June 2020
Business women celebrated. . . . . . 8 Mental health care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Share your vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Help for small business. . . . . . . . . . 19
Growing your own? Keep your eye on the prize! By Karen Kahle In normal times, most people plant a few tomato plants, maybe a cucumber or two; some might have a small vegetable garden with enough to harvest occasional summer salads and maybe can some tomatoes. But generally, most of the veggies we eat come from the local grocery store or farmers’ markets. But these are not normal times. The fear and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has permeated our lives. We have self-isolated, social distanced, worried about most everything, and developed a deep concern about potential food shortages. The result of all this anxiety: by April of this year, so many people were planning vegetable gardens, other shortages were created – vegetable seeds, starter soil, and those little peat pots that are used to grow seedlings indoors. By late May came the second onslaught those who chose to wait to buy seedlings at a greenhouse or garden centre. They lined up at curbside pickups, sometimes for a very long time, and soon depleted much of the available stock. Sales of vegetable plants skyrocketed. New vegetable gardeners learned that getting from seed, to seedling, to planting
© Can Stock Photo / gajdamak
in the garden is an activity not for the faint of heart, especially if you started with seeds. The job of nurturing seeds and the resulting tiny seedlings takes a lot of time, focus and discipline. But even if you started with seedlings, the garden needs to be created. It can be very difficult physical work: digging into the ground where there might be clay, rocks and other surprises; then replenishing the soil; hoeing; raking; and eventually planting. But, the end result is a joy to behold. There will be homegrown vegetables later this summer and into the fall. A word of caution - be careful as the summer moves on. It can be tempting to skip visits to the garden. Try not to let this happen. Neglect, even for a few days, especially as the summer heats up, could
ruin your harvest. All the plans you made back in March, when food shortages were a real and very scary thing, could fall apart. At the end of the season, even if there isn’t an eventual shortage of vegetables in grocery stores, you’ll be glad you put so much work into your garden and proud that you and your family have accomplished so much together during an incredibly difficult time. Next year, guaranteed, your garden will need far less back-breaking work to get it ready for planting. Growing your own vegetables gives you the most nutritious, delicious, freshest, and juiciest. This is your prize! Karen Kahle is the proprietor of Fern Forest Garden Centre, www.fernforest.ca
Are you considering a real estate move this year? When you’re ready, let’s talk about your goals and explore the options available in our local market. Your best interests are always my first priority.
Paul Cleary B.B.A. BROKER
705-327-6002
paul@paulcleary.com