What Grows in a Canadian Garden?

Whilst the weather in Canada is known to be fairly harsh at times, it is not actually all that impossible to grow delicious, edible crops here. In fact, it is drastically simple. As long as you do not have your heart set on growing citrus fruits and the like, you should have zero issues producing your own food. On this page, we are mainly going to be focusing on vegetables. This is because they tend to be a bit tougher than fruits. This means that even the newest of gardeners should have zero issues.

Carrots
Whilst carrots do prefer direct sun, it is not 100% necessary. They can grow in a small amount of shade. They are not going to look as big as they can be, but they are still going to be edible. A moist soil at about 24 degrees Celsius is going to be ideal here. If your soil is slightly sandy, as many locations are in Canada, then you are really going to get the most out of growing those carrots.

Cucumbers
These require a bit more in the way of heat than carrots. They are still pretty tough though. You will want to plant your cucumbers as soon as the last of that frost has disappeared. One of the major benefits of cucumbers is that you do not actually need too much space to grow them. Providing you have access to a trellis (which you can pick up from your local garden centre), you should be able to grow them vertically. You can also grow slightly smaller varieties of cucumber in a container. You can bring these inside of your home if you live in an area of Canada where the frost doesn’t really let up.

Green beans
These are easy to grow throughout the summer. They deliver a steady and bountiful harvest throughout the summer months. If you have a few green bean plants, you should have more than enough to freeze to take you through the winter months. The only real issue with green beans is that they do not tolerate the cold all that well. If you can, you may want to bring them into a warm greenhouse.

Lettuce
You can grow these throughout the spring and fall! (i.e. slightly colder months). Lettuce is one of only a few vegetables which doesn’t do too well during the summer months. It tends to taste a little bit bitter then. Thankfully, you should have plenty of other vegetables to tuck into during those months, so it is no real issue.

Peas
Again, this is a vegetable which is simple to grow. If you wish to get the most out of your peas, you can grow them during the spring. There are a few different varieties of peas out there. Choose something which suits the environment that you live in.

Tomatoes
These love heat. They also love moisture. Tomatoes are delicious and there are just so many varieties. Whilst many areas of Canada are suitable for growing tomatoes, you may wish to bring them into your home if it is particularly cold outside. They grow fairly well in containers.