Claim Ownershipgardens4everybody
Subscribed: 5Played: 60
Subscribe
© Elizabeth Brown 2025
Description
At Gardens 4 everybody our goal is to encourage and empower people to enjoy gardening using methods which result in less work. No matter the space limitations or conditions everybody can grow something. From enjoying a small houseplant to growing your own food. We want you to experience the satisfaction and benefits gardening has to offer.
We are sharing information about gardening in zone 5b which in our case is the Ottawa area. We use sustainable organic practices, focusing on permaculture, native plants for pollinators, and fruits and vegetables. Ultimately this encourages spaces that are habitats for small animals such as birds, bees and bugs, creating beauty and capturing carbon. We base episodes on our experiences working in the Barrhaven Food Cupboard garden and pollinator gardens, as well as our own homes and gardens. Join us as we explore seasonal topics and try to demystify gardening.
38 Episodes
Reverse
We interview Anne Cole coordinator of volunteers at Silver Spring farm. The Farm was established in 1867 in the Bell's corners area of Ottawa. The original farm is still in place and is now an NCC property. The farm became a residence for adults with developmental disabilities, and then 30 years ago volunteers started to grow garlic in the unused farm fields and that has developed into a huge garlic growing operation. See our website gardens4everybody.com for photos and more information. In a future episode we interview head of garlic operations Mel Jones.
Fall tasks can help make Spring less hectic. In this episode we discuss starting a new bed in the fall so its ready to go in the spring, leaf clean up, pruning raspberries, cleaning up hostas and spirea.
We apologise for some areas of poor audio on this recording. David Hill kindly gave his time to discuss how he came to office. David discussed his respect for taxpayers money and using resources wisely. We reviewed the need for nutritious low cost food in our community. David discussed an interest in dealing with invasive plant species using systems already in place. David has also has been involved in local pollinator projects.
Fall is time to get houseplants back inside, or to bring new tropical purchases indoors. We chat about checking the plants for insects, preparing the plants for coming indoors and preventing insects hitching a ride into your home. We now have a website and you can find a fact sheet about this topic there.
Evergreens seem so able to manage without any help but as the climate changes they need more TLC. We discuss types of evergreens, their fall needs and when to prune.
Elizabeth gets to ask Maryanne for tips on getting as many tomatoes as possible to ripen before the end of the growing season. We also talk about the advantages of leaving plant roots - especially of bean plants in the ground.
Wilson shares his path to politics. He has a passion for transit and makes that a priority. He is also championing improved tree cover in Ottawa. Wilson is supporting a citizen led pollinator project in Barrhaven and discusses how the City is passing bylaws to make this type of initiative easier. Maryanne and I then try to persuade Wilson to update his mainly grass and weed backyard. We offer advice- he listens - we will have to follow up to see what happens!
Mike is the fourth generation running Ritchie Feed and Seed. This Ottawa garden center is nearly 100 year old. Mike shares his vast experience to talk us through some of his products that we use regularly in our gardens. From seed starting to fertilizer. He also has some tips on managing Japanese beetles.
Succession planting is all about using the growing area we have to maximum capacity. When one crop is finished you can plant a new crop. Choose either seeds of crops that mature within 60 days or cool weather crops with longer days to maturity that you started indoors in June. Its as simple as choosing the right seeds.
As gardeners we have to adapt to the weather. We've been having wet weather and that can cause garlic to start to rot. We discuss how to manage this and save your harvest. We also discuss managing problems from dry or cold weather.
There are lots of different opinions on care of tomato plants- especially around pruning. We discuss some of the pros and cons of pruning and why you might decide to give it a go or not. We also discuss general care including staking the plants, mulching and watering. Oh and Fozzie decides to try to get out attention away from Tomatoes by licking us - oh dogs!
We love growing sweet and hot peppers and eggplants. They have such vibrant colours that looks great in the vegetable garden or even in garden borders. Harvesting and eating them at the end of the Summer is such a treat. Danielle Aldous shares some nutritional facts and then 2 great recipes.Charred vegetable and lentil Antipasto https://www.cookspiration.com/recipe.aspx?perma=QPiqLgsbPwe&g=18 Baba Ganoushhttps://www.thezerowastekitchen.ca/all-recipes/babaganoush/
Maryanne and I discuss how to grow garlic starting from selecting the cloves to plant in October to harvesting the following July. The process starts with the correct depth of planting, and protecting the planted cloves over winter. In Spring the protection is removed and the plants are monitored. Around June scapes are harvested and in July the bulbs can be lifted. Then its time to store and eat them - delicious.Don't forget to listen to the complementary podcast with dietitian Danielle about the nutritional benefits and uses of garlic.
Danielle explains why Kale is so good for us and also helps us to understand how to prepare it so the whole family will enjoy it. She even gets her teens to eat it so she knows what she's talking about.Try this wonderful Kale salad for yourself and fall in love with this under appreciated green. from leafwmc.comSouthwestern Kale Salad
Danielle shares her nutritional knowledge of these essential flavour builders. We all love garlic but do you know why its so good for you as well as being delicious? She also shares great recipes you may never have tried.recipes from the Ontario garlic growers can be found athttps://www.garlicgrowersofontario.com/recipes
Spring can be a busy time in any garden. Growing vegetables for the Barrhaven Food Cupboard we need to keep on top of clean up. repairs, planting and harvesting. We go through the different jobs discussing what went well and what didnt. More fun is the amazing food we can harvest in Spring. There's rhubarb and onions as some of the first crops.Get inspiration for your own garden.
This is always a fun task, Just thinking about what you might plant is so exciting, but first you have to create a bed. We discuss several easy ways to make a new garden bed.
Our third discussion with registered dietitian Danielle Aldous. We explore some of the ways to use rhubarb. Danielle shares a strawberry rhubarb cobbler recipe form the dairy farmers of Canada.We also discuss that Rhubarb is a vegetable and is very versatile and can be used in savoury recipes. Check out this link below for 18 surprisingly savoury recipeshttps://simplyfamilyrecipes.com/savory-rhubarb-recipes/
The second in our series with dietitian Danielle Aldous. This episode features cilantro, dill, basil and parsley. These herbs are easy to grow and so worth the flavour they add. The feature recipe is from Canadian Living and is a Cilantro-Jalapeno saucehttps://www.canadianliving.com/food/appetizers-snacks/recipe/cilantro-jalapeno-sauce
This is the first of a series of talks on nutrition related to the plants we can grow in Ontario. We are delighted to share the expertise of Danielle Aldous a registered dietitian. In this episode we discuss the uses and benefits of Asparagus. Danielle also gives an excellent explanation of prebiotics. Danielle shares recipes in each of her episodes and the link to Spring Goddess Salad from the Asparagus Growers Ontario is below.https://ontarioasparagus.ca/spring-goddess-salad/I can't wait to try it.
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States