More fruit in the garden? Yes please. It might be challenging to find this little tropical tasting fruit in a greenhouse, but many heirloom seed companies carry ground cherry seeds. And once you have them, they will self seed themselves. ...
Around the yard
Wonderberry: Is this Success or Failure?
A few years ago I had a mission to plant more fruit in my garden. Besides various melons (like these and these), I found an historic, annual, heirloom berry called Wonderberry. Here is what you need to know about it. To be honest, I’m not sure if my ...
Summer Squash Success
I’m always trying new things in the garden. For a couple of bucks I can get a package of seeds and satisfy my curiosity. Summer squash produce quickly and abundantly, so it’s worth the minimal effort it takes to grow them! Let’s check out two ...
Part 2: How to Grow your own Garlic
I had the privilege of attending a garden club event where local a garlic farmer who runs Lockport Gardens here in Manitoba gave the low down on how to grow your own garlic. I’ve grown my own garlic for a few years, and it was great to get a ...
Part 1: Why Local Garlic
Why local garlic? Why pay more? Why go to the effort? Learn why foreign garlic should stay out of your cart. Get a brief overview of the myriad health and medicinal benefits of garlic. It’s all here on why local garlic is king. I had the ...
Harvesting Willow Bark
Here are the details for harvesting willow bark! Get the when, what, where and how of this useful medicinal plant. When I was first looking into harvesting willow bark, I was surprised to find the details few and far between, scattered around ...
Hulless Pumpkin Seeds
In the past I have dried and roasted regular pumpkin seeds, with the white hulls. They tasted good, but chewing them felt like you were rubbing a layer of enamel off your teeth. Sorry to whom I gifted some. Since then, I have discovered hulless ...
Grow Your Own Small Melons
Small melons, like these Queen Anne Pocket Melons and Mother Mary's Pie Melons, are productive vines that produce an abundant crop of baseball sized melons. With a short maturation, these melons might be just the thing for short season gardeners. ...
Grow Montreal Market Melons
The Montreal Market Melon is a great find for gardeners, even far from Montreal here in the northern prairies. Its crispy green flesh has a wonderfully sweet, musky melon flavour in a generous size! Get the low down on where these treasures came from ...
Harvesting Chokecherries and Chokecherry Syrup
Chokecherries are a rural prairie classic. From chokecherry pie to chokecherry syrup, these tart berries are a late summer treat. Read on to get the low down on harvesting chokecherries and making chokecherry syrup. Different years produce ...
I'm Erika, I live on eighty acres in the northern prairies of southern Manitoba with my husband and four kids. Here, we enjoy the outdoors and try to be more self sufficient as we try new things in the garden and learn about our land and the world around us.