E111: Zone Envy! An Inside Look at Gardening in Grow Zones Across Canada with Donna Balzer
Episode 111: Listen here!
This episode covers the idea of “zone envy;” a feeling most gardeners likely struggle with at some point during the season when challenges occur. Whether you want to live somewhere with better soils or warmer temperatures, it’s easy to dream of gardening in a completely different grow zone! Canadian horticulturalist, speaker and author, Donna Balzer has lived across Western Canada, gardening in Zone 3 up to Zone 7. She joins the show to shed some light on the challenges and benefits that exist in growing in both colder climates and more temperate zones.
Topics covered in this week’s intro:
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Listener question on caring for a tree that has a slug problem and tips for late season tree maintenance.
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This Week’s Guest: Donna Balzer
After gardening across Alberta and the Canadian Prairies, Donna moved to Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island where she currently resides and gardens. She is a garden blogger at donnabalzer.com as well as the host of Helping Gardeners Grow podcast and author of two books; The Three Year Gardener’s Gratitude Journal and No Guff Vegetable Gardening. Donna also offers virtual and in-person garden consulting.
In this episode, Donna covers:
Defining Grow Zones and Using Them as a Guide (0:24:19)
Growing Figs, Lemons and Limes in a Zone 7 (0:27:58)
What Important Factors to Consider in Your Microclimate (0:30:00)
Growing Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways (0:37:00)
Growing Potatoes (0:39:50)
Soil Types in Various Western Canada Grow Zones (00:41:40)
The Hugelkultur Technique (0:44:10)
Adapting Sustainable Gardening Practices in Each Zone (0:46:55)
Fall and Winter Gardening in Zone 7 (0:51:50)
One Plant That Is More Satisfying to Grow in Cold Climates vs. Warmer (0:54:20)
One Unexpected Gardening Problem in a Warm Climate (0:54:40)
One Plant That Grows Equally Well in Zone 3 and Zone 7 (0:56:45)
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