I got this message from one of our customers yesterday, and I thought I needed to share it with everyone:

"As you can see, my plants are doing great!  All except the catnip...no idea why it's just twigs!! Lol.  If you have more out there, I will take quite a few plants!"

Final Clearance on Now!  All baskets are $10, all flats $10 mix and match - many more deals - come out to see us, or send us a message to get brought into town!

Another busy weekend at the Patch!  We are now gearing up for Strathmore's Annual Spring Fest.  This will be the fourth year that we have participated in Spring Fest, and look forward to seeing everyone out!  This runs Saturday, May 31 10 am - 4 pm.

People have been asking about the herbs that we carry, so here is a list with information and some pictures, (All available in a 4" pot):

Lemon Balm - Is used in teas and essential oils - I love to plant it where it will get brushed against near walkways, it is marginally hardy (zone 4) so it may overwinter if you have a sheltered spot for it

Cilantro - is used in Mexican and Asian cooking, I love it's fresh flavour added in salads, soups and tacos.

Basil - who doesn't already love basil?

Chives - perennial from the onion family, great chopped up in salad, or on potatoes

Thai Basil - spicier basil, can be used in place of regular basil

Lemon Basil - lemon scented basil - a fresh change in your pesto!

Parsley - great for everyday cooking and salads

Oregano - we have had a fantastic crop of Oregano this year, we are excited to dry some ourselves this summer!

Catnip - anyone with a cat will be popular with your furry friend with this herb!  Mine like it right off the plant, dry it and save for the winter months.

Sage - mmm, sage always reminds me of turkey soup.  Great in full sun!

Thyme - a creeping plant, great along walkways and sunny areas.

Rosemary - great for barbecued meats, needs hot sun to really do well.

Mint - I love mint!  It has so many uses (mojitos anyone?)  I dry my extra leaves for tea in the winter.  This one is invasive - I plant in a pot so I don't have to fight with it staying in it's allotted space.

Chocolate Mint - NOT YET AVAILABLE - coming soon

Lavender - NOT YET AVAILABLE - coming soon

Stevia - popular as a sweetener/sugar replacement

I am hoping to get my Sweet Grass plant going - the plan is to offer smudge sticks mixed with lavender or sage down the road when it gets large enough.

That's it for now, I will end this post with a slideshow of herbs :)  Have a great week and we hope to see you at the greenhouse or at Spring Fest soon!

Wow!  It's got to be a record, two posts in the same week!

It was another busy weekend at Pea Patch Gardens and Greenhouse.  Joe and Dad got a good majority of the garden planted (Yay!) and the farm got a nice rain shower after they were done planting. (Yay!)

We weren't sure how the strawberries fared with the super cold winter, but it is looking good!  I think we made it through with minimal winter kill - I can't wait for July!

So now we wait...I thought I would be so smart and plant some spinach behind the greenhouse a few weeks ago to tie me over while waiting for the rest of the greens to come up.  We have something digging holes and eating all my baby spinach plants, (and cucumbers).  I think it may be a vole, but we haven't seen it.  Not one singular spinach leaf, and it makes me mad.  Watch out Mr. Plant Nabber, we may sick Tiggy the weasel killer on you!!  (Tigger is the farm calico, and if I was a good farm blogger, I would have a picture of her.)

I still have a few things that need to be planted, cut flowers, a few greenhouse tomatoes to be transplanted, my mushrooms.  YES, mushrooms!  It will be my "See if I can grow it" crop of 2014.  

We have a busy few weeks ahead of us, if you need us, msg us on Facebook, call or text.  We will be gearing up for Spring Fest in Strathmore on May 31.  If you around - come check out our booth.  We are aiming to have a selection of everything including veggies, herbs, bedding out plants, planters and hanging baskets.

Friday marks the official first day of summer, and as I am sitting here under my blanket typing this, I am thinking "Are you sure?"  Seems fitting that the hubby just finished registering the kids in Minor Hockey for next season.  I do hope everyone in the areas effected by the flooding are staying safe!

Farm Update:  Garden is looking good!  The cool weather is slowing it down a bit, but everything is coming and looking good!  GPA Bert hilled the potatoes already - he counted 300 hills.  Check out the pictures I took on Wednesday below.

Greenhouse Update:  Pea Patch will be at Aggie Days Friday and Saturday this weekend (21-22 June).  Come out and check out the Trade Fair and Parade.  We are bringing plants and hanging baskets for purchase and will have our tent set up!  We have been busy getting things ready all week.  The greenhouse will be CLOSED on Friday as we haven't figured out how to be two places at the same time.  

We are continuing to post plants for sale using Facebook and there has been a very positive response overall.  Look for us on both the Strathmore Bidding Site and Strathmore and Area Garden Site for some great deals on plants!

I promised you some exciting news last post.  And I have it ready - but there has yet to be a public announcement - so more to come on this....but......  

Melody is now the Chair of Communities in Bloom Strathmore.  A public announcement will be made shortly, and I will be addressing Town Council the third week in July.  This year Strathmore is not competing in the judging this season - so it will give me a little time to acclimate myself.

I am a little nervous about this new position - but have a lot of great ideas brewing (great for the committee and town - not so great for sleeping).  I am going this afternoon to meet with the Past President and get all of the past information and will be calling a meeting with the existing committee soon to discuss a direction for the association.  

Well, I had better get my butt out to the greenhouse - lots of work to do today!

Until next time,

Mellie

Kids are off school today for the last Flex Day of the year.  WooHoo!  It's winding down and getting crazier all at the same time.  I was actually still hoping to be in bed, but because hubby's banging this morning set off the glass break sensor in the kitchen, the alarm went off and well, here I am.  It's probably for the better - there were things that needed to be done before I cruise out to the greenhouse to do my thing :)

Pea Patch was at Strathmore's annual Spring Fest this past weekend.  We had a great day, and the weather (finally) cooperated for our third year participating in this event.  We brought a selection from the greenhouse - popular favourites were the Tumbling Tom tomato baskets, the Patio Cucumbers as well as the Patio Tomatoes.  
We even made the Strathmore Times!  Check out the link to see C and I in the paper.  Next up Carseland Aggie Days - June 21-23!

ARGH - need more coffee - went to publish post (it was quite a bit longer than where it saved to above) and poof - it disappeared  :(  So the following is take 2 of this post.

News From the Greenhouse: We are calling Last Call on the following items:  Veggie and Herbs Transplants.  It's time to get these things planted in your garden folks - so if you are interested, please place your order soon - or we may not have what you need.  Also, last call on our Cool Wave Pansies - it is getting WAY TOO HOT in the greenhouse for these cool, shade loving beauties - so if you have a shady corner that could use a pot of these cute little guys - we have them ON SALE!  10" Hanging Baskets - Regular $24  NOW $17.  I love this plant and have some in my own yard.  They have such a happy little flower.  Everything else is still looking fantastic and there is still a great selection of bedding plants, baskets and planters.  We are having a fabulous dahlia crop and these beauties are blooming in every colour I have ever seen them bloom in.  Dahlias are super-easy to care for in the garden or a pot, they need full-part sun, water when they are dry and occasional fertilizer.  If you dead head these guys after each bloom is finished, they will continue to send up new blooms all season until frost.  If you are so inclined, the tuber can be dug and stored for next season - OR - you can do what I do and save the hassle and just treat them as annuals.  :)

We are now using Facebook as a way to sell some plants and get our name out there - so if you are a member of Strathmore Bidding Wars or Strathmore and Area Gardening Groups - Look for our posts to buy plants that will be available for pick up in Strathmore!  It is proving to be a great way for us to do some "house" keeping.  (hahaha I crack me up!)

Greenhouse Tomatoes are setting fruit!  This is very exciting news for everyone who has been waiting for a BLT.  It will probably be about a month before we are seeing these beauties turn red but it's starting!  

OK - Last update from the greenhouse for today:  As many of you who know me know - I love to test my boundaries to see what else I can grow.  This year's experiment was Bird of Paradise from seed.  I ordered seed (15 orange) and I am very happy to announce that we have had germination!  1 little guy has poked his head through.  I can't say this plant would be for the beginner or novice to attempt to grow from seed - and I can't say that I will be doing this on a regular basis for the greenhouse as a plant for sale but Yay Me!  I wonder what will be my next project.....??? 

News From the Garden: After our monsoon season, we are seeing germination from many of our plants that went in before the rain hit.  From the road, rows of veggies are popping up and it is fantastic!  For all of you that are waiting - we will keep you informed on when we can start harvesting - but it is looking great!!  We will need bug spray when weeding and picking this year with all of the mosquitos we will have though.  Peas, Potatoes and Beans - Oh MY!  

STAY TUNED FOR AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT: I may have some exciting news in the near future, I am just waiting on the "Officialities".  (Yes, I know that is not a word, but yes, I am using it.  This is my blog and I can make up new words as I see fit :) )  Check back some time after June 17 for an official announcement!

I have been trying very hard to be very diligent in my own personal garden this year.  I have this problem where I am usually so busy out at the farm and greenhouse that my own gets neglected....well not so far.  My sister and I did a big spring order to a few of our favourite places to get perennials and bulbs *Veseys and Botanus*.  We ordered 60 Hostas (to share) as well as some other goodies and hubby and I finally got the bed on the north side of the garage put in.  It already looks way better than the "grass" (I use that word as a loose description - more accurately it was a bit of grass, and some dead patches where there was grass - but mostly some healthy weeds.  I'm just waiting on the sod to compost a bit more and I will pop the Hostas in - but as it stands now, with only some shrubs and mulch it is a huge improvement!  I do a lot of containers to go around the perennials and hardscaping in my garden and I am getting closer to having them all planted and placed as well.  I will post pics in an upcoming blog post.

And before I sign this post off (again), I'd like to wish my youngest Liam Bo-Biam a very Happy 10th Birthday!  To quote GPA Bert, "When did you get so old?"  Well Dad, my baby is in the double digits and I will soon have a teenager on my hands...so I think this makes us ALL old.  I wouldn't change it for anything though, life is great!  Liam has grown into a smart, handsome hard-working young man with a sense of humour that is way past his 10 years.  Happy Birthday little dude, we are incredibly proud of you and we love you! XO

Until next time,

Mellie
XO

Another busy month here at Pea Patch.   I thought I had better make a post so that you all knew we were still alive and kicking.  :)  Things are looking great (despite the cool, wet weather) and we are looking forward to Spring Fest next weekend!  If you happen to be in Strathmore on June 1st, we will be set up at the Curling Rink.

Last weekend was a busy one at the farm, MOST of the garden got planted as well as just shy of 1500 strawberry plants.  There were a few sore muscles on Sunday.  The kids kept themselves busy taking themselves for nature walks, seeing a few deer and some bones, and doing some planting with the rest of us.

Where does the time go?  

It sure doesn't seem like we should be at Day 24 of production already!  (It also doesn't help that I have the Alberta Cup next week and I am in charge of the volunteers and scheduling.)  We have started transplanting all of the seedlings and tables are filling up fast!  At the rate we are going, we will be at full blown jungle in a just few more weeks.  :)  So far we have had outstanding germination in most of our crops and the babies are coming along nicely.

A few things to look forward to:

Petunias - 3700 seeds were planted, and now the task of transplanting them has begun.  For those of you who were out to see us last spring, we did a selection of colour mixes (Daybreak, Wild Rose, Waterfall etc.), we have a great selection of these mixes again this year, as well as some stars and picotees!  

Dahlias - We will have about 400 potted Dahlias for Spring 2013!  We will have a mix of colours and I am hoping to have them blooming by the May Long weekend.  It's no secret that I LOVE Dahlias and I am very excited to have such a great crop shaping up.  I put them all over my yard and they do really well against my white siding where most plants bake.  

Hanging Baskets and Planters - I would have to double check last year's numbers, but I am almost positive we have already made more than the total number of baskets we had last year - and we aren't done yet.  The Wave Petunia baskets look awesome!  They have started spilling over the sides of the pots and we should have them to a massive size by the time they are ready to go home to your yards.  I love the "Pretty in Pink" Calibrachoas that have started to bloom in their pots - this mix will be gorgeous!

We are planning to run a weekly Veggie Box program this summer!  I hope to have full details and sign up posted shortly, but here is a quick over view of our plans:

Sunday or Monday:  An availability list will be posted on our website or sent out via our newsletter to interested members with what we will have available for the week and price.  Members can then email or phone in their orders before Wednesday.

We will pick and pack your order for delivery for Thursday or Friday.  (We still have some kinks to work out so there may be slight changes to this - but use this as the general basis of the program.)

Disclaimers - as you all know, we can not control the weather - so if we can not pick because of it being too wet, hail etc orders may be delayed or shorted depending on your instructions.  We will do the best we can to get it done in the time frame we have set up - but we can't always work miracles!

We have started our greenhouse tomatoes and peppers already - they will still be a while before they are producing - we will let you know when they are getting close.  "IF" spring ever decides to arrive - we will be planting the garden and will update you as to how things are coming along.  :)  

Mom ordered a box of seeds that weighed over 50 lbs - and that wasn't all of it!  (The poor guy at the Post Office wasn't sure I was going to make it to my car - hahaha!)  We will have all of our usual summer favourites - potatoes, peas, green and yellow beans, snap peas, lettuce mixes, radishes etc and depending on the season - saskatoons, raspberries, and strawberries.  I am really looking forward to fresh produce!  I have good intentions to get the second garden that was put in by the greenhouse to be for cut-flowers.  Last year we did have a beautiful crop of Sweet Peas - but we weren't very good at sharing.  These will be added on to availability as they come along as an extra bonus.  (I'm thinking Sweet Peas, Sunflowers, Zinnias etc)  

If you are interested in this program - please drop us a line so we can start to figure out #s and fine-tuning the scheduling of the season as much as we can on our end.  (We can only hope that Momma Nature will co-operate.)  Click on my email address: melody@peapatch.ca to let us know.  


I think that's all I have for you today, I'm off to the airport to pick up some Dipladenia plants and then to rescue some houseplants before I head out to the greenhouse for the afternoon.  Please don't worry if you don't hear from me for the next 10 days - the hockey tournament (Alberta Cup) is next week, and players are arriving Wednesday April 23.  We have 8 teams of 20 players plus 8 staff, up to 7 scouts from each WHL team in the league, parents, siblings and grandparents of all these players, plus spectators and over 100 volunteers at the Strathmore Family Centre next week.  If you love hockey and are in the area - come out to see some FANTASTIC hockey!  On a related note, I'd like to congratulate the 6 Bantam girls from Strathmore who made it to their respective teams for the AB Challenge tournament in Medicine Hat.  Way to go!  

Mellie

Unfortunately this is probably only the beginning. We are watching where we source our seed for both the farm and the greenhouse - it isn't worth it. 😳

Mutant Butterflies

This post is coming from my pjs on the couch in front of the fireplace, while it sounds romantic, I just kicked the kids off to school and am finishing my first cold cup of coffee. I should just wait to make my first cup until the door closes and the boys are on their way but the caffeine calling always over rules sensibility in the morning. It's already October 3rd! I've been spending my afternoons and weekends in the hockey arena for a few weeks now. (That is NOT a complaint - just a statement, but now that the weather isn't 20 above I don't feel as guilty about it). We start the 3rd round of tryouts this weekend - my Cman goes for Pee Wee tryouts, last weekend it was Bo-Biam with Atom tryouts and before that it was AA Pee Wee tryouts. Biam made the B team - all in all I think that's pretty darn great for first year Atom :) The parents of the players on this team are great - I think it will be a great year!

I was out this morning taking cuttings of my fuchsia basket - yes in my pjs - before the weather they say was supposed to be here actually gets here. I'm considering it a second chance. They should have frozen at our first frost - but they are in a sheltered area of the yard up against the fence and made it until now and are still happily blooming away - well until this morning when I unceremoniously chopped them off at the base. The idea I have in my head is to make a fuchsia topiary - I'm going to try anyways - I may give up before I get it to what I have pictured in my head. While I'm at it I'm going to take some cuttings of my new house plants. A few (okay more than a few) followed me home the other day - I managed to get them all potted up - but I think I need a few more big ones. The cats have mercifully left them alone - so I think I'm good to go. I have a jasmine plant in bloom on my coffee table - it smells heavenly. (Like a tropical vacation - which I'm going to start thinking about more now that it is cooler :). )

I got Hubby to move my gigantic basket from my fancy pot out front. It is coming with me to the greenhouse for a few more months of enjoyment. I may bring it home when we shut the greenhouse down for winter and revive it come March - I like it so much. I've been told I need to make more baskets like it for sale next year.

I saved some corn stalks for my bucket - I will be putting them in the pot as soon as my post is finished AND published this time....

There's not too much going on in the greenhouse right now - poinsettias are coming along nicely. We have 3 colours this year - Maren Pink, Orion Dark Red and a white whose name has escaped me right now because I've had one cup of coffee.

That's all from me right now....drop me a line if you want more info about our poinsettias or baskets. I will be posting more pics on Facebook as they start to come into colour.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful to have my 2 happy, healthy and hockey-crazy boys, a hubby who is too generous and donates his time to Minor Hockey to make it all happen for them and several hundred other kids, the farm, garden and greenhouse and my parents, hubby, sister and Joe who have made it all happen from scribbles on paper, the rest of the family and friends we won't see - who knows we are missing them when we are spending this weekend in the rink and not eating turkey and visiting with them. Have a great weekend, and drive safe everyone!!

July 19 2012 Price List

Produce:

Peas $1/lb About a week?
Snow/Snap Peas $2/lb Snow available now
Beans $2/lb Soon
Tomatoes $3/2lb bag Available now
Potatoes $4/2lb bag Available now

Cucumbers (GH) TBA :(
Peppers/Hot Peppers TBA Small quantities
Raspberries TBA About a week?
Saskatoons TBA Couple weeks?
Strawberries Not available this year

Other crops will be added as availability is known. All orders are filled first come – first serve. Prices and availability subject to change due to weather and other factors out of our control.

For day to day updates – feel free to email, call or catch us on Facebook!