Gardener Profile: Homesteaders

All apple trees need a pollinator companion that flowers at about the same time.  Consider both snacking and canning varieties.  

Choose a selection of apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, and plum trees based on your family's preferences.  Many are self-pollinating.

Pears generally keep well and have a variety of uses.  A single tree will produce, but two varieties will result in a heavier fruit set. 

Perhaps a nut tree, quince, persimmon, or native pawpaw tree to add some variety to your orchard.

A favourite among kids and adults alike, blueberries make a great snack if not preserved for baking or canning.  Many produce two crops per season.

Some of the easiest fruits to grow, raspberries come in sweet and tangy varieties.  Many produce two crops per season.

Always a classic, strawberries tend to be a tender perennial that lasts a few seasons if protected with straw or mulch over winter.

Grown along a trellis, choose from seedless varieties for snacking and traditional favourites for juicing and wine making.

Consider blackberries, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, hardy kiwi vines, and other less common varieties for something a little different.  

Tomatoes are popular choices for any vegetable garden, whether you are slicing, snacking, or sauce making. 

Sweet or spicy, peppers are some of the easiest vegetables to grow and harvest.

Remember, these can be use fresh or dried to preserve for use over the winter.  Just watch out because mint and chives are perennial, so you many want to keep these confined to a container!

Potatoes, onions, and garlic are planted in early season and grow under the ground until they are harvested in fall.  When stored correctly, they have a good shelf life through the winter months.  

We often have a selection of unique choices such as melons, cucumbers, corn, and heirloom varieties.  

Early season perennial vegetable that does best in sandy, well-drained soils.  Purple and green varieties available this season.

Did someone say asiago and artichoke dip?  Yes, please!

Technically not a fruit or a vegetable, but always a snacking favourite whether fresh or dried.  Caution - some figs are USDA Zone 6 and will not survive winter in cooler climates.

Roast beef's favourite companion, next to gravy of course!

Vines intended to thrive in our cooler climates.  Yes, you really can grow your own kiwi in Ontario.

A summer classic best baked into a pie or preserved into a jam.

Hazelnuts, pecans, and more!