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2 RED DEER EXPRESS

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2016

Planning a

POLLINATOR GARDEN in your yard

BY ZACHARY CORMIER RED DEER EXPRESS

where there seems to be some reduction in population of bees and things lately,” he said, adding that pollinator gardens Pollinators are an important part of can attract a huge variety of butterflies any ecosystem. Insects such as bees and and bees to a garden, which can make for butterflies allow the transfer of pollen be- a delightful viewing experience. tween different plants, which in turn will Unfortunately, some of the more popuallow those plants to grow. lar insects such as the monarch butterfly So, when it comes to planting your own tend to be quite difficult to attract in urban garden in Red Deer this spring, Central Alberta because they aren’t inwhy not take a little bit of time to make digenous to the area. But Prins said there that garden as attractive are still plenty of reasons as possible to those essento start planting your own tial insects? pollinator garden.

“A pollinator garden is “Monarch butterflies are “A POLLINATOR something that would atnot indigenous to this part GARDEN IS tract insects that do the of the country, so it’s going SOMETHING THAT pollinating to the benefit to be extremely difficult to of things that need pollitry and attract them here.

WOULD ATTRACT nating,” said Alfred Prins, We have plenty of other INSECTS THAT DO the greenhouse manager butterflies, though, that will THE POLLINATING at Parkland Nurseries in come to all of your flowers.

Red Deer.

TO THE BENEFIT OF “There’s all kinds of Prins, a certified hortiTHINGS THAT NEED things to attract. There are culturalist with more than more beneficial insects POLLINATING.” 40 years experience, said a than there are pests out pollinator garden is usualthere,” he said. ly just a garden space with One insect ALFRED PRINS an abundance of flowers Prins finds that will attract those polis a popular linators, either to encourone among age growth of other plants that do need pollinator garpollinating or, in many cases, just for the den owners is the visual enjoyment of the gardener. mason bee, which is a small bee that “It’s to encourage population of those doesn’t sting but pollinates just as well as insects that do the pollinating, especially other bees. You can even mount a mason

bee nest made out of a piece of wood with a bunch of long holes drilled into it in your yard to attract the tiny pollinator.

“They will come around but you don’t see them all that much. They’re smaller and just buzz through the plants,” he said, noting the best time to get started on planting a pollinator garden is in the spring.

“You want to start planting in the spring. Just get hold of as many different flowering things as you can as opposed to foliage things.”

Pollinator gardens also have an advantage in that they tend not to attract excess negative insects either.

“The beneficial ones are attracted to the flowers.”

One thing that you will need in order to get a pollinator garden going is a very sunny garden space.

“Most flowers need sunshine. It would also be better to have a sheltered garden because if there’s too much wind to con-

tend with, those insects and pollinators won’t visit there so much either,” Prins said.

Although they can be a challenge to maintain, a pollinator garden can make any yard start buzzing with life.

“When I have the most things buzzing around trees is first thing in the spring.

When the weather gets warm, the willow trees get all of the little catkins and the insects come back to life. Those trees were just alive, buzzing with insects and then the fruit trees around them gained the benefit of having all of the exposure to the insects while they were blooming,” Prins recalled.

So, no matter if you’re trying to promote the growth of your plants, or you just want to sit in your garden and look at some spectacular butterflies, growing your own pollinator garden may be a perfect spring project to get your yard looking beautiful. zcormier@reddeerexpress.com

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SPRING HOME & GARDEN

TIPS VEGETABLE

for beginner

GARDENERS

BY COLE SWIER RED DEER EXPRESS With a growing emphasis on eating healthy and eating vegetables what if someone was interested in growing their own garden and saving some money at the grocery store? Where would they begin?

One expert on the subject is Rebecca Bouw, Dentoom’s Greenhouse Garden Centre manager.

Bouw says the biggest misconception holding people back from starting their very own home gardens is the amount of work gardens need in order to be maintained.

She added at the end of the day gardens are quite easy to set up.

“I think a lot of people don’t start a garden just because they think it’s a lot of hard work.

You have to make your garden, you have to get the soil, and you have get the compost. It seems like a lot of work but really it’s not. Growing a garden is quite easy.”

One trick that is recommended by experts is when first starting out, amateur gardeners should start out small and simple. This way you can ensure you’re enjoying what you’re doing and avoiding getting burnt out and frustrated. If a beginner takes on too much at

once they can get in over their head and get lost on how to proceed with their garden.

Another helpful tip is to always remember to water your plants carefully, as well as crawl out of bed and water your plants nice and early in the morning before it gets too warm. Watering your vegetables before the day warms up ensures the plants soak up all the water and helps keep them healthy.

In the same vein of watering plants, it is also a necessity to always keep in mind that newer plants will need to be watered more frequently due to the fact that their root systems aren’t completely developed. So be sure to hydrate your plant both early in the morning and ensure they receive enough water.

Despite how intimidating starting your own garden seems at first glance, Bouw stresses the importance of always asking questions and furthering your knowledge.

She added that garden centres as well as local growers are fantastic resources to use when first starting out.

So whether you’re interested in growing tomatoes, lettuce, or even peppers be sure to do your research and follow these helpful tips to aid in ensuring your vegetables grow plentifully and healthfully. student@reddeerexpress.com

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RED DEER EXPRESS 3

4 RED DEER EXPRESS

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2016

City initiatives provide for a

GREENER community

BY KALISHA MENDONSA RED DEER EXPRESS The City of Red Deer provides a variety of initiatives to consider this spring, from gardening and lawn care practices to low energy product rebates.

Through the City’s Healthy Yards program, residents can easily find a variety of environmentally responsible practices, from lawn care, to recycling, to rain barrels and more.

Lauren Maris, an environmental programs specialist with the City, said there are a number of ways citizens can make the move towards a more environmentally responsible home.

“One of the first things I’d like to get out there is our rain barrel rebate program.

We encourage Red Deerians to harvest rainwater for use in their yards rather than using potable water. Of course, water conservation is the most obvious benefit but there are more,” Maris said.

“The less treated water that is used creates less strain on the water treatment plant, and the less water you use, the less money you pay on your bill. We’re encouraging the purchase of those rain

barrels by offering a rebate of 50 per cent of the cost of a rain barrel, up to a total of $50. There is a limit to the number of rebates that we have, but there are still rebates available.”

She said more information on that program is available at reddeer.ca/rainbarrels.

The City offers several other programs to encourage environmentally responsible home owning. One of those is a composting program, now in its fifth year of success.

“We provide 200 households with all of the tools and training required to successfully compost at home. It’s been very successful, and this year filled up in about five days. That shows us there is a want in the community to learn how to compost, and I think that’s very exciting,” Maris said.

“Gardeners of course love composting because they return nutrients to the soil to help their gardens grow, but there are lots of other benefits to composting. It keeps waste out of the landfill, which is good for landfill conservation but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. When we put organics into the landfill, the

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decompose anaerobically and produce methane gas byproduct, which is a greenhouse gas.”

She said at the end of this year, they will have provided the composting program to just over 1,000 households.

In 2015, the City began its pilot of the Green Cart program. This is a comprehensive and thorough recycling program that offers pick-up for glass, organic matter, paper and more in an effort to reduce landfill usage. Maris said the Green Cart program works well with the composting program, and that she’s pleased to see members of the pilot program reaching out for more information on composting.

“That’s very exciting, because they (in the pilot program) have the opportunity to get rid of their organics, but they want to take advantage of recycling those organics in their own yard. There are also links and information on the Red Deer City web site about composting, with how-to videos and things like that for other people who want to get involved, but aren’t in the City composting program,” Maris said.

In addition to the many outdoor programs to encourage environmentally responsible practices, they also offer a toilet rebate program. That program offers - for qualifying toilets, tested for quality - a

$50 rebate to dual-flush toilet owners and a $25 rebate to low-flow toilet owners. A list of compatible toilets are available on the City web site.

“Another thing I’d like to mention is our pollinator parks and our emphasis on creating opportunities for pollinators in one’s own yard,” Maris said. ”As a City, we’ve got four different pollinator parks being planned - and some existing in the City so we can show people what they look like. There are some resources on the City web site about plants that make good pollinators and how to attract pollinators to your yard.”

She said the City also encourages naturescaping designs, which are meant to be a low water, low maintenance approach to yards that encourage pollination and low energy maintenance.

As well, Maris highlighted the City’s existing yard waste program, and reminded residents that all yard waste must be placed in a bin with a yard waste label, or else placed in a paper bag. These paper bags can be purchased at a wide variety of home and garden stores across the City. All yard waste is processed, either chipped or composted, and is available as mulch and compost at the City landfill. kmendonsa@reddeerexpress.com

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2016

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

RED DEER EXPRESS 5

Some tips for the

GREENEST

LAWN on the block

Providing care for your yard all spring and summer long

BY ZACHARY CORMIER RED DEER EXPRESS The snow has melted and the grass is getting greener.

Whether you’re starting a new lawn or are just getting your grass ready for barbecue season, the early springtime is the right time to start caring for your lawn.

“The biggest thing is to get your lawn standing up just after the winter. Then you can start looking at, if you want, you can aerate it and power rake it and do your first cuts and things like that,” said Jerrod Nasewich of Green Freaks Lawn Service in Red Deer.

According to Nasewich, one of the first things you want to do is run a rake through your grass to get it standing up to combat things like snow mould and compaction that is caused by months of heavy snow on the lawn.

“Basically you want to get some air circulating through it and let it dry out. That’s the best way to get it started,” he said.

Once the grass is standing, then it’s time to start thinking about things like aeration, power raking and fertilizers.

“The purpose of aerating is to puncture some cores, or holes, into the ground, which would then allow the moisture, nutrients and air to get down into the soil and give the grass a little bit more of a chance to have the nutrients and the air and the water to go down to the roots,” said Nasewich, adding the best time to aerate is early in the spring or fall.

“You want to do it when the soil could be compacted or hard. Usually you do your aerating in the spring or in the fall.”

When it comes to fertilizing your lawn, Nasewich said the time of year should dictate which fertilizer you use.

“Usually in the spring, you’d want to get something with a higher nitrogen level. It promotes the least growth and the green in the grass, so you would start with that. Then through the summer you

can do another fertilizing and then again in the fall.”

According to Nasewich, the summer fertilizer should have a higher phosphorous level to promote root growth and the fall fertilizer should have a higher level of potassium to prepare the grass for the winter.

When it comes to power raking, or de-thatching, Nasewich said it’s best not to do it every year.

“If you’ve got thick grass, every couple of years you can do a de-thatch. But it just depends. You have to play it by ear.”

Through all of the fertilizing and aerating, you should also be regularly watering and cutting your lawn.

“The morning is your best time to water. That allows better use of your water because it doesn’t evaporate in the heat of the day and also, in the evening, it doesn’t leave the grass too moist overnight, which can cause problems,” Nasewich said, adding that one heavy watering of an inch of water

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once a week is probably enough to keep your lawn green and growing.

“Short waterings are not good because that doesn’t promote root growth.”

Once the time comes to start cutting your lawn, the idea is to avoid cutting more than a third of your grass leaf away.

“Usually once per week is sufficient,” he said, adding that three inches is the proper height to start cutting at.

“If you can, mulch more often than you bag, because if you mulch, the nutrients are going to be going back to your grass as well,” he said.

Having sharp mower blades is an important factor as well.

“When you are cutting, make sure your mower blades are sharp so that you’re actually cutting the grass leaf as opposed to ripping it.” zcormier@reddeerexpress.com

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6 RED DEER EXPRESS

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2016

Red Deer Urban Farmers make an informative impact on community

BY COLE SWIER RED DEER EXPRESS Despite not having much in common, one local based web site has found a way to connect both the agriculture community and the Internet. Having only launched in mid April, Red Deer Urban Farmers has already made an informative impact on the farming community right here in Red Deer.

The idea is simple, take different pieces of information in regards to urban farming from multiple sources and create a more streamlined and easily accessible Red Deer based information hub. The

information gathered focuses on a wide variety of topics including owning backyard chickens in the City, helpful information on composting, as well as instructions on how to make homemade cheese.

Jest Sidloski is the main creative driving force behind Red Deer Urban Farmers and is no stranger to the Red Deer community.

Sidloski has been involved in the Red Deer community since moving here in 2012 and in the past four years he has founded

Movember Red Deer as well as 100 Men Red Deer. Despite his successful ventures in the past, he said that Red Deer Urban Farmers is an entirely separate entity because the main functionality of the web site is to connect people through information.

“There are amazing groups already that specialize in specific categories but there’s not an overall look at it. So I think it’s very important that there’s a way to connect all of those other groups with an easier source.”

One way that the web site is promoting their online presence is through the use of multimedia elements and social media. Red Deer Urban Farmers’ main attraction is their blog but through the use of Twitter, facebook, and Instagram they use a combination of photos and video to get information out to the public.

Some of the main goals of Red Deer Urban Farmers are to share personal experiences on homesteading within City limits as well as network and connect

individuals in the community with other like-minded individuals and experts.

“THERE ARE AMAZING GROUPS ALREADY THAT SPECIALIZE IN SPECIFIC CATEGORIES BUT THERE’S NOT AN OVERALL LOOK AT IT. SO I THINK IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THERE’S A WAY TO CONNECT ALL OF THOSE OTHER GROUPS WITH AN EASIER SOURCE.” JEST SIDLOSKI

One of the major ways that Sidloski is achieving these goals is by inviting guest bloggers to come

write and share their experiences on his web site. Currently he has lined up at least five guest bloggers including local bee enthusiast Judy Olsen. Sidloski said the guest blog in particular is an important resource to have when getting information out to the public.

“They are all really well known in Red Deer for what they’re doing, so I’m really excited to have them as a resource. We have some really great chicken experts, bee experts, gardening experts, it’s pretty exciting to have them all board on with this.”

Since its launch less than a month ago, people from all over Alberta have reached out to Red Deer Urban Farmers for information on bees, chickens, and other how-to’s. It appears that urban farming has international appeal as questions have been sent from not only all over Alberta but both Washington and Australia as well. student@reddeerexpress.com

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SPRING HOME & GARDEN

RED DEER EXPRESS 7

Growing your

OWN FOOD through

AQUAPONICS Technology utilizes natural fertilizers to help with growth

BY KALISHA MENDONSA RED DEER EXPRESS There are many ways to bring a garden indoors, from simple, traditional potted plants to complex indoor growing systems that utilize new technologies.

One way to mix modern and traditional growing ideas is to make use of aquaponic growing systems. Local indoor growing expert and owner of Bioasics, Dianna Stewart explained that aquaponics technologies utilize natural fertilizers from fish to help plants grow, and she said there are a variety of ways to create an aquaponic growing system.

feel more connected to the food we’re eating and understand the nutrients we’re putting into our bodies. That gives you a better understanding of how everything fits together, and I feel that’s an important part of an overall responsibility of addressing health.”

“IN THE MOST SIMPLE TERMS, AQUAPONICS ARE A WAY OF USING A WATER-PUMP SYSTEM TO TAKE WATER FROM A FISH TANK, CIRCULATE THAT UP THROUGH THE BASE OF A PLANT SPACE AND ALLOW THE PLANTS TO USE THE DIRECT DISSOLVED NITRITES AND HEALTHY BACTERIA TO GROW.” DIANNA STEWART

“People are very smart and know how to adapt our environment to meet our needs. Aquaponic technologies are a way of addressing those needs while respecting the natural environment and connecting to it,” Stewart said.

“When we become a part of the natural growing system structure, we can

Stewart said an aquaponic system is something that combines - traditional aquaponic animals including fish, snails, crayfish, prawns, etc. - and uses the water from the habitat system to bring nutrients to an attached plant growing space. The wastewater

from the animals is transferred and filters out the by-products of the waste created by the animals.

“Those by-products are broken down by natural bacteria, and the plants use the water to circulate to go back through the system,” she said.

“The fish tank portion of the growing system can be something that is made artistic and pretty to look at, or it can be something as simple as a container that holds water and fish and their waste. You can have the fish in a container under a cupboard that gets light at certain times of the day, so it can be done in a discreet way.

You just modify and adapt to what you have based on what you want and vice versa.”

Stewart said there is a wide variety of resources online to help assist a first-timer in setting up an aquaponic system. She said the basic set-up consists of an air pump, a fish filter and modified tubing.

However, for those who want to get a little bit more fancy, there are many options as well.

“You can get an aerogarden (low water focus) growing system, or buy hydroponic towers. A really cheap system for a doit-yourself approach could cost as little as $20 and a really complicated system could go up to thousands.

Those are used for grow walls and towers. It’s all a playground shaped by how much money you have and how much time you want to dedicate to growing your own foods,” she said.

“In the most simple

terms, aquaponics are a way of using a water-pump system to take water from a fish tank, circulate that up through the base of a plant space and allow the plants to use the direct dissolved nitrites and healthy bacteria to grow.”

Stewart explained using

a natural, aquaponic growing system can help facilitate a healthy, chemical-free growth of simple foods such as tomatoes, lettuce, garden herbs or other small veggies.

“Instead of using a dissolved fertilizer, the fish are constantly creating

waste and there is a natural breakdown process that is ongoing, and that means you get a consistent feed of nutrients to your plants. It gives raw materials for the plants to be stronger, bigger and better.” kmendonsa@reddeerexpress.com

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8 RED DEER EXPRESS

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2016

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