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On to the next parts of the tour!

Next we met Joachim who was one of the more diverse gardeners we met that day. His garden had a huge variety of fruit trees, including pears, a black walnut tree, apples and the most delicious plums I have ever tasted. Consensus had it that they were Brook Gold plums and I am heavily considering adding two-they need a pollinator- of them to the backyard. They were incredibly sweet and juicy, I was completely surprised when I bit into it.

He also has the most amazing grapes covering his garage, a perfect west facing but open to the south location that generates heat from the surface of the garage and gives those grapes the warmth they crave.

man and woman walking, grapes vines covering the garage of the house

They aren’t as large as the picture makes them seem, they are smaller chickpea sized grapes rather than marbles, but still gorgeous and flourishing.

Just my purty partner in crime Blackbird in the apple trees.

woman wearing yellow, green chickpea sized grapes

Joachim also handed out some of his apples for tasting and they were amazing, crisp, juicy and sweet. I do believe he said this was a “carol” apple, yet I can’t find the variety online. Anyone know?

The next yard had me green with envy. I especially loved this bench that folded out into a clothes line, how brilliant is that!

a wooden bench that folded out into a clothes line

Ron and the gentleman who owned the house, I can’t remember his name but he is an avid and talented composter!

two men wearing white polo and hat

This couple had the most amazing raised garden bed system I have ever seen. Not only are there wooden walkways through them, they also have custom lids to fit the boxes to protect the seedlings from our infamous Alberta frosts, screens to keep the birds out and a rotation system that you had to hear about in person to appreciate fully.

garden bed system with wooden walkways

Elsie also showed us how she preserved her food, from drying spices to pickling the cucumbers.

After that yard we all met at the museum to scarf back lunch, switch leaders and go on the next part. This was a bittersweet time for those of us who have known Ron as he is leaving for literally greener pastures in BC.

It is a sad time for Edmonton since we are losing a passionate person who is an integral part of the urban agriculture community. Best wishes to Ron in his new ventures, but we wish you were staying!

We went on the next half with Claudia Bolli, a very talented and passionate person who we hope is going to keep some of Ron’s work going.

This house was the winner of the 2010 Front Yards in Bloom for the edible category, and you can see why.

This is the yard I aspire to model after, the front was mulch with daylilies and other attractive flowers then the back was a pretty retaining wall that held the vegetable garden.

Mine would be on a much smaller scale , but that only gives me more confidence that I can achieve it. It blends my love of blooms with my need to grow produce.

And I hate my grass, but I could never turn it into one big garden patch, I still love pretty yards bursting with blooms.

What’s there to lose, the neighbors already think I am crazy.

pretty yard bursting with blooms

Bees! What a welcome addition to the tour. Bees are not allowed in Edmonton, so I won’t use any names in the post. I already knew a lot about bees since both my grandparents and parents were beekeepers early on in my childhood, but it was nice to see a small operation in the city.

Bees are far too much work for me. But some of my fondest childhood memories include fresh honey from the extractor and chewing fresh honey out of honeycomb.

I crave honeycomb dripping with fresh honey sometimes…it’s been years.

participants of the tour sitting in the yard

There were a few more yards, including Claudia’s, whom I discovered lives 40 seconds away from me, literally. I have admired her yard before and now I know who she is.

No stalking tendencies here, luckily. Or not many.

Since my potatoes were so fantastic this year, I want to try this method next year. It is claimed you can grow 100 lbs of potatoes by hilling them continuously, until it looks similar to this. You start at the bottom, then keep adding potting soil (so Ron advises) whenever the plant grows. The plant you cover then sends out tubers which are your potatoes.

So the entire compost container should, in theory, be all potatoes in there.

compost container full of potato plants

That was the last house we visited on the tour, the one with the potatoes in composters.

Thanks again to Ron and Claudia for running it and I am desperately hoping there will be another one next year to attend!

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Karlynn Johnston

Iā€™m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

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  1. Norm says

    I would like to know more about the Edmonton Edible Garden tour for 2012. Who to contact, when does it occur. Coincidently last year I grafted 3 “Carol” apple shoots on my apple tree. Hopefully it flowers this year to produce a few apples.
    Thank you.

  2. Miche says

    So what happened with the potatoes? I came upon your site looking at Edmonton Highlands pics Love it! I will go and read the rest now but really want to know about the potato yield

  3. Alana says

    I had no idea this even existed here. Thanks for this. Who do I contact to find out about the 2011 tour?

  4. Kevin says

    I’m SO going next year.
    Thanks again for the coverage.

    • Karlynn says

      Oh no problem, if there is one thing I like to do, it’s take pictures and then blather on about them šŸ˜‰ I am hopeful things will go on in Ron’s absence next year, it is one of my favorite parts of summer, creeping around other peoples backyards with their permission, no less.

      By the way, you have a gorgeous site! I love the finishing you do on your pictures, the texturing (did I make that word up?) is exquisite!

  5. Blackbird says

    Look how happy I am! I think it’s because I just ate one of the *very* delicious plums.

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