We didn’t buy any fruit or veggies between May and the end of September. Okay, we did pick twenty pounds of strawberries at the organic farm, because you can’t have enough strawberries. Oh, and maybe a few garlic heads because, well, you can never have enough garlic. But honestly, we savoured our own fresh produce for months, and enjoyed giving many care packages to friends and family. We are still picking fresh items and will continue to harvest things throughout the winter.

My husband and I moved here just over a year ago with the intention of becoming somewhat self-sustaining. Between the fruit, vegetables and herbs we grow in our Nanoose Bay garden, we also enjoy the bounties from the sea across the road.

I wasn’t much into gardening when I met my husband twelve years ago, but he had been a gardener for over forty years. I essentially became his protege, and it has been an amazing, ongoing education. I love it!

Back in Calgary, I focused on growing pretty flowers, mostly containers. Hubby was all about growing edibles. The harsh prairie climate made it a constant struggle to help things grow. When we decided to move to the west coast, we were thrilled at the thought of enjoying a growing-friendly climate, so we could really have fun with a garden.

When we bought our house, one of the neighbourhood features was the resident deer. Their gentle meandering ways and the sweet, adorable fawns made for an idyllic setting. Very peaceful.

And then, they ate everything in the garden. I mean everything. Berry plants, tree saplings, lettuce and veggie tops, fruit trees, flowers. Total decimation.

Within two days we had a deer fence erected around the perimeter of our third-of-an-acre lot. No more messing around. This was serious. This was our food.

Thirteen months later, we have not had a breech, well, except for one wascally wabbit and a couple of cats, but no deer. That is your first lesson when growing fruit and vegetables anywhere on The Island. You have to protect your precious plants with a seven foot fence. There is no other way. You don’t need to surround your entire property necessarily, but even a 10×10 foot patch needs protection.

I’m happy to say many of the plants came back, but many we had to reseed, or repurchase, and replant. Within their protected little fenced-in home, they started to grow back. The garden was alive again.

And then … the Slugs came. Aphids. Caterpillars. Wire worms. Vine Weevils. Powdery Mildew. Robins.  And, those are only the starters. Everything wanted a piece of our garden.

This was all out war.

Gone are the days when you could use pesticides to eliminate the bugs, thank goodness.  However, the things you buy nowadays, or home concoctions, are not as powerful, so you have to be diligent. The sprays or traps you make might work, if you use them at the right time (typically at night). Usually, you have to be on full alert to find the little crawlies and just kill them. Harsh words, I know, but it is you against them.

We have a beautiful vegetable garden, herb bed, fruit and nut trees, berry bushes and luscious flower beds. The yard is a peaceful and zen-like place to be. This all did not become that way by accident, and we’ve only just begun.

In future articles, I’ll share many of the things we have learned so that hopefully you can enjoy the fruits, and vegetables, of your labour. A labour of love, that is.

Feel free to comment on your own gardening experiences. The more we share, the more we learn.

Happy gardening!

Bonnie Chomica
Content Marketing Specialist
Marketing Communications for Small Business
Nanoose, Bay, BC
250-667-7647
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