The Summer Gardening in Canada Can Be Vegitably Enjoyable -- 1

The summer is still one month away;  it officially starts in Canada on June 20 this year. Yet, it’s usually the Victoria Day (May 21) weekend that is taken as an unofficial start of summer in Canada, especially by farmers and gardeners.

In this weekend, gardeners are busy cleaning their gardens, turning soils and planting vegetable seeds and/or plants.

Some call the vegetable garden family garden, some others kitchen garden, and the rest backyard garden.  Whatever the name, the bottom line is the same – a patch of land, adjacent to the house, is used to grow vegetables. A garden, receiving a minimum of 4 to 6 hours of sunshine, is the best for growing vegetables.

Usually, after the colder snowy winter and cold spring, the garden first needs proper cleaning. There are debris – dead plants and leaves and newly-grown weeds – to be cleared of the garden. Secondly, the soil needs to be turned upside down with spades and pitchforks. Clumps of earth also need to be broken into small pieces and then the garden is to be leveled with rakes.

After this, one needs to decide, where in the garden, plants are to be placed. We have been gardening in Toronto since mid-2001 using our experience that we gained when we grew up in the village in Bangladesh. Not too long ago, here, we came to know of the “companion plants.” Seasoned gardeners have seen from experience that certain vegetables can avoid bugs and other problems as well as grow extremely well when planted with certain other plants. You may check the following for such companion plants: Companion Plants: What Grows Well Together.

Gardening can be of real fun and meaningful if the whole family chips in. When, after their efforts and toil, they see the results in the yielding of a variety of tasty vegetables, they achieve a special satisfaction and pride.

For better fitness and health, we need to give more importance on eating more vegetables . You may read the following for more information on the subject: Nutritional Values of Vegetables and Vegetable Nutrition Facts.

A garden that needs to be cleaned for growing summer vegetables (Photo: May 30, 2004)

The same garden, in another year, is being cleared of debris (Photo: April 9, 2005)

After the cleaning, soil needs to be turned upside down and land needs to be leveled (Photo: May 30, 2004)

Then comes the transplanting and/or seeding (Photo: May 30, 2004)

Transplanting and/or seeding (Photo: June, 2002)

Regular checking of plant and plant growth is important (Photo: June 18, 2002)

Weeding is important, too (Photo: July 4, 2001)

Growth of vegetables provide a special satisfaction (Photo: July, 2003)

Picking of vegetables for cooking (Photo: July, 2002)

A partial picture of a full-grown garden with different vegetables (Photo: Sept. 3, 2010)

(Continued)