Planting and Sowing Calendar 2024
In my working life I was an accountant so it’s no surprise that I use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate when to start seeds indoors. It’s similar to many automatic seed-starting charts across the web,...
View ArticleHow Radiant Heat In A Greenhouse Is Different Than Force Air
Radiant heating significantly changes how a greenhouse is heated, and I’ve had to relearn plant placement. With forced air fans, the floor area was cooler as the cold came up through the ground. The...
View Article2023 Weather Recap – It Felt Cold But Was It?
As gardeners, we may feel we’re in tune with the weather, but our perceptions are often skewed by impressions of events that don’t always align with meteorological conditions. I recently pulled some...
View ArticleMaking a Collage for Container Garden Planning
I’ve been reading Arthur Parkinson’s book “The Flower Yard: Growing Flamboyant Flowers in Containers”. I was intrigued by his use of a collage to plan out his seasonal colour schemes. Arthur calls them...
View ArticleExtreme Cold: How Did the Greenhouse Radiant Floor Hold Up?
This is my first winter with radiant floor heating in the greenhouse, and our first extreme cold front of 2024 is here. During my first winter with the Hartley, I had only electric heaters in the...
View ArticleMushroom & Onion Meatloaf
These measurements are rough since I never measure when I cook. The recipe fills a 5 x 9 loaf pan completely, and it took almost 1 1/2 hours to cook at 350°F. Next time, I’d make it in a larger baking...
View ArticleGarden & Landscape Bucket List for 2024
My garden landscape has evolved over the years. When I first started, I focused on designing a garden with shrubs and trees, thinking woody plants would be low maintenance for my big yard. I worked...
View ArticleRoasted Cauliflower & Pancetta Soup
I bought a gigantic head of cauliflower this week so decided to make a savoury flavoured soup. It turned out quite well. The pancetta adds a real deep flavour and the zest adds some nice acidity....
View ArticleMaple Cookies with Butterscotch Chips and Pecans
It’s hard to get a strong maple flavoured cookie without maple extract. Since I only make these cookies once or twice a year (definitely right after making our own maple syrup) I don’t feel like buying...
View ArticleButternut Maple Soup
Almost everything tastes better with home grown maple syrup! This was a small batch soup made with left over roasted butternut squash and made just after finishing our maple syrup for the season....
View ArticlePork or Chicken Stuffing Ideas – Dinner for two
I’ve been into stuffing either a port tenderloin or 2-3 chicken breasts each week with a different stuffing. This works out to a good serving size for two people with a little left over for a lunch. My...
View ArticleRedoing the Bird Sanctuary Garden Patio
It never ceases to amaze me how much a garden evolves over time. When we first moved here in 2004, our gardens were pretty bare, with just a few small evergreens and a lot of ground cover. Bit by bit,...
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