Edmonton Edible Garden Tour Part 2

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!