Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Brock University talk, June 15, 2011



I have been invited to speak at the annual Brock University Wellness Conference, June 15, 20111.
My Talk is entitled "Moving Beyond Aisle One", and I'll talk about (what else?) heirlooms vegetables, growing organically, saving seed and more.  Handouts!  People love handouts, I was told. Here's a peek at mine, with some ideas for container gardening using heirlooms.


Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm
Growing
heirloom
vegetables
Don’t just think about it- do it! -No garden space? Virtually any vegetables can be grown in pots, if the pots are sufficiently deep -For large pots, try Stupice tomato, early small Czech variety, 55 days from transplant. Other early varieties are Early Wonder, Siberian, Sophie’s Choice. Chard varieties to consider are “5 Color Silverbeet”, Rhubarb.
-Shallow pots-Sweet Tumbler, Micro Tom, Red Robin and Red Supreme tomato. -Great eggplants for small containers include Slim Jim and Bambino. -Lettuces do well in the cooler spring and fall in shallow containers...water and cut frequently. SSE Lettuce Mix is a favourite.
-Paris Market carrot is a small round variety for containers, or tougher clay soil. -Tom Thumb pea is a classic for pots..produces small plants and pea pods.
Planting in the ground? Tomato Tips
-Plant deep! Remove all lower leaves and sink entire lower stem in the soil. I will root all the way up the buried stem, producing a stronger plant. Enrich your planting hole with a good scoop of compost.
-Mulch. When your plant is growing and established, mulch to a depth of 8” around your plant. Straw is recommended.
-Water only minimally. The less you water, the better your tomatoes will
taste! For growing tips, farm news and nonsense-www.treeandtwigheirlooms.blogspot.com
www.treeandtwig.ca

1 comment:

Willow said...

awesome! I'm fond of Brock.