It's the time of year that Calgary vegetable gardeners hopes are high: prepping the soil, planting seeds and hoping for a good harvest. About three-quarters of my garden beds are planted. I'm also making time for citizen science projects related to birds, pollinators, plants and lake health.
July is peak wildflower season in the Canadian Rockies. Enjoy nearby nature while keeping watch for colourful blossoms and pollinators. It's also time for harvesting early crops from our edible garden. And for nipping any garden pests or diseases in the bud.
Staying busy from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been difficult. I still can't figure out how so many people are finding big chunks of time to do deep cleaning, sorting and tossing/recycling/donating! 🙂 Between sewing masks, gardening, exercising, cooking/baking, learning and family phone/Zoom calls, our days are rich and full.
The short answer is...slowly! It's been about 5 weeks since we planted carrots, parsnips, leeks, beets, peas and beans from seed. As of today, the carrot tops are just starting to look more leafy than grassy. The biggest beet tops are maybe 5 cm tall. Only 4 of the 9 scarlet runner bean seeds sprouted …