We asked our local garden mentors: How have you adapted your gardening to changing climate?
This week’s question for our New Brunswick Garden Mentors is: This is shaping up to be a weird year weather-wise for gardening. How have you adapted or changed your gardening practices in relation to climate change and more unpredictable weather?
A little note from the editors
We started this project to provide good, local gardening information to our friends, but have started to realize we really appreciate the tips ourselves. You can never learn everything.
Our mentors are willing to answer your questions. Check out their bios for the best way to contact them. We type out phone numbers and the @ sign so bots can’t get hold of the info. Elaine and Archie
Alicia Clarkson
This year, we are working on listening to the lessons Mother Nature has taught us in previous years.
The biggest one being that we’re better off working WITH nature instead of against it. In the past, we’d try growing carrots in the summer to no avail.
Because we’re in direct sun in a parking lot, the weather’s intensity is magnified due to heat reflecting off the concrete and lack of shade.
When we started cooperating with Mother Nature (lettuce in the spring, tomatoes in the summer, and carrots in the fall) our results improved dramatically!
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Contact Info:
I can be contacted by email at alicia.clarkson (at) fooddepot.ca
Karen Rogers
I have been reading a lot of great information by Linda Gilkeson, an entomologist from the west coast of Canada on this subject. She recently held a webinar on Resilient Gardens for a Changing Climate.
Some of the tips she suggested were:
Plant native species with low summer water requirements.
Plant native species with low summer water requirements.
Choose disease resistant varieties of vegetables and fruits.
Grow several varieties of each crop so that if one is sensitive to the climate others may thrive.
In hot summer months sow seeds slightly deeper and use temporary shade (shade covers, lath).
Build soil organic matter so that it stores nutrients, prevents leaching of nutrients in heavy rains, increase water holding capacity and holds more carbon in the soil.
Mulch all year round to reduce evaporation and keep soil cooler (leaves, straw, lawn clippings).
Collect waste water and rain water.
I have been following her advice and loosely covering my seedlings and tomatoes with burlap on really hot days to avoid damage to the leaves.
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Contact Info:
karen.rogers(at)nbed.nb.ca
Jossilyn Flewelling
I’ve been growing more plants in a greenhouse to protect them from the late frosts and using old bed linens to cover tender plants in the garden when there’s an overnight low below 4C. It’s pretty low-tech, but it does the trick.
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Contact Info:
I’m easiest to reach by text five-zero-six-nine-five-five-five-nine-six-zero but email is ok too. jossilynn.flewellig (at) gmail.com