Fifth Acre Grove
Conception Bay South, NL, Canada A1W Conception Bay South, NL, Canada

Saved some sunflower seeds a few years ago and I wanted to see if they were viable. So I soaked them for a night and potted them up (way too many per pot because it was just a germination test). They all sprouted, so I moved them outdoors with the intention to toss them and start more, properly. Well I forgot to toss them and they're growing really well outdoors without any protection whatsoever. Leaving them as they are to see what'll happen next! We love pushing the envelope to see what's possible.

Thanks, I didn't wanna read anyway I guess

There's something very exciting about the first experiment of the year! Today I chose the sunniest place in the greenhouse, raked it over a bit, watered it, and sowed some old seed we had lying around. Then I washed off this cold frame Mark made last year, and put it over the little plot.... We'll see if anything comes of it!

Set this up this morning. They're always up for a chat!

The much anticipated first CBC GARDENING CROSSTALK of the season! Call in and ask Mark your questions about starting seeds, building a greenhouse, raising chickens, or maple tree tapping! Call in with a yarn, the kettle's on! CBC R1 640AM and 88.5FM 12pm Wednesday March 10.

After a long anticipated wait, we finally re-bloomed one of our orchids! It is opening up in front of our eyes!

Breakfast time!

Our Chocolate tree is getting ready to burst!! Theobroma cacao And it's cutting season - lots of Fuchsia and Piper sarmentosum coming along! Finally had a harvest from the P. sarmentosum, "la lot". It's a Southeast Asian herb, with the leaves being used as a wrap. The leaves have a very interesting taste, kind of like beef with a slight mint flavour. Can't wait to do up a proper meal!

Quite the blanket of snow overnight! Compared to a photo of our garden 2 years ago, it gives us hope for the upcoming new growing season and all our new seeds!! #zone5 #freshsnow #homesteading #hibernation

The little eggplant that could! We've grown eggplant before but it mostly acts as a trap crop. We use it to lure aphids away from the things we actually want to grow quite badly, like peppers. But this eggplant got quite large and then it flowered like mad! The flowers are beautiful so we let it do it's thing. This is a variety from Johnny's Seeds called "Fairytale". That's as big as the fruit gets! Going to try it in a recipe tonight to see how it tastes.

Three varieties of Passiflora (Passion Flower) blooming today! Hoping the P. Edulis and P. Incarnata will both crack flowers before they all move back indoors for winter.

Hi folks!! We are finishing up some tree planting and we'd like to get it done before the rain starts in this week. So we need help! Do you have the time to he...lp us? We had a number of trees kindly donated and the Rotoract spent two hours helping us dig holes for them yesterday. However if you've ever been to the Gateway Garden, you'll know that digging a hole is no easy task. So we didn't finish up yesterday as planned. 4pm this evening a small group of volunteers will be there to finish digging the remaining holes and then physically plant the trees in the holes. The trees are fairly large so this means a lot of sweaty work. Children are welcome, and if you feel comfortable staying in your bubble this task is perfect for you! As this is outdoors and Gateway offers a ton of space, we can stay 6+ feet apart while still pending a hand. If you would like to help, just show up around 4pm! Thanks everyone!!

Finally, we're harvesting something besides zucchini, beans, and tomatoes! These ground cherries have been late to produce, but have completely sprawled out over the walkway and under the tomatoes. We're getting a small bowl (~100g) daily from about a dozen plants. These have a consistency like a small tomato but are sweet like a tropical mango or pineapple. The key is waiting until the berries fall off the plant, and the hide and seek game that ensues...

1405g of pole beans picked today!

3.5kg of tomatoes tonight and lots more coming! Also ohmygodzuchinni

Wow! Didn't expect to see this! A yellow jacket wasp tears into a cabbage looper larvae and drags it under the leaf to consume! I was watching this wasp fly fairly aggressively over the cabbage bed until he landed, so I pulled out the phone and here's what happened.... #insectecology #organicgardening #takingcareofbusiness

First eggplant!

Processed half our garlic harvest last night. Another 60 bulbs to go! The biggest ones will be our crop for next year. The rest get hung in the pantry in a mesh bag to allow air to flow through.

Reaping the benefits of letting my herbs get a little wild. How many insects can you count?

Our first small harvest of Cucamelons! These sour grape sized cucumbers (Melothria scabra) are native to Mexico but can be grown here in greenhouses. This is our first year trying them from seed and they've sprawled out and taken over! This harvest was from 4 hanging baskets and 4 plants in the ground. 2.5cups/350g

Guess we didn't need to plant so many cucumbers this year

Thanks for the help, friend!