1st Annual Garden Tea

Yup, we had so much fun that we're going to do it again next year. In case you missed it, here are a few photos of the garden tea. The weather cooperated perfectly — perfectly — which was pretty miraculous considering the spring/early summer we've had.


There were lots of hats and flouncy dresses.




Jenn creating her awesome lemon meringue cupcakes. Martha couldn't have done it better.



See what goodies you missed? Thanks to all of the bakers and food prep. crew: Leah, Sarah, Gord, Judy, Jenn, Adrienne and I suspect young helpers, Reed and Chloe.



We were well-prepared for rain with large tents. (Thanks to Alistair and John for those! And also to Smashing Glasses for the tent and chairs.)



Ocea got into the swing of things with her strawberry pants. (Oh, and nice hat on the lady with you!)



The musicians added a wonderful aspect to the afternoon. Thanks to Robinson, Sarah, Sterling and Zina! It was a treat to have you play for us in the garden. We hope you enjoyed it, too.



A fine looking couple...



The scavenger hunt that led to a spot in the Secret Garden was a big hit. (Thanks to Patrice and Alaisha for creating that and also to Ava for all of your help during the event.)



See you next year?

Thanks to the following businesses who donated food, tea or door prizes: Chocolate Tofino, OCN (Ordinary Corner Nursery), Smashing Glasses, Tofino Co-op, Tofino Sea Kayaking, Tofino Tea Bar, the Village of Tofino, and the Wickaninnish Inn.

For more photos, check out Sarah's slide show.

No-see-um Candles

The rain and periodic warmth is not making the no-see-ums disappear is it? Sea Wench's Bugger Off Spray works pretty well, but if you're just sitting around these candles might be nice.

What's your favourite non-nasty-chemical cure?

The Cure for Death by Aphids

(With apologies to Gail Anderson-Dargatz.) I've heard that the aphids are terrible this year. Either I haven't been looking closely enough or I've been spared (for the moment), but I haven't seen too many in my yard. I'll take a closer look. They are a common garden pest, however, so here are some plans for attack:


Hippodamia convergens (aka Ladybugs).
Ladybugs eat the aphids, mate and die within 3 weeks. The larvae look like little alligators and if there is a constant supply of food they will continue to breed and populate your garden.

It's best to release them in the evening so they are more likely to stay in your garden and not fly away. Leah released hers late afternoon on an overcast day into the greenhouse and under cloches.

Garlic Spray
Jenn cooks up a mean garlic spray. Boil whole cloves of garlic, let the liquid cool and spray it on the plants. It will kill the aphids, eggs and will not kill the plants.

Soap and Water
In A Year on the Garden Path, Carolyn Herriot suggests using aphid midges or ladybugs, but also to wash them off with a strong jet of water or spraying them with soapy water or insecticidal soap. She gives two recipes:

Simple Soap: 2 Tbsp. soap flakes in 1 litre of warm water. Apply every 5 to 7 days.

Garlic Oil Spray: 10-15 cloves minced garlic, 2 tsp. mineral oil, 600 mL water, 1 tsp. liquid dish soap. Soak garlic in mineral oil for 24 hours. Strain garlic out and add 600 mL water a 1 tsp. liquid soap. Mix thoroughly and spray on plants.

A few more ideas:

You Grow Girl has a good explanation of both ladybug and aphid biology and gives a recipe for a citrus peel spray as well as other ideas similar to the ones presented here.

And several more from The Cheap Vegetable Gardener.

How do you deal with aphids?

Gardening News from the Past

I've been reading some old newspapers for a project I'm working on and I came across this gardening news from April 5, 1945. It was written by Islay MacLeod who just passed away. (If you don't recognize the name, you still probably knew Islay — she was often seen walking regally down First Street to the Co-op/Post Office etc. in her brilliant yellow beret and vest.) Here's what she wrote in her column Tofino News, that was printed in the West Coast Advocate out of Port Alberni:

Spring has definitely arrived, borne on the wings of a stiff westerly wind. Now with a rattle and clank of tools, the local agriculturalists and landscape gardeners will be able to start tilling the soil and pulling out last year's growth of weeds. Did your squash wilt and die before they had a chance to show their goodness last year? Did the bottom ends of your tomatoes turn brown? Did you white potatoes try to be marbles? Did your cantaloupes taste like pumpkins? Did some unseen pest eat holes in the leaves of your lettuce and beets? If not (though with some exceptions) you must live outside of Tofino's city limits.

Okay so perhaps that wasn't too heartening, but I thought you might find it interesting!

See You Sunday at the Garden Tea

I hope you can come visit my garden this Sunday for a garden tea, a fundraiser for the Community Garden. Enjoy sweet and savory treats, hot and iced tea, local entertainment and garden games.

The tea runs from 1 until 5, with two sittings, at 1 and 3. (Although this is flexible; come any time if it works better.) Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the garden gate, $5 for children (10 and under). You can find tickets at Storm Surf, Green Soul Organics, Chocolate Tofino or by contacting me, Adrienne, at ak_mason[at]telus[dot]net or Leah at tofinolocalfood[at]yahoo[dot]ca. (Wheat-free or gluten-free options are available but you need to let me know asap.)

Hope to see you Sunday, rain or shine!

Giving Colanders a New Life

Check this out. That's a mighty pretty enamel colander.

Seed Saving 101 - Lettuce

As soon as we get a burst of hot weather (we will get it, right?), many of our greens are going to bolt and go to seed. I found this great series of videos on seed saving when I was cruising Salt Spring Seeds' site. There are four on saving lettuce seeds: collecting, separating, cleaning and storing.

Do you save seeds? If so, what varieties do you save?