I farm flowers in a Zone 3 climate, where our growing season is short and intensive, and to extend the beauty into the fall and winter, we dry thousands of stems. While dried flowers may call to mind images of dusty arrangements adorning your grandparentโs house, I assure you โ they are making a comeback. This isnโt only because they can be truly spectacular when done right, theyโre also the most sustainable way to preserve flowers in the starkest and coldest of months.ย
Continue ReadingโSo, do you want grass?โ was the first question he asked us, and while Cape Bretoners love their lawns, no - we didnโt want grass. When we took over our farm in 2023 the 20+ year lease on 5 acres of cultivated land ended, and our first task was to negotiate what would be replanted.
Continue Reading
Flower gardens have an immense impact on local ecosystems. So why not create one yourself, and one you can cut from to enjoy indoors!
Hereโs how to get started:
Urban spaces displace local wildlife species but you can use your garden to help compensate for lost habitat. By mimicking natural elements, you can roll out the welcome mat for creatures big and small who are looking for refuge.ย Foodย ...
Continue ReadingAt the Green & Gold Community Garden, in Edmonton, volunteers get their hands dirty on two acres of land at the University of Alberta South Campus farm. Now in its fifteenth year, this local garden with a global impact is...
Continue ReadingBeing a sustainable Landscape Designer, lawn alternatives are something I think about a lot. I also think it's important to experiment with new plants in my own garden before I ever specify them for someone elseโs yard as it gives...
Continue ReadingWelcome, 'Uy' skweyul,ย Bienvenu to syuwฬeฬnฬctโฏElementary in Nanaimo, BC where students, staff, parents, and the community are stewards of the land. One late August morning, a parent volunteer was watering syuwฬeฬnฬct Elementaryโs large garden with her three young boys.ย She spotted...
Continue ReadingI was born and raised in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mรฉxico, a city in the middle of a desert. As many people in my area, I grew up buying groceries with my mother and never really learned what it takes to grow...
Continue ReadingEven Olympic dreams start with a seed. At the unusually late age of 27, I was offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leave my corporate job and join Rowing Canadaโs Talent Identification program. Given my late age and non-existent experience with...
Continue ReadingOur market garden is planted beside the Trans Canada Highway next to a bustling intersection. As we go about our work transplanting cabbages, harvesting carrots and hilling potatoes weโre surrounded by the constant drone of cars, the honking of horns...
Continue ReadingWho wouldโve imagined that photographing boulevard gardens would lead to so many interesting surprises and fulfilling community-building experiences?ย But what is a boulevard garden? The boulevard is the strip of land between a road and a sidewalk. The standard boulevard...
Continue ReadingGardening is enjoyable at all ages and is especially enjoyable with children! Playing and learning outdoors can engage children of all ages in physical activity, care for living things, and a sense of how the natural world works.ย ย Start small...
Continue ReadingNothing brings me joy like being surrounded by plants. In the summer, I love to bring people into the green cocoon that is my patio garden under the wisteria arbour and host small (given my Vancouver patio is only eight...
Continue ReadingThere are various methods to harvest marine phytoplankton. At MARPHYL Marine Phytoplankton, we implement a natural, wild, and sustainable approach.ย First, ocean water is pumped from the deeps of the Georgia Strait into tanks located on shore next to the...
Continue ReadingMy name is a Akos and I run the re.Planted Farm & Floral Studio in Deep River, ON. Weโre a regenerative urban farm that strives to design with only the flowers weโve grown ourselves. We are strong proponents of the...
Continue ReadingYouโve probably seen those photos on Instagramโthe ones of happy flower farmers with armloads of flowers and gorgeous bouquets, and thought to yourself, โif only I could grow flowers like that!โ Imagine waking up in the morning and heading out...
Continue ReadingCritics who visit our farm to learn about our style of no-till often point out that our deep mulch system isnโt viable for most regions of the world. Theyโre correct. Very few farms have the necessary resources in their area...
Continue ReadingOver the past few years, edible gardening has seen a surge in popularity. Spurred by the garden to table movement, the slow living movement and surely aided by our new found appreciation for all things local, vegetable gardens are thriving...
Continue Reading