by Donna Balzer | Mar 5, 2024 | Food, THE LATEST
I never paid much attention to raspberries or puppies before I bought my new “old” inner city house in Calgary 27 years ago. But almost as soon as we moved in, my 14 year old son asked an important question: could we get a puppy? I had a number of...
by Donna Balzer | Feb 20, 2024 | Food, Houseplants
The biggest surprise I discover as a Northern gardener – now living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is that I can grow and harvest fresh lemons from the plants I grow in the ground or in pots. And even though it is late February as I write this, I am almost overwhelmed by the scent of lemon blossoms as I open my Calgary garage, flip on the lights and enter the otherwise dull, cold space.
by Donna Balzer | Feb 4, 2024 | Food
We have a greenhouse and then we having mini-tunnels inside the greenhouse. And just by having (this) extra shelter, we’re able to grow and harvest from November to April and that’s very different from (most commercial) greenhouse systems, especially in the winter.
by Donna Balzer | Jan 4, 2024 | Food, Uncategorized
I open the conversation by asking if the wilted arugula greens on our restaurant breakfast plates are from her employer and Mali looks at me in shock. No, she says, definitely not. And as if each leaf has a GPS tracking system on it, Mali is clear: these tiny greens...
by Donna Balzer | Nov 30, 2023 | Greenhouse
A client planted her brand new greenhouse in late August this year with the goal of growing vegetables and harvesting food all winter. My 12 year-old grandson made the same plan, except he is using his dad’s back yard and doesn’t have a greenhouse....
by Donna Balzer | Nov 15, 2023 | Gadgets, GARDENING
A New Garden Project As a gardener, I love projects. In fact, I think pursuing new ideas is my specialty. And so, when I was in my “pop-up” garden phase and thinking of writing a book about this very topic, I made myself a giant planter for my boulevard (see...