Hi. My name is Erik Jacobsen. I emigrated from Denmark in 1964 and was able to land a job with the City of Victoria.
I was later transferred to the Parks Department. It was there I got the idea to start my own gardening business.
Over the years I have attended several horticulture courses, offered by our local colleges. I have been a member of garden clubs, exchanging our own experience. I provided regular services in the Greater Victoria area, maintaining 25 gardens over a four-day span, monthly from March until the beginning of December.
January and February was spent mostly doing fruit tree pruning.
‘Later, after moving to the Northwest in 2001, I worked in Smithers and Telkwa, on a much smaller scale. I have now retired after 50 years of gardening, but it was not something I did only as a career, it has been the passion of my life and I can now enjoy working in my own place.
I have recently considered sharing some of my gardening experience with others and it is my hope, this column will be some help to you.
This is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year with the fall colours.
Perhaps some of you think about locking the door to your garden tool shed, but there is always something to do, so just close the door for now.
On the subject of garden tools, gardening can be a lot of hard work, but having the right tools available makes it easier and even fun.
I find there are some jobs around the yard, before the snow falls. If you go and take a look at your fruit trees, perhaps you can remove some lower branches, being in your way.
If you haven’t done so already, prune the old raspberry canes close to the ground and the new ones to a height of five feet.
My one-year old yellow raspberries are still producing, so will leave them for now.
Because of the frost I cut my dahlias down to one foot, but will leave them in the ground for a few more days. Then I will dig them up, preferably on a sunny day, to dry out, then I will store them in cool space, with no chance of frost.
This week I lifted the tuberous begonias, cut off some of the flower stems and stored in my cool basement for the next months, by then you can remove the weathered leaves then store the tubers in dry peat moss, ready to be planted again. When? That I will get back to in January.
If you have any questions please let me know by email: e.jacobsen85@yahoo.com.
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