Earth Laughs in Flowers and Books

A few weeks after Christmas, on one of those woebegone days when you think Spring will never come, I crunched through the icy snow in the back yard, snipped off an armload of forsythia, brought it inside, and waited for the magic. The living room now has a blast of yellow as it's centrepiece; joyful abundance. Forsythia's my go to shrub for forcing in winter although there are many others you could try...plum, apple, quince and more. But I love yellow; it makes my heart feel good deep inside. White won't do, or pink. It has to be yellow.

I only noticed when downloading this photo, our cushion in the back, "Earth Laughs in Flowers"..Emerson. Today, I laughed a lot, a good thing to do in February...on those wobegone days mentioned previously. Shared were garden conversations with old friends...and best of all, new garden friends. It was, a most uplifting day, like the blooms on the forsythia giving me a boost, an afternoon at Halifax Seed attending the book launch of Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, made me appreciate my veg garden even more. Quite frankly, I think this book will change how gardeners grow food in our area and anywhere else for that matter.


It's been an experiment for many, like myself, for about four years...how can we push the envelope..what will germinate and stay alive under a cold frame so we can harvest through the colder months. Niki followed our garden through 2010; Joe her Storey book Photographer, arriving each season... and so, we became part of a garden book as did other local gardeners, neighbours and friends, including blogger Thomas.

Niki Jabbour at her Book Launch Today

I've been waiting about five years, for a book like The Year-Round Gardener, referring to Eliot Coleman's Four-Season Harvest to help extend our growing season up until now. Niki Jabbour's book just speaks to me, as a woman, as a gardener, as a mother ... it's full of encouragement and advice. The Niki's piks on the vegetable sidebars are exactly what I was craving...I don't have to keep trying to see what works any more..she's done the research. By that I mean home grown research. Also, the planting calendar at the foot of each veg page..tells me when to direct sow in the garden, direct sow in cold frame, germinate inside to transplant outside, timing perfectly with last spring and first winter frost.

It ended up, while we were spending those past few years, trying to figure out what vegetables would take our minus 22 C degree temperatures, this young woman was diligently working on her book, not four exits along the highway from where we lived. One day, after starting my blog, I googled Nova Scotia vegetable gardeners, found her and followed. About a month or so afterwards, she realized I didn't live too far away and came by for a visit. A garden girl friendship evolved..and, like she does in her book, she encouraged, enthused, advised, cared and shared. That's what you will find in her writing, that same kind of personality, sharing lots of information you will reference time and time again. She's done the leg work, grown the seeds, trialing them so she could share her favourites and best performers. Most important to me, she dispels any fear of insecurity, regarding extending your season.  You can do it! Absolutely.