# Anyone grow veggies? Backyard mini-farm?



## Bunny (Oct 13, 2013)

Just wondering if anyone else is mildly obsessed with getting the most out of your backyard/patio/balcony/windowsill?
I've got cabbage, celery, mini bell peppers and herbs germinating on my "ledge" (windowsill without the window) right now, PURPLE asparagus, carrots and potatoes are waiting for warmer weather. :bigsmile:

So excited to get the planters set up - scavenged some old fence boards and pallets from a garbage pile and am going to use the wood from these for free planters/raised beds. 


On another note, does anyone know of a forum like bcaquaria, but for local gardeners/hobby (backyard)-farmers, that sort of thing?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

I am pretty much OCD about my hobbies and ever since my little girl Felicia was born and decided that she loves her fruits and veggies, I've been in the "go big or go home" mode for my backyard garden. One of the main reasons I bought my place from my father in-law is that it comes with a huge (by Metro Vancouver standards) back yard. For instance, I have a 20' x 24' deck with a 14' x 24' Japanese pergola and an 3' x 8' bbq pergola (all built myself with friends' helping). I started out my garden with 4 cedar planter boxes and 4 blueberry bushes (Duke, Elliott & Bluecrop). Now, after my OCD took over, I am approaching 60 varieties of fruits and berries (3 types of strawberries including everbearing; 4 types of raspberries including yellow & thornless; 2 types of blackberries including thornless; 7 varieties of apples (Fuji plus six on one espalandered tree); 4 cherries on one combo tree; 2 Fuyu persimmons, almost 10 varieties of citrus including 2 Meyers Improved lemon, Eureyka lemon, 2 calamandon, 3 Kishu Mandarin, 1 Sasamat, 1 pomelo, 1 Beares and 1 Key lime, Weeping Navel, Washington Navel, etc.; Frost Peach; Red Haven Peach; Red Flavourtop Nectarine; Hardy Red Nectarine; Puget Gold Apricots; 6 varieties blueberries; 2 varieties Honeyberry; Goji berry; Black currant; Red currant etc. etc. etc.). 

I also grow lots of rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaf bush, cilantro, and other herbs. 

For veg. last summer I had 7 types of tomatoes, English cucumber, green and orange zucchini, bok choi, pak choi, spinach, New Zealand spinach, 4 types of beans & peas including both pole and bush & snow peas, broccoli, broccolini, regular and purple cauliflower, water cress, Thai dragon chili, Jalapenos, Habeneros, bell peppers

For root vegetables, I grew carrots, Jewish artichoke, Yukon gold and purple potatoes. 

Most of my fruit trees are combo trees with 3 or more varieties on one dwarf stock. Most of my citrus collection are also dwarf varieties. I'm sure there's many more I missed but its 3:30 in the morning and I have to finish editing papers.

Anthony

PS. if you want, pm me your text number and I'll text you some pics of my garden and my daily harvest last summer.


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow Anthony very cool. My daughter has a big garden for her kids also. Me, I have a tiny cement patio.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Yeah, I've been into the urban farming thing for the last few years. Funny thing is I never gardened until after Felicia was born. Now it's my major hobby in the spring to early fall. I'm as OCD about urban farming as I am about reefing, but fortunately its nowhere near as expensive except for the fruit tree.

Oh I forgot to mention that I built a 16' x 8' x 11' tall greenhouse, filled it up within weeks and had to build a second greenhouse 16' x 9' x 10' tall, which I have to cover with polycarb and glass later this spring. 

I started my seeds 3 weeks ago indoors and already have beans, peas, tomatoes (Moneymakers & Golden Nuggets), cilantro, YuChoy, Gailan, Corn, Eng. Cuc. and a few others sprouted and replanted in the greenhouse now.


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

Here is a good local plant forum: UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research


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## Tazzy_toon (Jul 25, 2011)

i've been really considering this, except that i live in a townhouse with tiny amount of space. I did see a post on facebook of someone that took the full pallet, put weed cloth on the bottom, laid it flat on the ground and used that as a veggie garden, the slats make perfect rows. I have always done basic, raddish, carrots, beans and strawberrys, plus some basic herbs like tyme, chives, mint. This year i want to grow some cucumber (for pickling), tomotoes, potatoes, and salad greens in a pot. I wish i could have a chicken or two, but my neighbors would never go for it.

seahorse, i'd love to see picks of your garden as well.


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## Bunny (Oct 13, 2013)

WooooooooW!!! I am SO envious!! There is nothing I would love more than a plethora of fruit trees!! Blueberries, haskap and kiwi vines are on my list of things to try. I'm a bit shy of tomatoes and strawberries though - as a kid my parents/me tried to grow them and they never really fruited. Maybe it just wasnt sunny enough where we were...

For now I'm sticking with my little boxes on the lawn. We live in a rental in a complex, and I dont really want to get in trouble for replacing the lawn with garden XD Unfortunately they only area in our little yard that gets enough sun is a small strip along the hedges on the far side of the lawn (*grumble* north-facing... *grumble*). So this is a trial year, if it works, I'll go bigger (somehow...) next year. 

With such a nice yard size, and being in burnaby, I think you would even be capable of having chickens!!! Langley is practically the only city that does not allow backyard chickens


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## MEDHBSI (Sep 4, 2011)

I grow a few things on top of my aquarium  avocado tree,basil,pineapple (all baby's)


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## skabooya (Jun 15, 2010)

I grew up with an edible garden backyard complete with greenhouse, chickens, rabbits and pigeons. My family came from Portugal. On my moms side, they were all farmers. On my dad's side they were farmers and fishermen mostly taking care of livestock. When they moved here they brought their ways obviously. I was raised old school and I mean old school. Now that I am married off (lol) I had to have a house with a large yard. I got it and I have plans to put up my green house and veggie garden as well as a few fruit trees and floral gardens for my kids. My greenhouse was supposed to go up years ago, actually my dad was going to help put it up but that summer he got very sick and passed away within the month. We have not touched the greenhouse supplies since. Hopefully this year is the year we raise the roof, so to speak.


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