This summer will be a little bit different than the summers of the past. Instead of planning out my festival season and where I will fly to for a little summer get-away, I am planning my garden. My first garden. I’ve dabbled with a couple of plants here and there. Tomato plants, mint for mojitos, once a big catnip mistake (I had 8 neighbourhood cats in my yard at one time!), but never a full-blown garden. 

Garden at Farm One Forty

Looking for first-time garden advice I went to visit the best gardener I know, my grandma. My Grandma is 89 now and was upkeeping the most extravagant garden until just a couple years ago! I asked her what the easiest vegetables to grow in Saskatchewan are. After dreamily talking about what she would plant if she was able to have a little garden plot this year, she said: “the easiest things to grow in a garden are the things you’re excited to eat”.  

With that advice in mind, I went seed shopping!  Many of the gardening centres in Saskatoon are offering curbside pick-up or delivery! I picked up arugula, a few different kinds of tomatoes, and some herbs. Keeping it simple this first time around. We started the seeds and they looked really promising at first.... and then they looked dead. 

I decided it was time for more advice, so I reached out to the other amazing gardeners I know.  

Arlie LaRoche – Farm One Forty 

Keep notes on what you did each year so you can see what worked and what didn’t because you will learn little things each year and get better and better at it. Don’t let not knowing how stop you.  The best way to learn is to try. It’s so worth it. A tomato you grew yourself always tastes 1000% better than one you bought from California. 

Chef Christie Peters – The Hollows and Primal 

Go into it with zero expectations, every year is different, and you learn so much as you go. That way you are pleasantly surprised by the things that grow well. Enjoy the little things. 

Christie Peters harvesting borage from her patio planter box. She has a huge garden and a basement aquaponics system! Learn more here!

Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote – Black Fox Farm and Distillery 

For the greatest success, pay attention to planting details found on seed packages such as how much sun, spacing, type of soil, when to plant. 

This would be most critical for flowers but applicable to veggies too. 

Me posing in the flower garden at Black Fox Farm

To learn more about these expert gardeners check out this local food blog. 

Good luck with your gardens!