One of my incredible experiences was building the goldfish pond in my garden twenty years ago.

Before starting, I did some investigating. I learned in order to keep the fish outside year-round, the pond’s depth should be three to four feet deep. I made the hole 10 feet wide. I was able to get a backhoe to do the digging.

I purchased a pond liner, 20 by 20 feet. Over the years, I have built a bridge, creeks and waterfalls.

Last year I decided to empty the pond for the first time. In that process, I moved the fish to a temporary holding tank and counted forty-five fish. I started with four.

It has been my greatest joy to sit near the pond with a cup of coffee and listen to the waterfall.

So why am I writing about this, now? We can all agree there is a life beyond gardening, even during COVID-19 when the isolation has taken us away from what we used to do.

But the end is near. By now, most of the heavy gardening work is done with, or will it ever? Caning season can quickly become a significant job. Most of my apples will be processed into apple sauce or juice.

My currant bushes are not producing a whole lot this year. However, they have had a remarkable comeback as far as new branches are concerned. Perhaps it has to do with keeping the insect infestation under control and making sure they had plenty of moisture.

When I harvest black currants, I prune off the lower branches and those with berries before picking. That makes the job much easier.

The cauliflowers look promising. I usually blanch them before freezing them down. I use a blancher pot with two strainer inserts. It works well because while one batch has been processed, the other is being prepared.

I got the cauliflower seeds called “all season, ” and therefore all do not mature at the same time.

While we are talking vegetables, I want to emphasize the importance of keeping the vegetable garden well-watered. If your place is like mine, everything is growing, and lack of moisture could shock the potential crop and have a significant setback.

I wrote about tuberous begonias last week but left out telling you of the beauty, actually breath-taking. Those flowers can produce a massive array of colours. This is perhaps more evident at sunset.

These begonias ask for very little care except for no direct sunshine, only a few hours before sunset.

They do not like to go dry.

The cost upfront in the spring can set you back a few dollars, but the payback is that the tubers can be stored inside over the winter months to be started again in February.

Mine multiplied after the second season.

Today, I dug the potatoes, resulting from what I left behind one or two years ago, just enough for three meals—nothing like new potatoes!

Smithers Interior News