Edible plants make beautiful container gardens when you mix colours and textures.

Growing edible plants can be as simple as filling a container with a 4-pack (or three) with gorgeous leafy greens instead of impatiens. In a few weeks you can scissor off some of the bounty to add to a summer supper or salad. It’s a replenishable feast; and one that is as attractive as a planter filled with flowering plants. Using ornamental, edible plants means they are never out of flower.

In the containers above, textures and colours range from the frothy, airy foliage of bronze fennel, to the smooth waxy sheen of a red cabbage, while bright green parsley makes a striking contrast with red lettuce leaves.

Haskap berry bushes are in garden centres now, including Fiesta Gardens.

Haskap berries are a wonderful new kind of berry (Lonicera caerulea,) which is similar to a blueberry but is actually a member of the honeysuckle family. They are also commonly called Honeyberries. A delicacy in Japan, the word Haskap or “Hasukappu” comes from the language of the Ainu, an ancient people from Hokkaido island.

the Ainu meaning of Haskap is “little present at the end of the branch” rather than “perpetual youth and longevity”. Perhaps the best is to combine it to “A little present of perpetual youth and longevity”

These new berries have a kiwi-like texture with a unique flavour blend that some describe as a mix of blueberry and raspberry. Like most dark purple fruits they are high in antioxidants, and are also a good source of vitamin C. Berries of all kinds are very good for you, and this is one little present you can grow in your own garden.

Strawberries are an almost no maintenance food plant in the home garden.

Now that so many of us are excited about edible gardens, it’s time to think about food that comes back every year, without having to re-plant. One of the best ways to do this in your garden is to plant berries. They are one of the easiest crops to manage and keep on giving year after year, with only a little maintenance.

Plants like strawberries are attractive too, with pretty leaves and gorgeous fruit. They can grow be grown in containers, or used as edging along a path. Imagine stepping outside in the morning and treating yourself to a few mouthfuls of your own fresh picked strawberries.

High organic levels, and a well-drained soil with full sun are the main requirements for strawberries. One of the best things about growing your own, is you can be sure they are organic. Strawberries are on the “Dirty Dozen” list of fruits that contain most pesticides when grown commercially by non-organic farms. Growing your own is a win-win.

How sweet is your carrot?

To grow the sweetest of sweet carrots, it’s not the only N-P-K (the standard fertilizer ingredients) that counts. Just as wine growers talk about terroir, the way the soil affects the taste of a wine, all the soil minerals in your garden affect the taste and robustness of home grown vegetables. From an article on terroir

The miracle of the plant kingdom is that these complex organisms build themselves from virtually nothing: All the complex structure and chemistry of an oak tree, a daffodil or a grapevine is fashioned from very basic starting ingredients. What do vine roots take up from the soil? Primarily water, along with dissolved mineral ions.

Instead of herbicides, organic farmers use wildflowers to help crops grow.

Some organic commercial growers now allow weeds to grow between the rows of their fruits and vegetables. Not only do clover and dandelions attract pollinators, and shade the soil from drying out; but dandelion, with its long tap root, brings up minerals from deep within the soil. When the dandelion is mowed, those minerals are added to the soil as the plant composts. And it’s the minerals that make the difference in taste and plant health. From a recent Globe and Mail article:

What’s the recipe for good soil? Here are a few elements that can potentially alter the taste of your vegetables:

Calcium: involved in the formation of sugars in root vegetables and encourages bud formation in flowering vegetables, Mr. John, [a local farmer] says. Home gardeners can pick up bone meal or limestone at gardening stores to add calcium carbonate to their soil. Mr. John recommends stone dust containing limestone, which also increases the porosity of the soil.

Think about adding some organic minerals to your vegetable garden this year. You can keep all your eggshells and crush them to sprinkle into your soil, ( I do this, they are almost as fun as bubble wrap to crush) or buy a bag of limestone at the garden centre. Dolomitic limestone—half magnesium carbonate, half calcium carbonate—increases the pH of your soil, meaning it sweetens it. Greensand is another mineral amendment that adds many trace mineral nutrients. You can send away for a soil test at a local agricultural lab. The test is $35 plus HST, and they require about 3 or 4 cups of soil for the test. So remember those minerals, to get your tastiest carrot ever this summer.

Cold weather crops like peas can be planted in April and early May.

Many tasty vegetables can stretch their legs in your garden weeks before chill-averse crops like tomatoes  show up to the garden party. The garden centre has a huge stock of these cold-hardy veggies that are ready to go into the garden, or in a planter, right now. Peas, Swiss chard, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuces, beets, spinach, leeks, chives, celery, celeriac, arugula, and Brussels sprouts can be planted right now from already started 4-packs. Fiesta also has cold hardy herbs like sage, chives and oregano in stock. When popping plants out of plastic 4-packs, push from the bottom. If roots are tightly wound, pull them free gently with your fingers before putting in soil as same level they were growing in.

So many leafy greens come in deep red colours. They’re naturally decorative, work great in pots.

You can, of course, start all the above from seed, but buying pre-grown seedlings is a big help for many of us who don’t have the time (or memory) to water every day while seeds are germinating. Seeds need to be consistently moist for germination to happen, and that’s quite a commitment for anyone with a 9 to 5 job. You could try starting some things from seed as well, but putting in some starter plants gives you a guarantee and earlier produce.

Whether you are planting in a container, or in the ground, make your garden pretty by tucking in a few pansies (violas) with your veggies. The flowers are edible, and they look great mixed in with leafy greens.