Jacky

List of Tomato Cultivars – Backyard Food Growing

List of Tomato Cultivars – Backyard Food Growing

Here is a list of just a few of the many, many tomato varieties available. Depending on your region you’ll be able to find these varieties an well as many others for sale in your local nurseries that are not listed here. Check each of their growth characteristics individually as you choose them to make … Read more

Flowers that Hummingbirds Love – Backyard Food Growing

Flowers that Hummingbirds Love – Backyard Food Growing

Hummingbirds are beautiful, fast, fascinating and elegant all at the same time. Generally, hummingbirds like flowers that have a downward hanging “spout” type flower shape. So if you plant these type flowers you’re sure to attract these lovely birds. Here’s a short list of more varieties of flowers and flowering shrubs in zone 7-8 that … Read more

Have any Hummingbirds? – Backyard Food Growing

Have any Hummingbirds? – Backyard Food Growing

Do you have hummingbirds around your place? If not, there are ways to attract them and make it most appealing to them to come visit. Since most hummingbirds are migratory, it’s possible that if you don’t have any around right now, depending on the season they probably all left town for sunny warmer climates. Once … Read more

Pear Slugs – Backyard Food Growing

Pear Slugs – Backyard Food Growing

What the heck is a pear slug?? These are not your typical, large ground sliding, slimy slugs. Despite their name, Pear Slugs are actually an insect. They are the larva of the Sawfly and are also known as cherry slugs. These are tiny little creatures that pupate and become very similar looking to a regular fly. In … Read more

How to Build a Vertical Garden – Backyard Food Growing

How to Build a Vertical Garden – Backyard Food Growing

If you have barely a speck of space then growing vertical might be the only option. Thankfully the design of vertical gardening systems are limited only by your imagination, available space and your desired building materials. You can buy one in literally hundreds of different designs or you can create your own. I’ll share some … Read more

Haskap Moving Day – Backyard Food Growing

Haskap Moving Day – Backyard Food Growing

Ever since I discovered the Haskap berry about 5-6 years ago, I thought it was very cool and a plant that I just had to add to my garden. The berry looks like a long, funny misshapen blueberry. The berries can sometimes reach 1″ long. “Lonicera kamtschatica” is the Latin name but Haskap is it’s … Read more

NPK Simplified – Backyard Food Growing

NPK Simplified – Backyard Food Growing

What is NPK? Nitrogen – Phosphorous – Potassium Most fertilizers and soil amendments show this formula somewhere predominantly on their packaging. This shows the ratio of the three most important plant nutrients. Potassium has a “K” because of it’s name “Kalium” on the periodic table of elements. These three elements are fundamental to the development of … Read more

Fiskars 18″ PowerGear Loppers – Backyard Food Growing

Fiskars 18″ PowerGear Loppers – Backyard Food Growing

Fiskars produces a wide range of tools for a multitude of different jobs around the yard. This is another one of my favourite choices. The PowerGear loppers. This handy little set of 18″ bypass loppers is very lightweight, easy to use and very tough. They are perfect for people with limited strength, small jobs and … Read more

Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies – Backyard Food Growing

Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies – Backyard Food Growing

Monarch Butterfly All great gardens have a high amount of diversity with many different plants all with different habits and purposes. When you’re planning your food garden, also plan a little space, if you can for some flowering perennials and annuals. Rufous Hummingbird The purpose of this is to attract pollinators. It’s not only bees … Read more