Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Sheila Boone
Yesterday we got a glimpse of Sheila Boone’s flower garden in Newfoundland and Labrador, and today we get to see her impressive veggie garden!
Sheila says, “Since purchasing this property six years ago, we’ve developed vegetable and herb gardens and planted many perennials, trees and shrubs (mostly on weekends). Of course, it’s a labour of love and a work in progress, much like all gardens! I have been a gardener in the city for many years, focussing on perennials and shrubs. Little did I realize that vegetable gardening would become such a passion!
“We have been experimenting and have found that alliums of all kinds grow well here, most root vegetables, as well as fennel, spinach, kale, swiss chard, and strawberries. We grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the greenhouse because summers in Newfoundland can be unpredictable, to say the least! Although, last summer we had record-breaking hot weather. Thanks for letting me share my garden with you.” Thank YOU, Sheila!
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Comments
blown away,,,,,,,,,,,,again.
Wow! Sheila your vegetable garden is inspiring. I noticed you have no fence. Are there no deer in Newfoundland?
Also, when do you plant your seedling for your red onions?
Hi CatChaletdesangese, Nope, no deer. Rabbits and squirrels are the culprits in most rural gardens but not a huge problem (sometimes moose). CCCDDD, you mentioned yesterday in your post that we don't have racoons, skunks or snakes and I meant to mention that recently there have been sitings of racoons on the west coast of Newfoundland, and possibly garden snakes...not looking forward to their migration east!
Onion seedlings can be planted early in Newfoundland as they are a cold weather crop. However in our climate, early means late may! For many other crops, we wait until the first week of June, after the last spring frost date. That must be a shock to you fortunate southern gardeners!
Thank you, tntreeman.
not so fortunate for us in August when everything is wilted and sweltering and frying in the summer sun. then we are wishing for fresh ocean breezes that you enjoy. i'm still wondering what i would do with a moose in the garden. that is one beautiful vegetable garden
Sheila, I was struck with a pang of soil envy as I looked at all that beautiful dark dirt. Ha, when you spend years working in orange TN clay, you tend to notice things like that! By the looks of your beautiful vegetables, your soil must contain wonderful nutrients. Do you bother to do any amending with compost?
And, tntreeman, is so right about us paying our penance in August for our much enjoyed early spring.
Another rewarding fulfillment to gardening is to have edible
gardens too! Fresh, flavorful veggies and herbs to pick from
our OWN yard. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter how,
what or where one will grow them, it's the pleasure that you
reap!
sheilab, thank you for sharing your delectable and marvelous
vegetable garden. Surely worth a day's wait!! :)
Hi meander1, yes, we do amend with compost regularly. We sometimes joke that rocks "grow" in there every year!) We have loads of seaweed that washes up on our little cove. This natural fertilizer has been used in Newfoundland gardens for centuries. However, it does tend be a little too rich in nitrogen and needs to be added in the fall to insure that it breaks down over the winter. But,"The Rock" does have pockets of nice, dark soil when you can find it. There are also plenty of bogs that contain rich peat moss and is there for the taking.
Tntreeman, if you lived here you would most likely do what many Newfoundlanders would want to do when encountering a moose in their garden. But, you'd have to have a license for that. They are a terrible menace on our highways.
speaking of moose/animals in the garden. i used to chat with an estate gardener in India. i was ranting and railing about deer damage and he replied: i wish for deer,,, we have elephants
so whenever i have damage i try to remember that it could be worse.
rain stopped, sun out, i gotta get to work, i am not an independently wealthy garden editor/party planner/tour guide operator :) sorry, Michelle, i couldn't resist
Wow, and wow again! What a beautiful veggie garden. I have to agree with meander1 on the soil envy as I also do my best with clay. And then you tell us, Sheila, that you have seaweed and peat for the taking! Aaaaagh! Still, there would be only rocks and trees without the hard work of the gardener. I love the photo of your two prize potatoes. Great work!
Very impressive vegetable garden. I'm curious as to why your squash are in whiskey barrels.
Ha... what kind of southern country boy has to ask what to do with a moose! LOVE that veggie garden... with all that fresh produce this Brooklyn boy can prepare a different moose stewp every day. Nothing gives a gardener more satisfaction than working their vegetable garden, harvesting their crop, and finally indulging in their bounty. I really enjoyed that photo of the two large spuds being offered by someone with a real gardener's manicure. Sheila, with the more tender plants you can extend your growing season with cold frames, and don't forget to plant the cruciferous veggies; cabbages of all types, kale, brussels sprouts, and especially the oriental varieties... they flourish in cool weather, they also keep well after harvest... and do winter squash too. Thank you, Sheila, your vegetable garden makes me gloat. LOL
Wow! I have a few very large pots - have thought about planting something in them but haven't yet - this spring I think I'll try a squash plant of some sort. Would regular potting soil work or straight compost?
Hi again Sheila, I have a curious question and wanted to know
if this is true.. that you have longer day light during the
Summer months in Newfoundland, than some of us??
I was amazed that your growing Zone is 5b. I live in southern Ontario with a similar growing Zone. I know Newfoundland gets its fair share of inclement weather. Your gardens look great and I appreciate the challenge you have growing on the "Rock". It is wonderful to see your vegetable gardens and your bountiful harvest. I also grow lots of vegetables and I think there is more labor involved in growing vegetables than having an ornamental garden. We also grow our tomatoes in the greenhouse (unheated) because the nights cool off and the season is so short. If we grow them outside, by the time the fruit is large (and still green), it's September. So having them grown in the greenhouse ripens them faster and extends the season. That's a great touch with the squash in the whiskey barrels. Squash love the warmth on their roots, so we make square planting boxes and place the soil in the box. We winter over our carrots in the ground under bags of leaves.
Hi Thegardenlady,Squash are in barrels (rum barrels in Newfoundland) because we actually ran out of space in the garden! We use the soil from the garden to plant them in.
Tractor1, we certainly love to grow all kinds of cruciferous veggies but because we work mostly on weekends, the cabbage fly have a field day on our cabbages and brussels sprouts. (We've tried to use crop cover but to no avail) Insects don't bother much with kale, swiss chard or spinach, so we tend to go more for these. Someday when we live out there full-time, we hope to make another attempt. Hmmm...Asian varieties sound like a great idea! We are also planning on a cold frame for the first time this spring. If anyone has other ways (other than a flashlight and needlenose pliers) to deal with cabbage fly, etc. please let me know?
WOW oh WOW...holy vegetable garden Goddess...that's fantastic!
happily_gardening,, show this to your husband and he will have that patch of lawn removed by monday.
after this newfoundland garden i'm curious about the western edge of the continent and would be interested in seeing Alaska gardens
Bee1nine, That's an interesting question. I just checked the environment Canada website and it states that last July we had approximately 15-16 hours of daylight for the month. How does that stack up with others?
Plantparadise, Yes, hard to believe it's zone 5b out here in the North Atlantic but we really don't get sub-zero temps in the winter and I guess that makes all the difference. Our greenhouse is also unheated but as you mentioned, tomatoes would never have the time to ripen otherwise with such a short season.
oops! I meant 15-16 hours of daylight per day in July! Not per month...it's all bad enough with the fog and rain here but we do manage more than 15-16 hours a month. Lol!
tntreeman - Wouldn't that be grand!
pattyspenser: obviously Pattypan Squash of course! Many vegetables grow well in containers; peppers, eggplant, cherry tomatoes... with your squash will make a delicious pattypan ratatouille.
http://www.burpee.com/search/search.jsp?pageNum=0&pageSize=6&facetTrail=&question=pattypan+squash&propSel=&sort=default&_requestid=626065
I sure wish the "Remember LOG-ON" feature would work.
tractor1 - Please share your Pattypan ratatouille recipe???
I've never been a big squash fan but that changed when my friend grew and introduced me to Pattypan. Homegrown Pattypan is heavenly delicious!
tractor1 not sure a moose stew would be the first thing that came to my mind :) no moose in the smoky mountains other than Bullwinkle
Happily_Gardening: I don't use any particular recipe, ratatouille is one one of those dishes for cleaning out ones produce drawer... to the veggies already mentioned (any summer squash works) add onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, green beans garlic, herbs, maybe some olives... of course you'll need some olive oil... check the net for and then improvize. Make a lot, it's even better the next day, and it's good eaten cold too. Ratatouille is the French version of chow mein.
Oh, a great way to prepare summer squash (many vegetables) is to slice lengthwise or into slabs, brush with olive oil, season, and grill... ichiban eggplant is wonderful grilled, so are slabs of regular eggplant atop a burger. If you have overgrown zukes slice into slabs (3/4") on the bias. Naturally you know to never boil corn, grill in its husk... peel back some husk, butter/season and push the husk bak to grill, then peel husk back to eat, corn has its own built in holder.
tractor1 - thanks for the Ratatouille info, reading the ingredient list makes my mouth water. I've never given much thought to the dish but that's about to change. "OO" is like garlic, got to have, got to use! I'm not fond of eggplant but I've never grilled it, I think it's time I do. My friend loves and is always grilling all kinds of vegetables, telling me I should do the same. Did I read correct/understand, you grill cukes? You are so right about roast corn, if only my husband agreed...I will never understand.
tractor1 - oh geez, I didn't grasp your new moniker at first, boy, does that look yummy...what time is dinner;)?! Are those ribs next to the corn? My husband makes the best baby back ribs and if I do say so myself I can pull the job off pretty good myself these days. I'm trainable :)!
Hi Sheila- Figuring that perhaps with Newfoundland being a
bit further north, your daylight hours may be slightly
different, but not really I guess!
Thanks for getting back to me.:)
Happily_Gardening: I don't much care for baby back ribs, I much prefer spareribs.
Sheila, beautiful and bountiful "week-end" garden! WOW! The photos from yesterday were wonderful also. Your view on your property is fantastic. I went searching to see where you were located - a bit of a geography lesson. It looks very isolated but I would guess that's what you were looking for. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your home construction.
Sheila, that vegetable garden is a definite success and large. You seem to have made all of us very hungry. I love the simple raised beds. Are those small red onions, the super sweet cippolini type. They look delicious. That rainbow of potatoes looks really good ,too. I love the diversity you can grow at home. Most varieties not only look pretty, but taste so much better, as well. Well done!
hard to believe it's a weekend garden. looks like a 24/7 garden to me !
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