Solutions by Chris, Edible Yard and Garden

09/30/2015

My garden is getting it's second wind... but I feel like the end is neigh.

09/10/2015

Gardening can be both fun and annoying, but with the right tips and tricks you will only notice the fun and pleasant moments. If gardening is your passion, but you feel it a bit challenging at times, this next list of tips will make your life and your gardening activities a little bit easier. Garden…

09/06/2015

Start your fall planting, ladies and gentlemen

09/02/2015

This is the revised, spell checked version of my ad! Feel free to redistribute as you want. It's the right time to get your winter garden started!
I've got two fig trees valued at $120. I'm going to give them away to the first person who gets a $100 appraisal for their lawn, and who has a good south facing spot to grow them.

09/02/2015

This fun video from John Green of vlogbrothers is a few years old, but still worth the watch. It's not only hilarious, but makes a really great case for why the American obsession with the conventional lawn is probably not such a great idea. The video advocates for converting some of our l...

08/30/2015

I think that these weather changes are clearly demonstrating something: it's late summer, and time to start thinking about your fall garden. Get a free consultation today, just message me on facebook or via my cell at (250) 618-2604 and we can arrange a meeting.

08/23/2015

Fall-Winter-Guide 2014_ZMAGS

08/22/2015

Los Angeles-based artist Stephen Glassman's Urban Air project aims to be "an artwork, a symbol and an instrument for a green future" by changing billboards into bamboo gardens, intelligent technology and global nodes.

08/22/2015

Stunning water feature made from an old set of pots and a kettle.Mounted on to and old wash board.

08/22/2015

08/22/2015

Take that, Vancouver, British Columbia! Alright, time to green up!

Homeowners will no longer need an expensive permit to grow vegetables or certain types of fruit on that strip of land between the street and the sidewalk.

08/22/2015

A few years ago the children at our school grew, harvested and, ultimately, ate a giant, two-pound carrot. Our gardening program at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod has come a long way since then. We...

08/22/2015

110 likes!
Gardens seem to be very popular this month :) Thanks everyone!

08/22/2015

;) new add

08/19/2015

A recent study in the Netherlands suggests that gardening can fight stress, keep you limber, and even improve your mood better than other leisure activities....

08/19/2015

600 gardeners volunteer to beautify more than 600 traffic areas, with almost 300 still available. Want to be recognized as the greenest city on the planet? Lets work together!!

Find a greater sense of community, beautify our city, and meet new friends by volunteering to garden traffic calming spaces on neighbourhood streets.

08/19/2015

""Food prices went up quite a bit already and will go up. Some people might not be able to afford food anymore, especially HEALTHY, local food won't be available if you're not allowed to grow your own," she said. "
Words from our Premier

Under Stage 4 restrictions, backyard gardeners on the Sunshine Coast will not be allowed to water their crops with fresh water, leading some to worry about the local food supply.

08/18/2015

These are not my gardens

08/17/2015

http://themagnifyingglass.typepad.com/weblog/2011/03/make-a-mason-bee-nest.html

When the first flowers of spring start to show, it's time to think about your pollinators!

Make a mason bee hive! All you need for this project is a stump, about 8 inches or longer, a drill, a 5/16 drill bit 6" long, a saw, a small amount of chicken wire, and some metal snips.
Make one smooth surface, and leave a top overhang (see picture, below), or add a small piece of wood, like an awning, to protect the bees from the weather.

Once you have your wood, the next tricky part is finding 6" drill bits, as most come in a standard 3" lengths. It's best to drill 6" holes as 3" holes tend to produce only males. The best sized bit to use is 5/16, half an inch apart or more.

Place the nest up off the ground, facing south but not exposed to direct sunlight. You may want to put a cage around it, so that birds and raccoons can't raid it! You can create an inexpensive cage out of chicken wire.

Bees need mud to seal their nest, so it isn't a bad idea to have a spillover fountain. Bees and birds appreciate the water, as well.

Nests last for one or two seasons, then must be discarded to start anew.

08/17/2015

Close up! Lacewing eggs. Not to be confused with the dreaded LaceBUG , Lacewing adults and larvae are beneficial insects at work eating aphids in your garden. Each egg is at the end of a filament. Consider yourself lucky if you spot these.

08/15/2015

So cute!!! :D

08/15/2015

Polystyrene, tin sheeting, corrugated plastic sheeting, and old 2L pop bottles. Some of these are great ideas! But none of them are permanent structures. Some of these, with a good foundation and a 4x4 for support, could have glass, but would need expert design. Fortunately, I have years of experience as a glazier, and I know how to over-design glass. And frankly, most of you have children, or dogs, or raccoon, and I know some of you even have bears once and a while. Having a strong greenhouse is usually better, in any case.

Gardening is a relaxing and rewarding hobby. If you are a person who seeks to be independent, a garden can help you achieve that. In that regard, growing your own plants or vegetables will be more than rewarding. And you don’t even have to stop when the cold weather strikes. Yes, plants and especial…

08/13/2015

I can smell them from here!

Concerning roses, it was said that "Those who fear the thorns cann't pick the roses" and "A life with love will have some thorns but a life without love will have no roses". I don't own these photos.

08/13/2015

Hey, everyone! I am trying to create a comprehensive list of all the services that I provide! Let me know if there is something that I've missed, or if there is something that you'd like to see!

O Yard and garden
O Custom trellis
O Confined spaces
O Garden therapy
O Barrels and containers
O Hanging baskets
O Livestock
O Permaculture
O Community involvement
O Butterfly gardens
O Indoor
O Greenhouses
O Rainbarrels
O Rooftops
O Alternative water recovery systems
O Ponds and aquaculture
O Vertical spaces
O Irrigation
O 100% organic
O Fruit trees and bushes
O Mason bees
O Urban farming
O Honey bees
O Self sufficiency
O Bird habitats
O Lawn art

08/13/2015

Have been thinking a lot lately about greenhouse design.
The simplest, and least expensive way would be to dig a deep hole, or convert a swimming pool, and cover over with polystyrene sheeting. I've built solarium's with aluminium, they are strong and last a long time with good care, but heavy and expensive. Free standing greenhouses need a good, solid foundation with adequate supports, which could mean pouring a whole slab. Glass is just plain heavy.

Have any of you built a DIY greenhouse, and what was your experience? Do you have any tips on where to get recycled materials?

08/13/2015

What is your contribution? As someone who has lived on the coast my whole life, I am not blind to the pollution in the ocean. What can we do to keep our coastal waters clean?

(Photo Credit: CBS News) Spolier Alert: The ocean is not a trash can. Did you know? There's six times more plastic than phytoplankton in all oceans, and according to the UN Environmental Programme ...

08/13/2015

I am re-sharing this. If you use a kuerig, you owe it to everyone you've ever loved, including yourself, to check out more environmentally friendly options.

Plant-based. Fully compostable. No compromise.

08/13/2015

1 Mulch
2 Newspaper
3 plastic (boo, we discourage this)
4 cardboard
5 plant in blocks
6 vinegar (does not discriminate)
7 fire (not advised)
8 boiling water (careful!)
9 eat them!
10 bake them in the sun

Bonus - pick them by hand! What a crummy bonus!!

http://thehomesteadsurvival.com/10-ways-to-keep-weeds-out-of-your-garden/

10 Ways To Keep Weeds Out of Your Garden

08/13/2015

Just in time before planting your fall garden...

How to Build a Square Foot Garden....Just in time before planting your fall garden....

http://growagoodlife.com/assembling-the-sfg/

If you would like to read about more SFG projects check out our pinterest board Love SFG gardening for some truly amazing customer plans...

https://www.pinterest.com/growveg/love-square-foot-gardening/

08/13/2015

I can easily build these to custom designs!!

My best online buy ever.