By Honey Dew Gardens, on August 18th, 2017 
Well, the ladies are starting to lay pretty good. Our gorgeous flock of Buff Orpingtons are pretty laid back and happy with their lifestyle….
I mean, who wouldn’t like to hang out with their friends all day, playing in the grass and sun, eating bugs and generally having a great time? Right?
They have been raised on organic feed since day one. Eggs are $5/dz, available daily.  So if you are in the Nelson to Castlegar area and are looking to buy yummy eggs, give us a shout at fresh@honeydewgardens.ca
   
By Honey Dew Gardens, on June 5th, 2014 
I just love that ti  me of year when fresh herbs are ready to eat. I pine away all winter for basil pesto especially. If you grow lots of basil, you can always double your batch and freeze some pesto, but honestly, in our house that usually involves a little white lie of the “nope, it’s all gone” variety.
A large leaf variety of basil is good to use. Genovese or Large Leaf are good varieties, but for flavor variance you can try adding lemon, thai, cinnamon or other basils. Basil is a very tender annual, and loves sun. Grow it in a nice hot spot in your garden, or in containers, . . . → Read More: Basil Pesto
By Honey Dew Gardens, on June 2nd, 2014  We have several heirloom and open pollinated varieties of tomato seedlings in the greenhouse this year. There’s quite a variety of shapes, sizes and colors! Did you know there are literally thousands of tomato varieties?
Here’s the descriptions of several of the varieites avialable this season. Come down and check them all out:
Cherry Varieties
Black Cherry – Indeterminate, 64 days BLACK
This is a very popular heirloom that produces loads of round 1″ dark mahogany-brown tomatoes with the classic deep smoky black tomato flavor. Needs staking.
Chocolate Cherry – Indeterminate, 75 days BROWN
Round 1″ tomatoes grow in clusters of 8 on this open-pollinated variety. These incredibly sweet and . . . → Read More: Heirloom and Open Pollinated Tomatoes 2014
By Honey Dew Gardens, on June 1st, 2014  Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
Height: 36 – 72″ / Spread: 18″ / Perennial to zone 2
I have to admit it, I love lovage. It’s a very hardy perennial, easily surviving in my zone 2b garden. Historically, it was a popular garden plant. It’s appearance in modern gardens is rare, and I do believe this should change. I love the fact that lovage is sun/part shade plant, as it happily sits in the background, living life to the fullest in all its stature, leaving more room for the super sun loving plants in the garden. It does not appear to be bothered by pests in the garden.
It will grow very tall . . . → Read More: Lovage
By Honey Dew Gardens, on May 7th, 2014  Well, it seems debatable whether or not spring is even here yet…woke up to another morning with a skiff of snow on the ground. Seriously?!?!
As I write this, it is a chilly -1C outside with a forecast high of +6C this afternoon. There is actually supposed to be some sun today!
Regardless, we are officially open today
FYI it rained yesterday, making the roads a fair bit squishy. Please, if you come down today, take it slow, especially at the corner turning into the driveway.
If you need directions to the greenhouse, click here. My lovely husband put up the beautiful signs my . . . → Read More: Greenhouse is Open for 2014!
By Honey Dew Gardens, on May 6th, 2014 The definition of heirloom in terms of plant varieties is debated. Often, a fruit, veggie or flower plant variety that has been grown unchanged for at least 50 years is defined as a heirloom variety. Some consider 100 years the criteria. Some suggest varieties prior to commercial hybridization began, in the early 1950′s. Heirlooms are open pollinated varieties, but not all open pollinated varieties are heirloom. Regardless, by nature, many of these varieties are tried and true and valued for their traits.
It is said that many heirloom varieties either have become extinct or are at risk of extinction. Monocropping and the mechanization that is common in today’s agriculture, and . . . → Read More: Heirloom Varieties and One Little Question…
By Honey Dew Gardens, on March 20th, 2014  So another spring, another garden on it’s way….and it’s about time. I’m ready. In fact, things are already really starting to grow around here.
Garden plans have been laid, seedlings have been started and supplies are coming in!
How Exciting!
Probably one of my favorite winter tasks is planning the garden and picking out which seed varieties I will grow. I have a thing for variety. For surprise. For color. My biggest problem, really, is narrowing it down to the few selections that will end up in the greenhouse and in the gardens!
So, many plants, so little time. Right? So, in the . . . → Read More: This Year’s Garden Patch
By Honey Dew Gardens, on March 4th, 2014  So it’s finally March, and I’m sure I’m not the only one getting a bit fidgety. Less than three weeks, and spring will officially be here!
Here are some sure signs that spring is coming:
Back in Grade One, our class did an “In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb” activity. If you thought that March was going to come in like a lion, you made a lion’s face with a paper plate, glue and pretty lion’s mane colored tissue paper. If you thought March was coming in like a lamb, it was cotton balls. Voila, instant lamb.
Clearly, the budding gardener in me at the time knew deep . . . → Read More: Sure Signs That Spring Is Coming…
By Honey Dew Gardens, on February 21st, 2014  As many of you know, I’m a huge advocate of growing your own food, and/or supporting your local food producers. That’s why I was so excited when I learned about this upcoming event…
The Food Growing Summit 2014 is a free tele-summit taking place March 3-7, that has an amazing line-up of farmers, backyard food growers and food activists who have joined up to share loads of information and to inspire and guide you to grow food this spring. No experience necessary!
Please, click on this link to get more info and meet the co-ordinators of this awesome event! Be sure to check out the speakers’ schedule, as there are so . . . → Read More: Food Growing Summit 2014
By Honey Dew Gardens, on February 20th, 2014 Tanya L. K. Denckla has compiled an indispensable summary of 765 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts in this almost 500 page book!
She gives ample information on each entry, including growing and storage requirements, diseases and pests, companion plants, harvest and sample varieties. The remainder of the book is dedicated to organic practices of pest control, plant health, problem identification and pest and disease profiles. This book is a handy reference that will earn it’s place in your library.
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