Is there really such a thing as a “green thumb”? Do gardeners buy into the idea of a “green thumb” to simply pat themselves on the back, or is this something non-gardeners buy into to console themselves?

Having a successful garden depends upon many factors such as; soil quality, growing conditions, pests, plant varieties, proper timing with the season, but perhaps most importantly, your persistence.

With gardening, failure is failure. If you do not yield any tomatoes, that is failure. No lettuce, failure. If everything that you plant does not end up on your plate, that is technically a failure. There is no point in dressing failure up as anything other than what it is, but failure is part of gardening! View failure as information and figure out what your soil/land is telling you. Then plan changes for the next season that should result in improvement (and less failure).

In this episode Greg and Dave discussed lacto-fermentation, a method of preserving vegetables that predates modern pickling techniques that employ the use of vinegar. Lacto-fermentation uses natural lactic-acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts that are present in the actual vegetables to create an acidic environment that preserves the vegetables, is probiotic, and results in really tasty pickles! Here’s how to do it:

Recipe and directions for 1 quart jar:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh dill leaves and seeds heads

Directions:

1) Sterilize jar and lid

In this weeks episode Greg and Dave talk about Ticks and the growing epidemic of Lyme Disease.  If you spend any amount of time outdoors (yes, even in your garden) here in Atlantic Canada, or even any part of North America or Europe for that matter, be aware of the very real dangers that Ticks present.

Prevention of Tick borne illnesses can be as simple as just checking yourself and your family members every day.

Lloyd Lab – Mount Allison University New Brunswick – From their website: “In many provinces, ticks found on humans can be tested through provincial public health offices. In provinces where that is not available, we will test ticks from humans. There is no charge for this testing and the test results are returned in 2 weeks.”

Maritime Outdoorsman Podcast Episode 5 – The Not So Great Outdoors

Maritime Outdoorsman Podcast Episode 6 – The Not So Great Outdoors Part 2

This weeks episode is a recap/discussion about some recent videos Greg shot of his gardening including, Sand Gardens, Rock Borders, and our most “viral” video to date in which Greg plants potatoes using the Ruth Stout Method.

In this episode Greg talks about the main pests that attack brassicas like kale, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, cabbages, etc., the different varieties of kale and their relative pest resistance, and organically acceptable solutions to those pests.

Kale Varieties

Slugs and Snails and their solutions

Cabbage worms (white butterfly caterpillars) and their solutions

Flea Beetles

In this episode, Greg talks about various ways to define your garden beds.

Vermicompost update

Why Defined planting spaces work:

Type of defined planting spaces

Raised beds

Free materials

Tires

Bricks

Rocks

Railroad ties

Trees/ Logs (dead or otherwise)

Hay bales

Sod

In this episode, Greg talks about how there is little time left in the season to get planting.  Topics covered include; wild edibles (dandelions – give it a try), radishes (are they worth it?), early greens (thinning), wild strawberries, key indicators from nature for planting times, wisdom from angling (spring peppers = smelts), red buds on the maple trees begin to fall = brook-trout, wild strawberry blossom = sea-trout, don’t plant too deep etc.

Permaculture requires observation, and developing a closer connection to your ecosystem. It’s about watching things unfold in the natural world, and observing the connections.

Understanding your microclimate

It makes sense to tie your planting times to indicators in the microclimate where your garden is located – rather than by dates and charts that are calculated based on seasonal averages and assumptions that apply to large geographic areas – because in any geographical area there is variation, and thus, microclimates.

This is especially true in the Maritimes, because we have coastal areas, inland areas, and broad variations in elevation. There is also the factors that are unique to your growing site.

Get out there and get at it!

To read more about this weeks topic, check out Greg’s column in the Local Xpress – Click here

This week we revisited the issue of how important mulches are in a permaculture garden, with a focus on how mulches act as “irrigation systems”.

We talked about how employing a mulch copies the successful systems that occur in nature, and how planting at grade (not in a raised bed) also brings the plant closer to where the water tends to go in the soil.

We talked about soil layers: Organic Layer – materials on top that are breaking down (mulch)

Water travels more slowly as it goes down through these layers, that’s why you want your plants down where the roots can reach the water.

We talked about types of mulches:

Ramial woodchips

And we also talked about how much more exercise you get by NOT having raised beds. By having to work on your hands an knees, you are forced to move in ways that you typically would not move, and yes, you get a little sore, but over the long run, it’s good for you body.

In this episode Greg talks about the use of mulches in vegetable gardens.

Why Mulches are important

-weed control

Types of mulch:

-ramial woodchips

Mulches and permaculture design

– Permaculture is about copying systems that work in nature

Links Mentioned

Also, be sure to check out Greg’s column in the LocalXpress – ‘Growing Food With Greg‘

In this episode, Greg gives us an update on how his garden is progressing as of Early May.  Topics covered are; beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peas, fava beans (windsor beans), kale, swiss chard, chicory, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, onions, spinach, dill, parsley, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cold frames, drip irrigation and more.