Other Entries: August 2007 September 2007 January 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 September 2008 October 2008

In July, it is often easy for me to get the feeling that our corner of Southwestern British Columbia has an ideal climate for vegetable-growing. A couple of weeks of clear skies and moderate temperatures can push almost all climactic concerns well out of my conscience. Unfortunately, July is over, and the end of August has brought cool temperatures, a tremendous amount of rain (several feet? My measuring system, a rotting 7-11 coffee cup, is notoriously inaccurate), and generally less-than-ideal gardening conditions. Fortunately, as of this writing, the warm, clear weather has returned, hopefully for good (or at least until some point in December).

So far, I have canned forty quarts of diced tomatoes, and hope to put-away at least another ten, if not a good number more. Weather or not this will actually happen now hinges on the whims of the weather and weather or not my tomato plants escape the dreaded scourge of Phytophthora infestans, Late Blight. Early tomato varieties have all been slightly later than usual this year, but, as we are a long way from the ancestral Tomato homeland, both geographically and climactically, I'm always glad to harvest any at all.

Parsley, fall Lettuce, Kale, Collards, Peas, Rhubarb, and many other plants are thriving in the cool, wet pre-autumn we have been experiencing. The oats and buckwheat I sowed in vacant garden spaces in July have grown beautifully, with much of the buckwheat now in full bloom, buzzing with insect life.

During the third week of August, I began an experiment that has been bouncing-around my head for some time: Behind part of the vegetable garden in our backyard, there is a retaining wall, holding back a very steep slope. I have mulched part of the slope, and the whole thing is densely-planted with various drought-and infertility-tolerant plants. Despite these plants, I still suspect a fair amount of erosion happens each winter. I acquired a bag of White Clover seed (Trifolium repans), and broadcast it thickly over the entire hillside. My hope is that it will form a mat, through which the perennial and self-seeding annual plants already growing in the hillside can still emerge. I've very little to loose, and much to gain, and will be sure to post an update of my progress in a couple of months.

This years' seed harvest is well underway, though the wet weather has caused some minor delays. So far, Kale and Lentil seeds have been harvested and left to hang in a safe, dark place (My landlord's shed, which I have long since commandeered for my own uses). As soon as the weather stays dry for a bit longer, Calendula, Leeks, and Parsnip seed will be harvested. Tomatoes and Ground cherries will follow closely behind. Stay tuned to the North Vancouver Food Plant Seed Distribution Programme Page, as I will update it as soon as this years' seed harvest has been completed. I expect to begin distributing the new stock as early as October.

I don't want to get anyone too excited about something that may or may not happen, but I'm going to anyway: Last July I seeded some "mystery brassica" seeds (that is how the jars were labelled) which were given to me by an associate. These plants stood in the garden all winter, looking like regular Collards, and began to grow this spring. They continued growing. They didn't flower with the rest of the two-year-old brassicas this summer, as would be expected. Instead, they kept getting bigger and bigger. Now, they stand over two stories high (not entirely true, but they are really big), and have still yet to show any signs of blooming. If they ever bloom (perhaps next year?), I'll be sure to offer seeds to whomever wants to grow this most remarkable of brassicas. It shall be called "Ryan Nassichuk's Fantastic Brassica #2", and my name will live on in infamy for all time, forever and ever (probably won't happen).

Summer is almost over, but I'm excited for next spring, and can't wait to spread the fall manure all over my beds. I hope everyone reading this manages to locate a big pile of excrement too.