city. You might be able to get a cherry tree to go if it's in the right spot. My old neighbor in Thorncliffe had a plum tree and we used to sneak into his yard and pick them.

Wentworth · #20 Posted **Jul 10, 2014, 11:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surrealplaces

I haven't seen cherries grown in Calgary, but if you could get it going, it would be awesome. Much of what grows in Calgary seems to depend on the part of the city. You might be able to get a cherry tree to go if it's in the right spot. My old neighbor in Thorncliffe had a plum tree and we used to sneak into his yard and pick them.

There are newer varieties of hardy cherries, saw a tree in West Springs that had almost full-size looking cherries, and West Springs is pretty much the coldest part of the city.