We Canadians are getting close to winter, so this can be challenging. However, the point I am getting at here is that you can start planning today for next summer! How much food can you grow in your own backyard and even in your kitchen?

I hardly go to the grocery store anymore because I get so discouraged when I look at the quality of the food, even organic! It’s not even fresh-looking. I rely most of the time on farmer’s market/ local farm and whole food markets and produce  when I get chance to go into the city.

This is our biggest dream, that my husband and I are able to live off our land as much as possible. Now we live off the grid and get our power from solar and windmill. This year has been my second year gardening! So grateful for the opportunity and would not choose any other way of living.

Let me know what you thought about the clip.

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Prices will be post on my blog this weekend:

The Winner for the Home Garden Contest is Kim Nowak from Milton, Ontario in Canada: Kim used her limited space in a very creative way! You  can do the same.

Congratulation Kim!

“Hello Nancy, this is my patio garden, first time this year doing food vs. all flowers. I have radish, beans, 3 types of kale, strawberry, large and small tomato plants, lettuce, many herbs, nasturtium plants, and I am buckwheat and sunflower. sprouting inside mung,

So exciting, and I am wondering what took me so long to have my balcony full of veggies!”

It’s getting so green in the greenhouse! Almost ready to plant in my garden. I’ll wait another two weeks. Yvan installed an automatic fan to regulate the heat and increase ventilation! I now have wheatgrass for juicing only, and I have sunflower
sprouts, Daikon radish, alfalfa, Arugula, red clover spring salad and curly cress stared. At this point, I don’t need to buy any greens. I’ll be able to grow all my own from now on.

Also we have green lettuce, Swiss and rainbow chard, 4 different types of kale, french sorrel, arugula, red mustard, cabbage, Radichio, wasabi green, spice salad, spinach, lots of cucumbers and tomatoes, root Vegetables~some carrots, beets and some
radish… and all my culinary herbs!

Another great weekend! Here’s some pictures of Stage 1 of my green house. I now have wheatgrass for juicing only, and I have sunflower sprouts, Daikon radish, alfalfa, Arugula, red clover spring salad and curly cress stared. At this point, I don’t need to buy any greens. I’ll be able to grow all my own from now on.

I also started my garden – everything from seeds – all greens; green lettuce, Swiss and rainbow chard, 4 different types of kale, french sorrel, arugula, red mustard, cabbage, Radichio, wasabi green, spice salad, spinach, lots of cucumbers and tomatoes, root Vegetables~some carrots, beets and some radish… and all my culinary herbs! I think I have them all:). This is so exiting!

My husband finished preparing the soil for my outside garden and, best of all, he added a fence around it. Remember we live out here in the wilds with deer and raccoons? Like me, they love their veggies – unfortunately, they don’t know how to step lightly in the garden, or when to stop eating! So we’re hoping this fence keeps them out, so the vegetables have a fighting chance to start growing.

The greenhouse is now complete. We’ll be using it for sprouts, wheatgrass, herbs, tomatoes and cucumbers. What doesn’t fit there will be planted outside in the garden this afternoon. Never in a million years did I ever think I would enjoy gardening so much!
here’s some pictures:

Since my return from Australia, I’ve been super busy getting ready for spring! And dealing with the snow I’ve been growing some sprouts — here’s where I am with my mini garden.

This is a flexible-space area between my kitchen and living room where the sprouts can get a lot of natural lighting. At the end of March I’ll start planting seeds for the greenhouse! I’ll start posting pictures of the whole process soon.

I just spoke to my friend Gino from Ocean Water. We did an interview with Gino in November of last year. I’ll post for you the whole process of sprouting with ocean water; we just need to edit all the information. Will post soon!

Here’s what I do with my sprouts: add them in my salad, juice them, and add them to my blended soups. Talk about packing in nutrition!