Imagine meeting a middle-aged woman at the local coffee shop. She’s wearing a straw hat and a bulky trench coat. With a wink and a smile, she leans closer and whispers, “Pssst… wanna buy some fertilizer?” Well, this is pretty much how I’ve been handling pickup orders since leaving my shop in Vic West in…

To say that I’m a late adopter of social media would be an understatement, hahaha… it feels like I’ve taken another step into the 21st century. Actually, it’s a lot of fun posting images, learning to create reels, and interacting with the community in a new-to-me way. So find and follow me at #organicgardenerspantry and…

Way (way!) back when I went to landscape gardening and architecture school in Germany, we were taught that soil is a substrate to keep plants upright, that plant food comes from a bag and plant protection from a spray nozzle, and that good topsoil is no good for building structures on (well, more or less).…

For all whose livelihood is tied to lovingly working with the land, winter is a welcome time to pause and reflect. Looking back, as well as forward to Spring, I find myself constantly evaluating and defining the Organic Gardener’s Pantry’s mission in a changing world. In helping others adopt organic gardening ideas, practices, and products,…

Happy New Year 2023! Thanks to all of you, this is my Year Fourteen running the Pantry, and I’m more inspired than ever to be a force for “green good” in the world. Having spent a couple of months indoors, sipping tea and catching up on some relevant articles and books, videos, webinars and online…

This may well turn out to be one of the most important blogs I’ll ever write, and I owe huge gratitude to Linda Gilkeson, renowned food gardener, author, and educator based on Salt Spring Island, BC. Linda held a public webinar in July 2022, parts of which I am summarizing here. Introduction Between June through…

Dear Friends and Pantry Customers, Hope you had a happy vernal equinox! Spring seems to be taking its own sweet time this year. On my daily bicycle commute to the Pantry’s new headquarters, I celebrate every little thing — early white and pink plum tree blossoms, bright dots of daffodils and fragrant hyacinths, and joyous…

Dear Organic Gardener’s Pantry aficionados, after a long time without a beep, it is my pleasure to send you an update today. Needless to say, 2020 and the first half of 2021 have been extraordinary times. I sincerely hope you and yours have made it through okay so far.

Research into the “human microbiome” shows that microorganisms on and inside the body are estimated to outnumber human body cells! Most of these beneficial organisms dwell in the intestines, where they outcompete pathogenic organisms and form an essential part of our immune system.

I hope your holiday season has been as quiet, peaceful and relaxing as mine! Winter is a time when I catch up on sleeping, eating with friends, strolling along the breakwater, and spending a whole lot of quality couch time with the cat. I finally get to read some of those books and magazines that…