​IN OUR GARDENS

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Sun, Seed & Soil: Tips and Techniques

for a Northern Garden

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During the Covid epidemic, our founder took time to write a book! The book Sun, Seed & Soil was published by Boulder and is now in print.  It covers the same information as Dan has been sharing in his Spring workshops, but in greater detail and in a more digestible form.  The richly-illustrated 336-page deluxe paperback edition includes more than 300 photos, tables and charts to help you navigate through the seasons in your own garden, and is will tuned to growing vegetables, fruit and flowers in Newfoundland or anywhere with long, cold winters.  Copies are available online from Boulder Books and from your bookstore.

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Food Producers Forum

 

To support and expand community based food production, we have created a provincial non-profit dedicated to information sharing and incubation of new ideas, the Food Producers Forum, Inc.  Our projects are helping to rebuild food security across our province and our region.  If you are interested in being part of this initiative, visit us online at: www.foodproducersforum.com.

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Earth Sheltered Greenhouse

 

Since 2017 we have been developing a wonderful project, an earth sheltered greenhouse, banked in the earth for better insulation in cold weather.   Working with two rounds of engineering students at Memorial University, we completed a design for a 240 square foot structure for year round food production. In our second phase, funded by Memorial's Public Partnerships, we convened a group of 21 local food producers and activists to fine tune the design and figure out how to make it fit into local communities. We have built a demonstration version at the O'Brien Farm in St. John's.  We are planning to build three more of these across the provnce for construction in the Spring of 2024.​

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Creating the Year Round Garden 

 

We had a wonderful time in our 2019 Spring workshops. Over the past 8 years, more than 800 people have attended our talks and workshop sessions.  We offered the workshops this year in Pouch Cove, Salmonier and also at the Farmer's Market in St. John's.  Pouch Cove sessions included a home cooked lunch and garden tours, along with seed starting and raised bed construction.    Since the pandemic, these workshops have been on hold, but if any local group would like to plan a workshop on extending the growing season, just email us at info@perfectlyperennial.ca.

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Uncle Dirt radio show and podcast

 

During 2018 we hosted a weekly show on CHMR (Memorial University campus radio) about gardens, gardening and food security.   The title of that series was Uncle Dirt.  Each show included an interview with a local gardener, food producer or researcher along with discussion of issues that range from food security to how to make the most of your garden to grow local food, flowers and herbs.   For podcasts of our first ten shows, go to:  https://fittoeatnl.ca/uncle-dirt-with-dan-rubin

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Interview with Dale Jarvis

 

We spoke with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer for our province, Dale Jarvis, who recorded a podcast about the development of our site and recent discoveries with northern-adapted plants and season extension.

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To hear that interview, click here:

 

http://www.ichblog.ca/2017/04/a-perfectly-perennial-podcast-growing.html

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Northern Orchard Created

 

 Thanks to funding received from Tree Canada's Edible Tree Program in 2017 we added more than 25 fruit and nut trees and bushes to the garden beds, fields and greenhouses at our garden site.

 

Our plantings now include 11 apple trees, 4 plums, peach trees, a sour cherry tree, pear tree, elderberries, bush cherries, kiwi vines, grape vines, thornless blackberries, red currants, black currants, white currants and gooseberries. 

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With these fruit and nut trees planted we have become a local site for trying out fruit and nut varieties adapted to northern climates, to advise local growers on  the best varieties for our area, to help rebuild food security in our coastal communities.  

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We wish to acknowledge and thank our sponsors (TREE CANADA, TELUS, LOBLAW’S and SILK) for their vision and support. We also thank Murray’s Gardens for assisting and supporting us in this project.   

 

 

Three Years of support from Seeds of Diversity 

 

In 2014, 2015 and 2016 Perfectly Perennial Herbs and Seeds was funded by the Bauta Family Seed Initiative to expand and develop our seed production site.    

 

With our partners in Deborah's Garden (a former local neighbourhood garden cooperative) and help from dozens of visiting wwoofers and volunteers, we found and  propagated new seed varieties for distribution to local growers and gardeners.  

 

We appreciate the support of ACORN, Food First, Common Ground Community Development, Hickey's Timber Mart, Chris Squires, Murray's Gardens, The ReStore (Habitat for Humanity), Gaze Seeds, and our funders USC Canada, Seeds of Diversity and Tree Canada.  Our seed site is made possible by their support.  

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