We can probably blame La Nina, a current weather pattern that brings cold temperatures, for the wacky weather this month. For gardeners, the lingering cold has frustrated planting plans as temperatures continued to drop down close to freezing overnight. At mid-April where I live the overnight low was 0 C. A friend living not far away recorded a -2 C low.
A few flats of my carefully nurtured lettuce transplants developed past their prime as I waited for slightly warmer temperatures. Others stayed in good transplanting condition, but were on the verge of climbing out of their containers by the time I installed them in vegetable plots. Usually, by late April I have lettuces already developing to harvesting size.
Forecasts warned of a cooler than usual April, but this was ridiculous. I took advantage of what looked like a useable gardening day on April 9, and was enjoying a brief bout of sunshine when darkness descended, the air turned icy and hail began bouncing off the soil. The next day, slushy rain fell in stormy weather and the power went out.
The cold did not prevent planting staples like potatoes, peas, and carrots. The broad beans, sprouted nicely from a February seeding, stayed in fine condition though the plants put on little growth through the chill. While waiting for cosier conditions for other plants, I used the time preparing sites for planting.
I like flowers in the vegetable garden — especially kinds that attract and feed beneficial insects. One of those flowers is calendula, always one of the first annuals I seed outdoors. I chose Zeolights, a compact variety from West coast Seeds, to sow along two vegetable plot edges that I had readied for the seeds by mixing compost into the soil.
The good earth. On this Earth Day weekend, I’m remembering from my travelling days a visit in Holland with a friend I’d met previously while hitch-hiking around Ireland. He and his wife taught at the University of Utrecht. They both loved Ireland, and often travelled there.
One of the places they took me to see was a polder — an area of land claimed from the sea by building dikes and pumping out water. The area was a mass of yellow flowers, on plants used to begin desalinating the ground.
As we looked out over this vast expanse, my host shared a bit of national pride in the saying: Only God and the Dutch can create land.
Recalling that scene, and those words, I’m thinking that we who garden can also, in a small way, create earth and heal the tiny piece of land under our temporary possession.
Think about what we do when we take weeds, spent plants and plant trimmings to a site for composting. Out of death we are creating life. In some circles, that would be considered skirting close to the divine.
GARDEN EVENTS
HCP plant sale. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is holding a Spring Plant Sale today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Select from among unique plants propagated from the HCP gardens. Master Gardeners will be on site to answer questions. See a list of available plants at hcp.ca.
Abkhazi Garden plant sale. Abkhazi Garden and Teahouse, 1964 Fairfield Rd. in Victoria, is holding a plant sale today and tomorrow, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring gems such as Abkhazi Princess tree peony and Bella Bella magnolia, plants that can be purchased only at Abkhazi Garden.
Sidney plant sale. The Peninsula Garden Club will hold their Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 30, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. The sale will feature tomato plants, annuals, perennials including dahlias, lilies, hostas and peonies, and many other items.
Mid-Island plant sale. The Mid Island Rose Society is holding a sale of perennials, annuals and shrubs on Saturday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the corner of Uplands and 3301 Emerald Dr. in Nanaimo. The sale is held to help support Nanaimo charities including Hospice, Wheels for Wellness, Nanaimo Hospital, Women’s Haven House and SPCA.
