Long Overdue for a Garden Update

red currant

This is year 4 of my garden. I have been downsizing my effort while trying to expand the square footage. I am embracing lazy gardening. Planting things that I do not have to weed because they do better than the weeds.

sunchokes in the spring

Sunchokes (Jerusalen artichoke) are native to Ontario. You can find them growing wild all over. Finding them in the summer is the easy part. The difficulty is when you try to harvest them. They are not ready until the tops die down (September-October). So they are very difficult to find at that point. I have had some in my crisper for about 10 months and they are still in good shape. Its quite amazing how well the bulbs (tubers, roots...?) store.

My garden, spring 2014

My garden is a little work in the Fall and a little work in the Spring. In October I plant my garlic and rearrange my sunchokes (help them invade).  You could say sunchokes are perennials. Once you have them they will be difficult to get rid of. I am okay with that though.  Besides sunchokes and garlic, I like growing herbs. The kind that self seed or are perennials.

Lastly I am investing in some berry plants.  Mostly gooseberry (which grows wild around here) and currants. Both make fantastic jam.

domesticated gooseberries