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Aquatic Plants have arrived at our store in Denville, NJ

Continue Reading Aquatic Plants Are In!

Aquatic Plants Are In!

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Last week I spoke about how who I plan my orchard of food producing perennials. Near the end of that video I spoke about the fact that you can increase the number of varieties you have through a process called grafting without having to plant another tree.
Today I am going to go through collecting and graft new varieties to my existing plants.

There are plenty of grafting techniques with including, Whip, Cleft, Side, Bud and Bridge graft. Before I do any grafting I like to research the techniques just to make sure I am refreshed. Sites like the University of Minnesota do a great job outlining the methods. [1]

0:37 Combination Fruit Trees
1:10 Grafting with in the Family
1:31 Definition of Rootstock and Scion wood
1:41 When the rootstock plant is ready
2:06 Scion harvest and storage
3:04 Grafting Tools
3:24 Grafting techniques
3:41 When is the best time to Graft
3:55 Cleft Graft Technique
6:07 What is a Bud Graft
6:24 Successful Graft and Time to fruiting
7:00 Benefits of grafting (fertilization, varieties, harvest time)

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[1] University of Minnesota Grafting Resources Site:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/fruit/grafting-and-budding-fruit-trees/

Related Episodes
Grow More Food with Perennial Fruit and Nut Bushes, Vines and Trees
https://youtu.be/fgQZNpZf0CQ?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH0wwN-9IQ–WX-C-4JqTR-7

Grow an Espalier Style Apple Tree. Perfect for Small Space Orchards
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH2zbHVmcbp8if3JJf25D7jt

Continue Reading Fruit Tree Grafting for Beginners

Fruit Tree Grafting for Beginners

Posted in Gardeners

I recently had to move one of my colonies of honeybees from one town to the next. Since it was more than 3km away, the method is straightforward. It will, however, involve putting them in the car and driving there. This is how I did it.

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LEARN MORE: http://lovelygreens.com/p/about.html
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#beekeeping #beehive #honeybees

Continue Reading How to Move a Beehive in the Car

How to Move a Beehive in the Car

Posted in Gardeners

💛 📖 See the GrowVeg book here: https://www.growveg.com/growveg-the-beginners-guide-to-easy-gardening.aspx.
Raised beds are extremely popular with gardeners, offering many advantages such as improved yields and easier maintenance.

If you want to install raised beds in your own garden then careful planning is essential. It’s worth considering which materials you’ll use to ensure your raised beds are sturdy, long-lasting and, most importantly, safe to grow food in.

In this short video we share our top tips for choosing the correct location, size and materials for your bed – and how to build one.

If you’ve noticed any pests or beneficial insects in your garden lately please report them to us at http://BigBugHunt.com

If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers:
http://www.GrowVeg.com
http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com
http://gardenplanner.almanac.com
and many more…

To receive more gardening videos subscribe to our channel here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=GrowVeg

Continue Reading How to Build Raised Beds for Your Vegetable Garden

How to Build Raised Beds for Your Vegetable Garden

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Earlier this month we hiked into the Piatra Craiului national park in Romania and stayed at the Pensuiunea Nea Marin Guesthouse in the village of Magura.

We enjoyed the stay and the hospitality so much that I made this video as a thank you and to let others know of this lovely lodge in one of the prettiest places I’ve visited. If you haven’t traveled to Romania yet, make sure to put it on your bucket list!

I have another video of our time in the area here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSWwkhz5uHg

Blog posts with images are here: http://lovelygreens.com/tag/romania/

➤ If you enjoy this video please give it a thumbs up and subscribe (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when new videos are out

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LEARN MORE: http://lovelygreens.com/p/about.html
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Music: Travel Light by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Continue Reading Pensiunea Nea Marin Guesthouse in Magura, Romania

Pensiunea Nea Marin Guesthouse in Magura, Romania

Posted in Gardeners

Surprise I had some time so I replaced the beds around my family heirloom grapes. This re-build of my raised bed was made much easier by the fact that I used recycled un-treated lumber to originally build them. They were rotten and due to be replaced.

What is your favourite perennial? Last week we spoke about planning for perennials and this week I really just want to know what your favourite is?

Right now I love my apples as they let me use my 149 year old Cider Mill. Check out the video here:

https://youtu.be/ucQKLWYBgeU

Register for a free class I am teaching at Greenland Garden Centre. I am going to teach you all about perennials and you will even get a 10% coupon!!

www.albertaurbangarden.ca

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Continue Reading Raised Bed Rebuild and the Story Behind my Heirloom Grapes

Raised Bed Rebuild and the Story Behind my Heirloom Grapes

Posted in Gardeners

This time of year I love going out into the garden to check on my perennials to see which ones are beginning to show signs of life.  It is a bit of a passion of mine to add to my urban orchard.

This brings me to today’s subject.  Earlier in the Urban Gardening Series I touched on how to plan and start your annual crops but purposely left out perennials. With the inspiration of spring that has me thinking about perennials I thought I would touch on planning for perennials in your small space or urban garden. 

Perennials are defined as plants that live for more than two years separating them from annuals or biannual plans that you grow and harvest within a year or two.  In the context of your garden they are crops that you plant once and they keep producing year after year.

0:05 Introduction
0:07 Defined perennials
0:51 Food Forest Perennials
1:16 Perennial crops that pay for themselves
2:03 Planning for perennials
2:27 Hardiness Zone
3:18 General growth patterns of perennials: Bush Tree and Vines
3:41 Perennial fruiting bushes
4:10 Perennial fruiting vines
5:21 Perennial fruiting trees
6:40 Finding areas for fruit trees, bushes and vines.
7:30 How do they Pollinate
7:57 Methods to grow more perennials in smaller areas
8:08 Growing fruit bearing perennials in pots or containers
9:12 Growing Espalier trees to produce more food in smaller spaces

list of perennials in my garden and status of production: (31 currently)

Apple Trees: light production expected full production when tree is 5-7 years old
Harcourt
Honey Crisp
Combination Apple Tree 7 Varieties

Espalier Apple Tree: expected full production year 3
Honey Crisp
Spartan

Asparagus: expected full production year 2 from 3 year old roots
Millennium (green)
Purple Asparagus
Ravel (white)

Blue Berries: Light production year 2
North Land
North Country
North Blue
Cherry Tree: expected production 5-7 years
Romeo

Fig: Expected production year 2
Magnolia Breba (container) (lower growth)
Violet De Bordeaux Breba Fig (container) (upright growth)

Goji Berry: expected production year 3 from seed

Grapes: expected full production year 4-5
Heirloom Grandpa Legaree
Heirloom Grandpa Lampi
Frontenac
Frontenac Gris
Valiant
Pixie Dwarf Vine (Container)

Honey Berries: expected full production year 3
Borealis
Berry Blue
Indigo gem (container)
Tundra (container)

Raspberries (unknown varieties) Full production year 2
Two Red and one Yellow variety

Rhubarb: Full production year 2
Arctic Rhubarb from Kay Garvin via Dad
Unknown

Strawberries: Full production year 2
Seascape

Future additions to my orchard:

Apple Tree: Grafting
Goodland
Mike’s Apple

Pear Tree:
Paul’s Pear

Lingon Berries

Mint
Moroccan Mint

Fruit and Nut Trees of Alberta Facebook Page
[1] https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484297785164334/

Related Episodes

Urban Gardening Series Playlist
https://youtu.be/zVMjq02541Y?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH0wwN-9IQ–WX-C-4JqTR-7

How to Grow an Espalier Fruit or Nut Tree
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH2zbHVmcbp8if3JJf25D7jt

Growing Perennials in Zone 3 Alberta Canada
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH1gSII9kPYOu41Vn3P6R3Nv

Continue Reading Grow More Food with Perennial Fruit and Nut Bushes, Vines and Trees

Grow More Food with Perennial Fruit and Nut Bushes, Vines and Trees

Posted in Gardeners

💛 📖 See the GrowVeg book here: https://www.growveg.com/growveg-the-beginners-guide-to-easy-gardening.aspx.
What could be easier than sowing seed…? Well, it turns out that quite a lot can go wrong!

From problems germinating to incorrect spacing, sowing can be a bit hit and miss! How many times have you popped seeds in the garden and waited impatiently for your seedlings to sprout, only to have them mysteriously fail – or accidentally weeded them out because they didn’t appear where you expected them to?

In this short video we share five top tips from the pros to improve germination rates, save time and make sowing easier, giving your seedlings the very best chance for success.

If you’ve noticed any pests or beneficial insects in your garden lately please report them to us at http://BigBugHunt.com

If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers:
http://www.GrowVeg.com
http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com
http://gardenplanner.almanac.com
and many more…

To receive more gardening videos subscribe to our channel here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=GrowVeg

Continue Reading 5 Gardening Hacks for Seed Sowing Success

5 Gardening Hacks for Seed Sowing Success

Posted in Gardeners

As spring progresses it has been a busy time in the garden. I have continued to plant cold hardy crops such as peas, beets, carrots and radish in the garden under limited cover. Although we are still 4 weeks from our average last frost these crops can handle the infrequent plunges below the freezing mark that we can expect. I have also planted my second crop of cold hardy greens under the hoop house and cold frame. Finally I harvested the last of the indoor winter greens and tomatoes to make room in the grow room for the peppers that were put in the containers that they will spend the summer in.
As I was doing this work in the garden I was thinking of other ways to extend my season. The answer became apparent one morning as I was moving my figs and mini-grape plant from my garage outside for the day.
None of these perennials are hardy to my zone but do well in containers. So I over wintered these perennials in our insulated attached garage that rarely drops below -10c or 14F. As the temperatures warmed up I noticed the figs were breaking dormancy and so I sent them outside on days where the temperature was expected to stay above the freezing mark.
This got me thinking about the containers I often garden in. Containers are a wonderful way to grow food. They are small, mobile and can be placed anywhere such as a patio, deck or even balcony.
Using the principals of growing food under cover I will simply swap the hoop house and cold frame for the protection of my garage and get some crops started much earlier than I could traditionally outside. This should allow me to harvest faster and in some cases harvest two crops even in my zone 3 garden.
I have started this method 4 weeks out from my last average frost. I chose to start now as in my area by the time I leave the house at 6:30am the air temperature is more often above freezing than below.
The type of container is not really important however I do prefer these bag type pots. Not only are they easier to handle they are easier to store as well.
To fill them I use the same soil mix as the containers in my grow room ½ recycled potting mix and ½ homemade compost. I usually fill the containers nearly to the top to allow some settling. Where I can hill or mound such as potatoes I fill it ¾ the way through to leave me some space.
There are many crops that do well in containers especially in cooler soil temperatures. I will be planting my potatoes, kale, collards and swish chard.
I will still wait to bring my warm weather crops like peppers and tomatoes out as they are acclimated to warmer weather and even at temperatures well above freezing these plants can get stressed and potentially die. I will wait to bring them out until later in the season.
During the day I leave the pots on my drive way and bring them in if I see there is threat of freezing temperatures.
If in the morning the temperature is still well below freezing I simply leave the containers under protection taking them out when I get home. Infrequent restrictions of light paired with slower growth habits due to cold temperatures should result in limited harm being caused.
If you do not have access to a garage most of these cold hardy crops would do well in a shed or even under a container while small. If permitted you could even bring them inside your home. Make sure to avoid low lying areas where cold air settles and give it a shot.
The advantage of this method goes past just starting the crops earlier extending your harvests. Plants that have been started indoors need to be slowly acclimated to the intensity of natural light through a process called hardening off. These plants will have spent their entire life under natural light eliminating the need to harden the plants off reducing the stress on the plants.
Later in the season I will mulch the surface of the soil to help prevent water loss and return nutrients to the soil. The compost in the potting mix should provide more than enough nutrients throughout the seasons but if struggling I will add some worm castings as a part of the mulch layer.

Related Episodes:
Grow a lot of food in small spaces with Container Gardening
https://youtu.be/TdIFU9301oE

Turn Trash into Garden Gold with Worm Castings:
https://youtu.be/ORu_mdB7cng?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH3UTGH_3UAG6cB8NnlO8M1U

Check us out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AlbertaUrbanGarden/

Continue Reading Start a Simple Container Garden Early

Start a Simple Container Garden Early

Posted in Gardeners

On this Vlog I have a few perennial moves to be before the plants but out. So I get to the project moving three low bush blueberries and a honey crisp apple before they bud out.

I also go into some detail on where the Alberta Urban Garden is and why I settled here in Alberta.

If you missed my first Vlog check it our here: https://youtu.be/qiUjMagmuVs

Check us out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AlbertaUrbanGarden/

Continue Reading Moving Perennial Blueberries and Where is the Alberta Urban Garden?

Moving Perennial Blueberries and Where is the Alberta Urban Garden?