I think summer was officially over weeks ago here. I’m awing and sighing over all the pictures I see of places that are still all about summer with tank tops and shorts and gardens being harvested. My flower garden is pretty wilted and rain slogged! No matter, I love fall! It’s my favourite season and I hope we have enough of it in this rainy coastal town! Of course being my first fall and then winter in Prince Rupert, I have no idea what to expect.

Just out my back door

I ordered some seeds the other day with grand plans for raised beds and empty places in the tiered landscaped garden. Sadly, the arrival of the seeds only made me long for spring. What the? I love fall and winter… but oh how I want my garden to grow… Anyhow, I’ll share some of what I’m excited to grow! Some of you may recognise a few of these seeds from my garden giveaway. With the move I never did get an opportunity to start any for myself.

  • Plantain (how can anyone not grow this up here in the buggy north?)
  • Milk Thistle
  • Burdock
  • Echinacea
  • St. John’s Wort
  • Calendula
  • Lemonella Balm
  • Borage
  • Marshmallow
  • Lemon Bergamot
  • 1000 Year Old Tobacco
  • Cilantro, Basil, Lovage
  • Principe Borghese (best tomatoes for sun dried)
  • A few other varieties of Tomatoes, suited for my area
  • Tomatillos
  • A couple varieties of Beets
  • A couple varieties of Chard
  • A couple varieties of Kale
  • Honey Cream Corn, Japanese Eggplant and Orca Beans from G that I’m going to try!

So that’s roughly what I plan to make work- at least at the moment. Once we build and plan the raised beds we can look at what else might work. Gardening here isn’t necessarily easy to do. There isn’t much soil (mostly muskeg!) and there isn’t much sun, especially since Prince Rupert faces mostly north with Mount Hayes shading us so much.

Thankfully, one of my two best friends is a gardening expert, although I’m sure she’d be quick to say she isn’t. So humble that one. She’s a horticulturist. If you look up Horticulture in the dictionary, it reads: The art or practice of garden cultivation and management. Oh yes, I know the right person to ask questions! She’s an artist when it comes to growing. I’m hoping to pop down for a very quick trip (piggybacking Cam’s business trip) and she’s offered to help finalise our garden plans then. I also look forward to seeing her newly finished passive solar house and share a bit of her garden bounty!

There are many herbs I’d like to grow. I’ve been so inspired by April and Lisa in this regard. April had recently given me some great ideas to look into for helping a friend’s skin issues. Reading more about it, I realised that I too could benefit from a few of those herbs. I pulled out a couple barely used herbal books I have on my bookshelf and can’t help but notice many of these plants while out on walks and hikes. It’s actually quite exciting now that I’ve had a little jump start.

I love that there is no end to learning in life.

Beautiful Rosy Cheeks

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9 Responses to Gardening Plans and Herbal Inspirations

  1. Dawn Suzette says:

    It all sounds great Annie! I loved having borage in my garden in Cali… Oh, I just loved having a graden!
    Hopefully next spring I will be able to get a little one going here…
    I did not see any peppers on the list. Do you think they would grow there?

  2. What a great list. I can’t believe plantain doesn’t naturally grow up there, it’s a hardy little plant that stays green throughout the winter here. I would add red clover to your list. The blossoms infused in a carrier oil is great for skin ailments too, especially psorisis and has helped with certain skin cancers. It makes a yummy tea too. Thanks for the link love, you inspire me as well.

    lisa

  3. Oh my gosh, I am in awe with April too! Her site is wonderful and so full of knowledge.

    lisa

  4. Annie says:

    I don’t think it’s hot or dry enough for peppers? I wish!

    Plantain does grow here everywhere and is a hated weed by most. I’m nervous to pick any that I don’t know for sure hasn’t had chemicals on it! I was thinking about red clover yesterday after your post. I think I might know where I can grow some….

  5. LivingSimply says:

    Pineapple sage (good for tea and even for munching on)…tastes/smells just like pineapple and has pretty green foliage with red blooms. That is, if you enjoy pineapple :).

    I love fall but still holding onto summer.

  6. Justine says:

    I’m glad to be your (humble) garden adviser!

  7. Krista says:

    Nice gardening post, definitely a list of things worthy of trying to grow. I’m curious and looking forward to hearing about your successes growing in PR. Wow – you’re coming back this way for a visit? Bet you’re thrilled about that. Enjoy.

  8. Jo says:

    I have a friend who lives down on Lasqueti and says that the best way to build up the soil is to layer on seaweed (and some starfish, if you can bring yourself to do that!) So maybe a trip down to the beach with a wheelbarrow?

  9. Regina says:

    Can I just say that lemon balm in my garden is more invasive and tons harder to pull up then any variety of mint I’ve ever planted? Love the smell, it makes awesome teas and I add it to my hair conditioner…but man, that stuff takes over EVERYTHING! Oh, and it spread like crazy … it’s all over my yard, like 40 feet from where I planted it. Eeek! Don’t let it go to seed!

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