by Donna Balzer | Sep 5, 2025 | Food, THE LATEST, Uncategorized
Gardening in Northern climates is always a challenge and after 50 years of growing I am still learning. Here is my report about this season of growing vegetables including old and new tomatoes in my zone 3/4 Calgary, Alberta garden.
by Donna Balzer | Feb 6, 2025 | Food
I was sprawled on the couch reading and I was losing interest in my book when the scent of simmering soup and the distinctive aroma of fresh bay leaf wafted over from the kitchen. Whether you live in Whitehorse or Washington, bay leaf is one of those easy to grow...
by Donna Balzer | Nov 6, 2024 | Food, Houseplants
Keeping a houseplant or potted plant alive is good. Keeping a plant healthy with shiny leaves and multiple blooms is better. Using the right fertilizers is paramount to success. But the fertilizer choices are so confusing! Here are the highlights and uses of...
by Donna Balzer | Aug 26, 2024 | Flowers & Alpines, Food
IS IT POSSIBLE TO GROW SAFFRON IN A COOL CANADIAN CLIMATE? LINDA ASKS A SAFFRON QUESTION “I have a query for you. I would like to grow Saffron for its health benefits. Can you give me a successful starting plan? I have a grow light that I purchased plus I have a...
by Donna Balzer | Aug 16, 2024 | Food
WHAT TOMATOES SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO GROW? I gave tomatoes away on a table outside my garden fence one year because they were multiplying in my greenhouse faster than I could eat them. I was very pleased how quickly they disappeared from the table outside and I thought...
by Donna Balzer | Mar 5, 2024 | Food
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...
