Digging Deeper
Looking to expand your skills? Dig deeper into these resources.
Expanding Your Skills
Have you grown some plants and are now ready for another challenge? Want to experiment with different techniques? Polyculture (growing a variety of plants together), successive planting, crop rotations, watering techniques and saving seeds will increase your yield and save resources and money. Use the resources on this page to 'dig deeper' into gardening, dispel some myths and utilize best practices.
Polyculture
- Polyculture GardeningA blog posting from Garden & Happy that defines polyculture and other plant supporting systems for the home gardener.
Crop Rotations
- Crop RotationUniversity of Wisconsin horticulture defines and describes using crop rotation in the home garden.
- Rotate Small Crops In Your GardenA University of Minnesota Extension article on rotating crops in a home based vegetable gardening. Discusses the benefits and underlying reason.
Successive Planting
- Successive Planting Advice from GrowVegHow to plant in succession to ensure your garden is in productive use for as long as possible throughout the growing season.
- Successive Planting 101Southern Exposure Seed Exchange blog about succession planting. Choosing varieties, planning and ensuring soil health.
Saving Seeds
- Seed Saving GuidebookThe Northern Association of Community Council's Guide to Seed saving in Manitoba. 2013.
- How To Save SeedsSeedsavers.org provides an overview of saving seeds for annual and perennials. It also provides detailed one page instructions on growing and saving seeds for 35 common vegetables.
- Seeds of Diversity Seed Saving ResourcesResources include a seed saving handbook, information on training programs and fact sheets.
Growing Perennials
- Prairie PlantsA comprehensive list of perennial plants for the prairies including fruit, vegetables and herbs.
- Varieties of Perennial VegetablesThe Northern Homestead blog has many posts on growing food in Canada.
Drip Irrigation
- 16 Easy Ways To Build Your Own Drip Irrigation System.The DIY and Crafts website describes 16 cheap and easy ways to build a drip irrigation system, including using old plastic bottles.
- Drip Irrigation VS Soaker HosesEarthy easy compares drip irrigation to soaker hoses to assist you in deciding which choice is right for you.
Print Books
Saving Seeds by Publication Date: 2020Saving Seeds is a clear and winsome introduction to the essentials of seed saving, from seed selection criteria to harvest and storage tips.
The Mix and Match Guide to Companion Planting by Publication Date: 2014The Mix & Match Guide to Companion Planting is a colorful visual gardening guide to which vegetables, fruits, and herbs grow best with one another, and which do not.
Edible Perennial Gardening by Publication Date: 2014Anni Kelsey explains how to source and propagate different vegetables, which plants work well together in polycultures, and what you can plant in small, shady, or semi shady beds, as well as in sunny areas.
Integrated Forest Gardening by Publication Date: 2014One of the essential practices of permaculture is to develop perennial agricultural systems that thrive over several decades without expensive and harmful inputs: perennial plant guilds, food forests, agroforestry, and mixed animal and woody species polycultures.
And More!