Dear Helen: A friend who has been allocated a plot in a community garden wants to grow mainly food there, with some herbs and a few pollinator-friendly flowers. I鈥檇 like to present her with a simple, straightforward guide to help get her started. Does any such manual come to mind?
N.G.
In my opinion, the very best guide, for both beginner and veteran gardeners, is the catalogue from West Coast Seeds. It provides at-a-glance charts to vegetables, herbs and flowers with recommended times for indoor and outdoor seeding, and transplanting. For each vegetable and commonly grown flower there are detailed growing and harvesting instructions and suggested solutions for common problems.
West聽 Coast Seeds has one of the clearest catalogue layouts I鈥檝e seen for ease of use. For each individual listing, the variety description with seed packet price is placed immediately beneath a colour photo.
The extensive selection includes many of my longtime favourite, ultra-reliable varieties: Caraflex and Kalibos cabbages, Napoli carrot, Kelsae onion, Gladiator parsnip, Zeolights calendula. Markant is a sturdy endive for withstanding the cool, dark conditions of late fall and winter.
This year I鈥檒l be trying Picolino, a 13-cm crisp, sweet cucumber that produces several fruits at each node on vines that adapt well to a variety of growing conditions.
Four mixtures in the Wildflower section are blends of flowers that attract and feed pollinating and other beneficial insects. The catalogue鈥檚 many articles deliver concise information on such topics as container gardening, edible flowers, fertilizers, soil science, and storing seeds.
For an uncomplicated, clear guide to selecting and growing plants suited for our region, this catalogue has it all. It鈥檚 a convenient one-stop source for seeds, information and gardening aids. This is where I buy my lightweight floating row cover material for placing over plants that need protection from insect pests.
You can order a catalogue from the website: westcoastseeds.com, or use the Store Locator on the site to find a store near you that carries the seeds. In most of those local outlets you will find free catalogues.
Dear Helen: In a recent column you wrote about a delicious 鈥減umpkin鈥� pie you tasted at a friend鈥檚 tea party. Your were told that the secret to its great flavour was a Kabocha squash called Black Forest, used instead of pumpkin. The person who made the pie gave you the recipe. Would you share it with your readers?
A.T.
I ordinarily would have included the recipe in that column, but I felt it would be preferable to wait until I鈥檇 grown the squash and used it in the recipe.
The recipe is very similar to the one I鈥檇 used for years, except for the addition of freshly grated ginger root, lemon zest, and brandy. The sugar in the recipe is unprocessed, dehydrated can sugar juice, called 鈥淩apadura..鈥� Some health food stores have it, though ordinary or dark brown sugar could be substituted.
I expect to be experimenting with the recipe next winter. Meanwhile, here it is, as a 鈥渨orking project.鈥�
Sandy鈥檚 鈥淧umpkin鈥� Pie
2 cups Black Forest squash pur茅e
3 eggs
3/4 cup Rapadura (I鈥檇 use less ordinary sugar)
1 Tbsp grated ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves
鈥� Grated rind of one lemon
1 cup cream or cr猫me fra卯che
2 Tbsp brandy.
Combine all ingredients and process in a blender. Pour the mixture into pie shell. Bake for 35聽to 45 minutes at 350 F.
GARDEN EVENTS
Floral art. The Mid Island Floral Art Club meets Thursday, 2 p.m. in St. Stephen鈥檚 Church Hall, 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach. Focus for the afternoon will be on聽Midolino Magic. Midolino is a floral art method using natural materials to support flowers in an arrangement.
Seedy in Victoria. The James Bay Market Society presents Victoria鈥檚 Seedy Saturday on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Victoria Conference Centre, 720聽Douglas St. There will be more than 70 vendors and exhibitors, a Seedy Cafe and children鈥檚 activities. Bring home-grown seeds and gardening books to exchange. Admission is $8 (under 16 free), including presentations and workshops throughout the day. Details at .
Mayne Island Seedy Saturday. The Mayne Island Conservancy and Agricultural Society hosts a Seedy Saturday event on Saturday, 12 to 3 p.m., in the Agricultural Hall and Museum. There will be an exchange of saved seeds, children鈥檚 activities, speakers, and an introduction to a community Seed Library program. The day will conclude with the film: Symphony of the Soil at 7:30 p.m. Details at .
