I would like to find instructional resources specific to vegetable gardening in Calgary. I live in the far north west and have a small garden on the north side of the backyard that is protected by a fence. I have had reasonable success in the past but I don't seem to be able to get the hang of the timing and then how to properly harvest and not have to eat 15 lbs of carrots in one day before they go wilty. I grow carrots, beets, peas, radishes, strawberries, lettuce nothing crazy. I would also like to know about container gardens for vegetables and even herbs.
Hi Cindy,
You're smart to ask about information for Calgary, because as everyone who gardens here knows, there are some specific things you need to be aware of! But the good news is, gardening here isn't difficult if you know the tricks (and have realistic expectations!) I wrote a post recently Vegetable Gardening in Calgary 101 that has a few important links you could check out.
But for a hard resource, the book The Calgary Gardener by the Calgary Horticultural Society (is not limited to vegetables but) has tonnes of information about timing of planting and techniques for extending the season, etc. I recommend it as a good all-around resource.
Also, the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew is extremely useful regarding general gardening techniques and skills that are appropriate anywhere, including planning succession planting so that you don't have everything ready to harvest at once. Even if you don't plan to use a square planting pattern, this book is an excellent resource.
And you are in luck! Donna Balzer and Steven Biggs' new book just came out: Garden Coaches Chat. No Guff. Lots of fun. I haven't seen it yet except for a few page previews and it looks great. Again, not exactly specific to Calgary but Donna does garden here and her perspective comes through.
Hope that helps and happy gardening!
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