Gardening in Merritt BC
Merritt BC Gardening
Canadian’s Love to Garden in the Nicola Valley
Gardening Tips in Merritt BC
Gardening in Merritt BC is about finding the right combination of sunlight, fertile soil, and water to make your plants thrive. It’s also about fulfilling your passion for life and nature, so select plants wisely, especially ones you can love back. Use available community resources if you can. Give life to our Merritt BC Canada stores like they are to your garden. Garden local as they say, and in no time you’ll have a beautiful garden, filled with colors, and smells no matter what level of gardening experience you have.
 Sell your produce at a local farmer’s market. Photo by Tania Stewart. |
Make Gardening in Merritt BC Enjoyable
Therefore, a good rule of a green thumb, is to not be intimidated by the process of how to start a garden and care for it successfully. Although, there is a lot of groundwork involved, it is not work. It is quality time outdoors for body and mind. Deciding to the garden is the easy part, but the biggest decision is going ahead with the project. The benefits of “reaping what you sow” will lift you to the highest level of calling yourself a “Master Gardener”
Invite friends over! Photo by Tania Stewart
Advice for Essential Gardening in Merritt
Do not overthink it. Planting and deciding to start a garden is easy, the upkeep is the hard part, but the result is truly magical.
 Gardening In the Nicola Valley. Photo by Tania Stewart |
 It’s all about the dirt! Picture by Tania Stewart |
Garden Location in the Nicola Valley
Starting a garden is just like real estate. It’s all about the location. Knowing where to plant, what to plant, and most importantly when to seed is crucial. Start by paying attention to the sunlight, where is it in the morning and where it goes in the evening. Secondly, how to space your seeds and what should be near what? Should your carrots be neighbors with lettuce or spuds? Moreover, know your zone. This means, that the higher the zone number, the warmer the climate. If a plant is for zone 4, and your garden is zone 2, that plant will not survive. Most edible plants, including many vegetables, herbs, and fruits, need at least 6 hours of sun to thrive.
A Local Tip: “Never plant if there is snow on Iron Mountain, or before May long weekend,” Tania Stewart.
Invest in Good Gardening Tools
I cannot state enough how the right tools make working in your garden a pleasure instead of a chore. Here is some basic gardening equipment to get you going.
- Garden hoe
- Scuffle hoe
- Dirt rake
- Leaf rake
- Garden Shovel or D handle Shovel
- Hand tools
- Rototiller
Water Source
The best gardening tip you’ll ever get is to plan your new garden near a water source. Make sure you can run a hose to your garden site, so you don’t have to lug water into it each time your plants get thirsty. Fact, the best way to tell if plants need watering is to push a finger an inch down into the soil (that’s about one knuckle deep). If it’s dry, it’s time to water.
 Water well. Photo by Tania Stewart |
 Bee’s love flowers. Photo by Tania Stewart |
Do Not Forget To Plant Flowers
Bees need flowers. Throughout the world, people have taken on the fight for the survival of our “Bees”. Merritt BC Canada is no different. Every day more and more people are becoming more aware of how important these hard-working honey makers are to our survival. Not to mention, without bees, the availability and diversity of fresh produce would decline substantially, and human nutrition would likely suffer. For more information on this subject, Bee/honey makers Experience in the Nicola Valley.
 Some flowers block pests. Photo by Tania Stewart |
 Sunflowers are essential for gardens. Photo by Tania stewart |
It Is All In The Soil
What do you really know about your garden soil? If you can try to invest in nutrient-rich soil. Test your soil to see if it’s acidic, alkaline, or neutral PH. Is it rocky, sandy clay, or just a mix of all? Does your soil have a good amount of basic nutrients? This is something my avid gardening father takes seriously.
 Watching the garden grow. Photo by Tania Stewart |
Learn your frost dates
Planting too early (or late) in the season can spell disaster for your garden. You need to know the last average spring frost date for your area so you don’t accidentally kill plants by putting them out prematurely. It’s also good to know your first average fall frost date so that you get your plants harvested or moved indoors before fall frost damages them.
 Tomato plants. Photo by Tania Stewart |
 Safe Tomato plants. Picture by Tania Stewart |
One can not stress the importance of your “Planting Groundwork!” Take extra care in the beginning, and the result is what you reap.
 The result. |
Planting with Care
Once you have done the groundwork, next is planting. Do not hesitate to ask neighbors where to purchase your seeds. Albeit the rule of thumb when planting seeds is roughly 3 times deep as the size of the seed. Unless otherwise directed on the package. When transplanting, usually you will plant at the same depth as they were growing in the pot. Important to note, that tomatoes can be planted deeper.
 Garden maintenance. Photo by Tania Stewart |
 Preparing your garden. Photo by Tania Stewart |
Consider containers when gardening Merritt BC.
When space is at a premium, look to containers. You can grow many plants in pots, including vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit trees, berries, and shrubs. Planting tomatoes can be tricky. Using potting containers is sometimes ideal for small spaces as well as maturing them enabling their survival. Strawberries can also thrive well in containers.
 Strawberry net. Photo by Tania Stewart |
Warning!
Every garden, may want to cover and protect from winged bandits! Birds love the sweetness of the berry, covering them will protect your plants and keep deer from eating the flowers and destroying the growth. Most important this is a safe non-chemical deterrent to natural pests. If you spray it, you will eat it!
 Bird Bandits. Photo by Tania Stewart |
Mulch is Great
Weeds suck the life out of plants, mulch helps reduce these nasty veg killers. Apply a layer of mulch that’s 2 to 3 inches deep around each plant. Help reduce weeds by blocking out the sun and reduce moisture loss through evaporation, so you have to be waterless.
 Reap what you sow. Photo by Tania Stewart |
 Reaping mounds of veggies |
Nurture your garden in the Nicola Valley
Take it from me, my father is the best fertilizer, he is the garden’s shadow. Most important is to be prepared to make time to tend to your plants. Depending on the size of your garden, time requirements may range from a few minutes of weeding, and watering, to a full-time day job. Watering your plants, as a rule of thumb need around one inch of water per week.
 Be proud of your endeavors. Picture by Tania Stewart |
 Potato salad? |
Gardening Merritt BC.
Truly the first fruit is the Strawberry. Moreover, being the first and the sweetest. June welcomes this favorite berry. British Columbia has native strawberries throughout, just waiting for you to pick and enjoy their a burst of sweet flavor.
Starting with great soil, with regular water, will make your plants very happy. Bill Stewart.
 Strawberry delight. Photo by Tania Stewart |
 Completely homemade strawberry custard pie. |
Bugs and Disease
When gardening in the Nicola Valley beware of bugs. Moreover, bugs are more attracted to plants that are stressed or in some way deficient. If you have healthy, well-nourished plants, your pest problems should be minimal. Noteworthy, for most problems, there’s an organic solution. If you’re going through all the effort to grow your food, why would you want to put toxins on it? Overwatering is almost more harmful than underwatering.
 Happy times! Photo by Tania Stewart |
 What’s up! Photo Tania Stewart |
In conclusion Gardening Merritt BC.
Extra produce from your garden? Try selling produce at your local farmers’ market or donate to the food bank.
Gardening in Merritt BC Canada
Nicola Valley Gardens, Gardening, and Gardeners
#merrittmatters
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