Vegetable gardening is a great way to get active and eat healthful food! We grow many varieties of favourite vegetable plants and herbs as well as a cool selection of seeds, potato, onion and garlic sets and unusual vegetables that are sure to be a hit, like globe artichoke, purple beans or stevia. Varieties change each year as we get excited about trying a "new " vegetable so come out and discover what's happening this year in the greenhouse!
Enjoy summer's bounty knowing that the vegetables you are serving are grown with the best of care... yours!
VEGETABLE GARDENING 101
- The first step in vegetable gardening is to pick a suitable site for the garden. Location, location, location! Pick a site that is in full sun or at least six to eight hours of sunshine per day. If it can be sheltered from cold north winds by a hedgerow, bluff or structure, great! The vegetable garden should be an area that has good drainage and will not suffer from standing water after rainstorms. Good drainage will also help the soil warm earlier in the spring, which is so important in our area with a cool climate and predominantly clay based soils.
- Dig to remove the sod and add to your compost pile. Eventually it will rot and can be incorporated back into the soil. Dig deeply with a shovel, remove visible roots and discard and add organic matter like well rotted compost, peat moss or manure.
- Even if you are a little short on garden space, vegetable container gardening is easy, fun and rewarding! And a container of vegetable plants can be ornamental for decorative spaces. Or try square foot gardening! Ask at the greenhouse and we can help with advice and plant choices for all of these types of gardening.
Potatoes
- Norland - An early variety with red skin and white flesh. Tasty and dependable.
- Pontiac - A late variety with red skin, white flesh . A good keeper, this potato is particularly suited to heavy soils.
- Sangre - A mid-season variety with red skin and white flesh. Stores well for winter.
- Russet Burbank - A late season variety of white potato. A heritage variety that was introduced in the 1880's. Stores well.
- Yukon Gold - A mid-season variety with yellow flesh. Excellent tasting and stores well.
- Gourmet Banana - Yellow skin and flesh with a delicious buttery taste.
- Gourmet Russian All Blue- Has blue -purple skin that stays blue after cooking
Onion Sets
- Spanish - Makes a large mild Spanish onion.
- Red Onion- Large sweet red onions.
- White - A white skinned cooking variety.
- Multipliers - Never run out of onions!
- Shallots - For the gourmet chef!
Started Onions
- Walla Walla - Started in a 601 container , each container has approximately 24-36 onions in it. Transplant to the garden in rows after chance of frost has passed. Produces a large sweet Spanish onion that keeps quite well.
- Ailsa Craig - Started in a 601 container, each container holds approximately 24-36 onions. Transplant to the garden after chance of frost has passed. Makes very large exhibition sized onions that are mild and sweet.
- Red Onion - Started in a 601 container, each container has approximately 24-36 plants. Transplant to the garden in rows after chance of frost has passed. Produces large red and white bulbs. stores well.
Garlic
We offer garlic varieties in bulb form for fall planting or started in containers for spring planting.
- Red Russian - Jumbo hardy cloves with a spicy flavour. Overwinters well.
- Regular Garlic - White skinned with delicious garlic flavour that is very hardy to over winter.
There is nothing like those first few cucumbers of summer. Fresh and fragrant, crisp and juicy, oh boy! These are the varieties we will be growing at the greenhouse this year (and probably a few more!):
Cucumbers:
- Sweet Slice - A "burpless " vining variety with foot long fruit. Available in 4" biodegradable containers. Approximately 65 days to maturity.
- Burpless 26 - A "burpless" vining slicer with 9 inch fruit. Available in 4" biodegradable containers. Approximately 60 days to maturity.
- Calypso - Pickling or slicing cucumber with 3-7" long fruit. 52 days to maturity
- Corentine - Pickling cucumber with dark green , 4-5" long fruit. Disease resistant plants are very productive. 45 days to maturity.
- Marketmore 76 - A vining , productive variety that produces dark green, slender fruit that can be used for either fresh eating or pickling. Available in packs of 6 plants and 4" pots. 65 days to maturity.
- Orient Express - A "burpless" vining variety that produces fruit 10-12 inches long. Trellissing is recommended to keep fruit straight. Available in 4" biodegradable containers. Approximately 64 days to maturity.
- National or Chicago Pickling - An old prairie favourite. A vining, vigorous garden mainstay. Produces short , pickling cukes that are also great for eating fresh. Available in packs of 6 or 4" pots 55 days to maturity.
- Bush Pickle - A short vined variety that is ideally suited for containers or small gardens. Available in packs of 6, 4" pots and in 5 gallon pots. The five gallon pots have three to four plants in a pot and do not need to be transplanted. Gives you the earliest cucumbers, often with cucumbers set on the plants when you take them home. Continues to provide fruit throughout the season. 50 days to maturity.
- Straight Eight - An old prairie favourite. Productive, vigorous vines produce dark green fruit. Available in packs of six or 4" pots. 65 days to maturity.
