Spring Home and Garden 2024

HOME AND GARDEN Spring

Living roof can save energy and the climate

Green space offers habitat, insulation and cooling

TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com

Municipalities, cities and individuals have many reasons for deciding to go green on the roofs

of their businesses, community spaces or homes. One is climate change mitigation, another is energy savings.

Also called living architecture, or living roofs, they can create a space that is cooling, insulated and alive, instead of a heat sink with only one purpose: to provide a roof over one’s head.

Horticulturist Darren Burns and his crew have been creating beautiful landscape designs for folks in the qathet region for more than 20

years, but recently took on a new challenge, installing a green roof.

“They [green roofs] have been in Europe for years and this company called ZinCo from Germany recently brought it [the technology] to Canada,” said Burns.

Some lesser-known benefits to greening the roof of a building is its ability to reduce stormwater runoff, improve air quality and create habitat for birds and pollinators.

“The roof that went over the garage and parts of the lower level is

flat with very minimal slope,” said Burns. “It was just black asphalt, so we put a green roof primarily with sedums, which are succulents and drought tolerant, and we also installed some different perennials.”

The trend now for many gardeners in coastal communities of BC is to plant native and drought-tolerant plants to avoid the need to use a lot of water. The green roof installed south of town doesn’t need an irrigation system, said Burns,

although a little watering now and then won’t hurt.

“Aesthetically, [the green roof] looks good, but one of the big reasons people want that kind of roof is it captures water from run-off,” he added.

Burns said, for example, in Hamburg, Germany, 70 per cent of roofs are considered green.

“When you get a big rainstorm, because the water filters through it, there is not a big gush of water that causes storm sewers to over-

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flow and cause civil damage,” he added. “It’s a multilayered system and as long as you have a not-toosteep roof, with a bit of a slope, to a fully flat roof, a green roof could work.”

The installation took about a week for the crew to put in a waterproof membrane, floor drain and a protection layer.

“This type of technology provides cooling and heating for the home, a type of insulation,” said Burns.

Some green roofs include plants to absorb pollutants, filter the water and grow food.

Many cities, such as Vancouver, have implemented a climate strategy by installing green rainwater infrastructure and encouraging new buildings to have a living roof, in order to mitigate the warming climate and the city from becoming a heat sink.

“I’m a horticulturist and I have

heats and cools

been working in this field for decades, but you look at the climate change we’re encountering now, the longer drought periods, and so we have started with a method called xeriscaping,” said Burns. “Which means putting plants in that can live in this environment with low water requirements.”

Over the years Burns said he and his crew have changed how and what they plant.

“Mulches and drought-tolerant plants, native plants, ornamental grasses, they will fare better through our hot seasons, and they’re still very attractive, but you’re getting away from the ones that require more moisture,” said Burns. “I’m a gardener so I see the ground as a place to grow something, whether or not it’s edible, it’s a nicer place to be.”

Many folks in southern and coastal BC communities have been slowly switching from grass lawns to more of a living landscape.

Older trees should be valued, said Burns, as they provide a lot of benefit not just to the natural ecosystem but to humans as well, because

they provide very good shade and cooling as well as habitat for birds and other animals. Replacing asphalt with plants

and grasses can turn an area that was once an uncomfortable heat sink into a welcoming place for both humans and wildlife.

Noticing fewer birds at your feeders?

Number of visitors will fluctuate throughout the seasons

BY ELIN MOLENAAR

Many of us like to give our feathery friends a helping hand by providing bird feeders throughout the year.

Siskins, sparrows and finches are just a few of the many birds that may be visiting feeders regularly, brightening up backyards with their presence. But sometimes the feeders can suddenly become strangely quiet.

Birds change their feeder

visiting habits throughout the seasons and can sometimes be absent for a while. They will come and go with their nesting and migration behaviours.

With this year’s early spring, some birds had a head start on their nesting rituals. Scouting for nest sites, nest building and egg laying began earlier this month for some bird species. When birds are off nesting, they may not visit your feeders as frequently as they normally would. But don’t worry, they will be back and hungry for more.

In summer, you may notice your bird friends stop by less often because their diets change. During this time, they have more foods to choose from as other seeds,

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fruits and insects come into season. They are also busy providing their babies with protein-rich insects needed for their exceptionally quick growth and development.

Fall and spring migration can result in a change in number and types of birds at your feeder. Many species migrate to spend the cold months in warmer southern regions. Watch your feeder for new species. Some migratory birds may stop for a snack before they continue their journey.

Winter can be a busy time for backyard feeders as fewer natural food resources are available. However, you may see different species hanging out at your feeder at this time of year.

If you are looking to attract

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a vast array of bird species year-round, sunflower seeds are at the top of the ladder as they are universally loved and enjoyed. With their thin shell, black oil sunflower seeds are easy to crack open for most birds.

It is generally good to stay away from mixtures that contain red millet, oats, flax and other fillers. Birds will simply rummage through these, leaving behind waste that becomes a breeding ground for fungus and bacteria, which can contaminate fresh seed. On top of that, low-quality food can often result in health issues. No matter the fluctuating number of flying visitors, it is crucial to be mindful about offering food in a safe way. If you decide to offer a

feeder it is important for the well-being of the animals to keep it clean.

It is recommended to clean your feeders biweekly. Start by discarding any seed remaining in the feeder, then wash it in hot, soapy water. After rinsing the feeder thoroughly, you can disinfect it by using a solution of one part household bleach and nine parts water.

Lastly, thoroughly rinse the feeder once more and ensure it is fully dried before

refilling with fresh food. Avian diseases can easily spread among birds sharing feeders because they attract many birds to one place. By keeping your feeders clean, you can help prevent your winged friends from getting sick and passing it on to others.

Ultimately, the goal is to do what is best for wildlife.

Elin Molenaar is the communications assistant at Wildlife Rescue Association of BC.

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Edible food forests transform backyards, public spaces

Using plants and bushes instead of grass can mitigate climate warming

TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com

Forest gardens or food forests are created using perennial plants such as fruits, berries, nuts, herbs, greens and flowers in order to utilize any size of space to make a shaded, harvestable and beautiful space in a backyard or on a patio, as well as public spaces.

For decades, permaculture expert and certified teacher Ron Berezan has been teaching individuals, groups and cities how to make a small urban yard, a community space or a large acreage farm into a self-sustaining, regenerating ecological system that produces food, attracts bees and pollinators, while at the same time mitigates

changes in climate.

“A food forest is a perennial food system as opposed to an annual garden that you plant every year and arranged in a way that is similar to a forest, in that it’s multi-storied; it has plants of many different types that support each other and contribute to an overall kind of forest ecology,” said Berezan. “The idea is that we’re creating a highly productive system that requires fewer inputs than a normal garden does, and can have all kinds of different yields or harvests from food to also medicinal plants.”

Berezan, who taught a course on food forests at VIU’s tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus earlier this month, transformed a space called Sycamore Commons located at St. David and St. Paul Anglican Church in Townsite into a food forest with more than 100 species of perennial trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants along with fellow permaculturist Erin Innes in 2011.

“We have so many amazing choices of edible perennial species in this region,

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starting at the upper storeys of fruit and nut trees, that we are familiar with,” said Berezan. “I really love it and not that many people grow it here, but the mulberry is fabulous. The other fruit tree often neglected is the pawpaw, which not many people have, so one can get into some of the lesser known species as well.”

Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and currents are great to plant, he added, because they are nitrogen fixing, which helps to build healthy soil.

“Asparagus is a really great one for early harvest and is a perennial, then there are other ones like rhubarb, and edible perennial greens,” said Berezan. “It’s a different kind of gardening though; it’s one in which one’s mindset changes a little bit, in that we’re trying to create a longer term, stable system that doesn’t require a ton of human intervention on a regular basis.”

Berezan said most of the effort goes into the original design and planning and getting things going, and if the design works well then

work is reduced.

“I’ve just come back from Cuba and on part of this trip we visited a rural site about five acres in size that has thousands of plants I first saw 12 years ago when it had just been planted,” said Berezan. “Now [the site] is like walking through a jungle, with massive mango, avocado trees and coffee in the understory with coconuts poking through.”

Although plants grow faster in the tropics, Berezan said in reality our coastal temperate zone also has plants that grow year round.

“We lived in Edmonton before coming to Powell River, and in a few short years transformed an openlot we were living on into a very productive, biologically diverse food forest,” said Berezan. “That’s the other benefit of creating this type of garden, is that they create a lot of habitat for other creatures and also sequester a lot of carbon in the process.”

For Berezan, food forests are a part of food security in a community as well, but that doesn’t mean he shun’s

REWILDING SPACES: St. David and St. Paul Anglican Church in Townsite is home to Sycamore Commons, a permaculture food forest and garden. Certified permaculture teacher and designer Ron Berezan likes the idea of turning spaces into food forests. Berezan said the mulberry is an underutilized plant, but a great one to plant in our coastal climate.

the traditional vegetable garden.

“It’s another piece of local food security, having a diversity of sizes and locations of highly productive food systems, which isn’t to say we don’t want vegetable gardens,” he said. “I think [food forests] are a really good model for our region; people should know that this option is available to them.”

Berezan emphasized that not everyone has the time

or energy to manage an intensive vegetable garden, so a food forest can be a good solution to that.

“There are so many properties around that are large, and plenty of one- and twoacre properties that are quite difficult to maintain for people especially as they age,” said Berezan. “So making something like a food forest can be a good solution for land use that also has a lot of benefits.”

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Time to spring clean your home

BY RANKA BURZAN

There is something magical about spring’s arrival. Being outside, hiking, gardening or just chatting with a neighbour can energize and motivate you to start your spring cleaning. Here are some spring-cleaning chores to get you started.

Decluttering decisions

Most people will agree that a less cluttered home is easier to clean and maintain. The tools you need are simple and you probably already have them in your home. Get a few sturdy garbage bags and a couple of boxes from the grocery store. Take a walk throughout your home. Start by clearing garbage, broken, rusty and unusable things. You can start with a kitchen. Dispose of the old and bro

ken appliances, chipped dishes and dated food in your cupboards. Your next room to clear can be your living room, bedroom or bathroom. The decluttering procedure is always the same. After you finish decluttering your house, now is the time to clean and test the strength of your elbow grease. Consider natural cleaning agents that will sanitize your home and make it sparkling clean.

Start at the top

Get rid of cobwebs on your ceiling and walls. Clean your walls from stains and your kid’s masterpieces. The base

A quick wipe-down with a damp cloth or a duster can easily refresh these oftenforgotten areas.

Vent covers

Another area that we tend to neglect is vent covers. If clogged up, the air quality can negatively affect your health and the effectiveness of your HVAC system. Remove vent covers and vacuum or wash them with soap and water to improve airflow and reduce allergens in your home.

Behind appliances

Because it’s a physically demanding chore to remove the appliances, we tend to ignore it. Dust, crumbs, and pet hair often accumulate behind large appli

from the wall and vacuum the area to remove debris and prevent potential pest infestations.

Window tracks

Dirt, bugs and grime can build up in the tracks of windows, affecting their functionality and appearance. Use a vacuum with a crevice attachment to loosen and remove debris. Then wipe down the tracks with a damp cloth.

While you are at, clean your windows. For best results and a healthy home, use white vinegar and old newspaper.

Garbage cans

These harbour unpleasant odours and bacteria if not cleaned regularly. Empty the cans, wash them with soap and water, and sprinkle baking soda inside to neutralize

odours before replacing the liners.

Door handles, light switches

These surfaces can harbour germs and bacteria, especially during cold and flu season. Wipe them down to keep them spotless and germ-free.

By devoting some time

to cleaning and organizing your home, you will be ready to enjoy the gifts of our vibrant community.

Transformational life coach

Ranka Burzan owns a professional organizing company in the qathet region and has written several books on reducing clutter. For more information, email getcoachedwithranka@gmail.com or call 604. 578.8954.

Perfect solution for backyard plots

Tubs for growing last longer than wood boxes

TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com

Spring is here and figuring out the best place to grow vegetables, herbs, berries or flowers is the first step to a successful growing season.

Many folks in the qathet region utilize their back and front yard spaces very well, but not everyone has good soil. The solution is to make or buy planter boxes and pots.

When Texada Garden Club member Sandy McCormick saw that her wood planter boxes were deteriorating after more than a decade of using them to grow vegetables, she started brainstorming for a solution.

“We went up to the metal transfer station here on Texada Island, which is a place where you take old metal things that you don’t know what to do with, and we found the perfect solution,” said McCormick. “The metal bathtubs are perfect, ready-made planters because they have a drainage hole in the bottom and they are made to hold water.”

McCormick has 12 tubs in her yard plus a greenhouse and says they are low maintenance.

Each tub grows one type of vegetable such as cucumber, broccoli or tomatoes, and she has grown eggplant.

“We change the soil every year, but they’re absolutely the perfect way to garden,” said McCormick. “We grow enough, not enough that we can live on all year, but certainly we grow as much as we can.”

McCormick also made a green-

house herself using a boxed wood frame with plastic overtop to keep the warmth inside for her starter tomato and pepper plants.

“I plan to paint them [bathtubs] all bright colours,” said McCormick. “That’s my goal, to have a purple tub, a green tub and orange tub.”

A seed exchange is happening on Texada Island in a couple weeks where many gardeners decide what to grow and acquire seeds they may want to plant.

“It’s too early to start now [planting] but when we do, we’ll start to dig up our soil and put new stuff in and turn it all over,” said McCormick. “We’ll start gradually, starting with lettuce and spinach, broccoli, things that will tolerate cooler weather, peas love cooler weather.”

McCormick said her main goal is to get the vegetables planted and to hopefully have a successful growing season.

TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com

The 2024 spring equinox was earlier than usual, landing on March 19 and kicking off the move from the winter season to the spring.

According to almanac.com, on the March equinox, the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere receive roughly equal amounts of sunlight.

In the qathet region, many gardeners have already planted starter seeds indoors, and many will be getting their soil ready for planting vegetables such as arugula, bok choy, broccoli and kale. This time of year is also when bears emerge from their dens, some with cubs.

According to Awareness Bear BC: “A bear’s biochemistry keeps them sluggish with a smaller appetite for

a while and they will drink and consume lightly.”

With spring comes the greening of grasses, sedges, dandelions, skunk cabbage and clover, all of which bears like to snack on.

“Bears have an extraordinary sense of smell, which is both a gift and a curse,” stated WildSafeBC. “Their amazing sniffing skills are essential for finding food, but can also lead them straight to wildlife attractants, mainly garbage, in urban areas and campsites.”

WildSafeBC also emphasized that cubs should

be learning how to find spring vegetation and other healthy foods, not how to bust into garbage bins.

City of Powell River has rolled out compost pick-up for the entire municipal ity starting this month. To protect humans and bears, WildSafeBC encourages folks to not store garbage or other organic waste outdoors, and for curbside collection, only put the containers out on the morning of collection day, never the night before, and also make sure recyclables have been cleaned.

Keeping plastic off the menu

BY INGALISA BURNS

Spring has sprung! Both the crocuses and those with green thumbs know it.

Garden projects dreamed up in the winter months can now begin to take root. As we plan out our veggie beds, floral displays and yard improvements, we probably don’t envision plastic littering our lawn or infiltrating the food on our plates. Nevertheless, plastic is handy and often comes as a side dish to gardeny endeavours.

reused or alternatives easily drummed up from your recycling bin.

Whether it’s a seed start container, soil bag or organics bin liner, plastic is everywhere. While some plastic is seemingly unavoidable, there are plenty of simple hacks to help reduce our dependence on it. Spoiler alert, using compostable plastic is not one of them.

With Seedy Saturday under our belt and the soil warming up, some of us are seeding early crops indoors and in greenhouses. Instead of buying new, seed trays from previous years can be

Effective mini greenhouses can be fashioned out of plastic “clam shell” containers for salad and baked goods, and toilet paper rolls are great for plants with sensitive roots as you can transplant them directly into the soil. Folded newspaper can also be a simple but durable temporary seeding pot until it’s time to place starts in the thawed soil – check online for folding techniques.

Your recyclables are also handy for labelling seed

trays. Think bread bag tags, strips cut from yogurt containers and mason jar lids. More longlasting and attractive labels can be made for your garden beds. Kids can paint rocks with images of the veggies and crafty gardeners can hammer old

spoons flat and use typewriter letters to hammer on labels. The only limit is your imagination.

Ideally, keeping plastic out of the garden altogether is the best way to avoid microplastics getting into your soil and crops. Sun blasting

on plastic pots, weed-suppression cloth, thick plastic greenhouse sheeting and plastic mesh deer fencing eventually weakens them, often rendering them useless in a season or two. Alarmingly, studies are revealing that plants and ma-

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rine life are taking up microplastics into their cells and this means we are increasingly being exposed to them through our food and drinking water.

Cardboard and newspaper are fantastic plastic-free resources, too. They make an excellent weed suppressant once all tape and stickers have been removed. You might also still be able to get stashes of fall leaves from your lawn or a friend’s who might even have raked them into a tidy pile. When applied thickly, these insulate your early spring plants, suppress weeds and provide food for the soil as they break down.

Opt for metal, wood, glass and ceramic alternatives where possible. Fencing and greenhouses from these materials are an investment in time and muscle power but outlast their plastic counterparts by a long shot.

Whether you have a backyard compost or are gearing up to participate in the new curbside organics program in City of Powell River, you likely have a kitchen catcher for your food scraps. Even

if tempted, keeping plastic out of these collection bins is essential to preventing plastic contamination of the resulting compost. Placing paper towels or newspaper at the bottom of the bin will help absorb liquids and make the catcher easy to empty.

The same goes for curbside carts.

Plastic liners, including compostable ones, are not permitted by the city program. Instead, line the bottom of your bin with cardboard or newspaper. Rinse it out weekly and spritz with vinegar water to prevent odour.

Compostable plastic is not permitted in many municipal organics programs for a host of reasons.

Distinguishing compostable plastic from non-compostable plastic is difficult at the best of times, let alone once mixed in with food scraps. Staff at composting facilities often give feedback about this reality.

Add to this the fact that even certified compostable plastics can take too long to break down in a high heat composting facility. As a result of these complexities, the provincial regulatory body for organics processing facilities, OMRR (Organic

Matter Recycling Regulation) is addressing compostable plastics in its drafted updates.

OMRR has received strong feedback from compost operators and municipalities that compostable plastics are problematic and the regulatory body may be requiring additional measures to be taken

by facilities that choose to accept them.

Keeping our compost free from plastic takes a community. Unwrap spoiled food from plastic packaging, remove plastic food stickers and place all compostable plastics in the garbage rather than your organics cart.

Happy plastic-free gardening in 2024!

Let’s Talk Trash is an award-winning team of environmental consultants who are working toward a world without waste. Learn more at LetsTalkTrash.ca or contact the team at team@letstalktrash.ca.

Companion planting: better together

Companion planting is a gardening technique that creates beneficial relationships between different plants. In fact, when certain plants are grown together, they can promote each other’s growth and health. Here are some examples:

Carrots and leeks

These vegetables have deep roots and don’t compete for the same nutrients, which promotes mutually beneficial growth. Leeks also have insect-repelling properties that can protect the carrots from pests.

Basil and tomatoes

Planting them side by side can increase your yield and improve the quality of your harvest. Basil has insect-repelling properties that keep flies and mosquitoes away from the tomatoes. It can also help enhance their taste.

Corn, beans and squash

Known as the “three sisters” in Indigenous cultures, these plants make great companions because they benefit each other in various ways. The beans climb the corn stalks while the squash grows on the ground. This symbiotic relationship creates an environment where each plant can thrive.

Marigold and cabbage

Marigolds have insect-repelling properties that can keep pests away from cabbage and encourage pollination by attracting bees.

Companion planting is a holistic approach to gardening that promotes biodiversity and plant health. If you’re unsure which plants make good companions, don’t hesitate to ask a gardening specialist for advice.

What to plant now/later in a west coast climate?

TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com

Spring is officially here but the west coast climate at this time of year can be unpredictable.

What is predictable is that most gardeners are starting to plant greens such as kale, arugula, celeriac and spinach, and holding off on vegetables such as carrots and beans (except broad beans), which prefer warmer soil.

Right now folks who planted garlic in September are fertilizing the soil in preparation for healthy bulbs to pull out in the summer months, depending on how the scapes look.

“The garlic was planted last fall, so that gets a second fertilizing now because it’s forming its greens, and then it needs to be fertilized again, in June, when it starts forming the bulbs,” said Powell River Garden Club presi-

dent Lesley Moseley. “I have started some seeds in my shop which are unheated, and so I have things that don’t like heat, such as celeriac and peas. I start peas in aluminum gutters and when they are about six inches tall, they easily slide out into the soil, that way the slugs don’t eat the young shoots.”

This time of year Moseley said she usually heads down to Mother Nature garden centre and picks up the West Coast Seeds planting guide, and a companion planting guide as well.

“I bury compost in the soil before I plant any seeds,” said Moseley. “I’ll be planting lettuce and radishes in the ground soon, cool weather vegetables.”

Moseley and the garden club get fertilizer in bulk for vegetable gardening from Welcome Harvest Farm on Texada Island that

produces high-quality organic fertilizer.

As for companion planting (the idea that plants grow better with particular plants beside them), peas are known to be a good companion for beans, carrots, radish and celery.

“Broad beans can be planted in a cooler climate and are a companion to the strawberry plant,” said Moseley. “I plant calendula with the tomatoes and it’s good to plant everywhere because it helps ward off bugs.”

Moseley said she also likes to plant borage because it attracts pollinators like bees.

“Vegetables such as carrots, I wait until June or even later because they prefer warmer soil,” said Moseley. “This year I am planning to grow saffron for the first time and it will be for fall planting.”

The very expensive, highly sought-after spice comes from the dried stigmas of the saffron flower. Moseley said saffron bulbs will be divided every year, doubling the amount.

“Last year I started a lot of things in the greenhouse but it got really hot in the early spring, and so a lot of my seeds got fried,” she added. “This year, I’m not starting [many] things in

the greenhouse; I don’t trust the weather anymore.”

She said gardeners have to be prepared for all kinds of weather and have a shade cloth handy.

The garden club has an annual plant sale and for the past few years the sale was in various satellite locations. However this year, it will have the sale at one location, on May 5 at Powell River Curling Club.

PLANTING STARTS: Powell River Garden Club president Lelsey Moseley uses both seed-starts and seeds in spring. TANYA HILL PHOTO