Brian Minter

Food Gardening

by Heather Fayers

Brian Minter attracted many members and guests to our first fall meeting. His enthusiastic summary of new and improved food garden plants and shrubs was, as always with Brian, delivered at breakneck speed. Some highlights follow: 

Plants, like hardy olives which grow in Northern Germany, are not yet available here, but are coming. Goji berries need male and female for pollination and their roots spread like the Brazel berry raspberries. Keep roots contained. Lignonberries are beautiful shrubs with edible fruit, as are haskap berries, which ripen before strawberries in spring.

Do not be afraid to “terraform” your garden if raised beds are needed to promote good drainage. Use your front yard and be artistic. A raised bed can be bordered with attractive material and need not be square. Always seek as much sun as possible for fruit and vegetable production. Pick varieties that mature quickly in our cooler, coastal climate. 

Do not be afraid to try new shapes, like cylindrical beets, or colours, like purple carrots and tomatoes for nutrition. Bay trees, herbs, fruit trees and vines can be pruned and restricted along a fence or wire form to create attractive hedges and borders which enhance the smaller garden. Fruit trees and shrubs are often the most rewarding plants to grow in a smaller garden.

Keep an open mind, have fun and try a new thing or two, every growing season. Your suburban garden can be so much more than grass and boxwood.

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