When we checked this week's forecast and saw that nighttime temperatures could drop below 5°C, we started thinking about our garden a little differently. There are still vegetables growing, but we know that some of them may not have much time left.
For us, checking the weather forecast is part of gardening. It is part of everyday life when we grow our own food.
The Weather Is Part of Growing
When we grow vegetables in Calgary, we cannot simply follow a calendar.
The weather can change our plans.
Calgary has some weather patterns that we have learned to watch closely. In winter, Chinook winds can bring a sudden rise in temperature. After very cold weather, we can sometimes have a surprisingly warm day. These quick changes are one of the things we have come to know about living and gardening in Calgary.
Summer has its own challenges. Hail can arrive suddenly and damage leaves, flowers, and vegetables. We can also have periods of lower temperatures when we are expecting warm summer weather.
Over time, we have learned that preparing for the weather is just as important as planting and watering.
A Cold Night Is Coming
This week, the colder nighttime temperatures made us look carefully at the vegetables that are still outside.
Some crops can handle cool weather better than others. Tender vegetables can be damaged when temperatures get too low, so we decided to harvest as much as we could before the cold arrived.
We did not want to leave good vegetables in the garden just because they might grow a little bigger.
In a short growing season, we have learned to appreciate what is ready now.
A vegetable that we bring into the kitchen in good condition is better than one we leave outside and lose to the cold.
Harvesting Our Vegetables
We still have various vegetables growing in our garden, including Korean cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, perilla leaves, water dropwort, Fischer's ragwort, and Korean chives.
We will also talk more about how we use each of these vegetables in our K-Food section.
Protecting the Vegetables We Want to Keep
We are not harvesting everything yet.
There are still peppers, cucumbers, and some perilla leaves that we want to keep in the garden.
So we are preparing for the colder nights.
When the weather allows it, we want to give these plants a little more time. If the temperature drops too much, we will protect the plants as much as we can or harvest what is ready.
Our Korean cucumbers are especially important to us. Growing cucumbers in Calgary already takes some patience because our growing season is short.
We want to enjoy as many cucumbers as possible before the cold finally ends the season.
We Watch, Then We Decide
One thing we have learned from gardening is that there is no single plan that works for the whole season.
In spring, we watch the temperature before planting.
During summer, we keep an eye on hail, heat, and unexpected cold.
Later in the season, nighttime temperatures become more important. We start thinking about which vegetables should be harvested first and which ones might have a little more time.
The weather forecast does not tell us exactly what will happen in our garden.
It gives us a reason to look.
Then we make our own decision.
Sometimes we harvest early. Sometimes we protect a plant and get a few more days from it. Sometimes the weather changes quickly and there is nothing we can do.
That is gardening in Calgary.
From Our Garden to Our Kitchen
We enjoy growing vegetables, but we also enjoy what happens after the harvest.
A cucumber from the garden can become part of a meal. Fresh perilla can go straight from the garden to the kitchen. Peppers can be used while they are fresh.
This is why we do not think of harvesting as the end of gardening.
It is another part of it.
We grow what we like to eat, harvest it when we can, and find ways to use it at home.
Our garden may be small, but it gives us fresh vegetables and a reason to pay attention to the changing seasons.
🔗 Garden Fresh Korean Doenjang Stew with zucchini and Handmade Tofu
🔗 Simple Stir-Fried Zucchini: A Small Side Dish for a Korean Meal
Making the Most of the Season
The colder nights are a reminder that our growing season is coming to an end.
We will keep checking the forecast and looking at the garden every day. We will harvest the vegetables that are most at risk and protect the plants that still have something left to give.
We cannot control Calgary's weather.
We can only watch it, prepare for it, and make the best choices we can.
That is something we have learned from growing food here.
For us, gardening is not only about getting a good harvest.
It is also about paying attention.
We watch the weather. We look at the plants. We decide what to harvest and what to protect.
Then we bring what we grow into our kitchen and enjoy it together.
That is how we make the most of our Calgary garden.
Comments