The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden

You guys.. I have had a week! The entire week was chaotic and wild but to top it off, we had a dead skunk to deal with, too.

As the weather last week was in the mid 20’s (Celsius), nice and warm and sunny… the inside of the house was starting to get smellier and smellier. It took me days to figure out what the smell was. A dead skunk had burrowed under our cement slab, crawled all the way to the back (by the front door/living room) and had died there.

We had to dig out a big enough spot to find the skunk, figure out a tool that would reach far enough to pull it out from the back corner, and then get rid of the stink. The smell was so bad!

I have bowls of cider vinegar sitting around the inside of the house and charcoal bags tossed into that small space under the stoop. I have attached strings to the bags so we can drag them out in a week or two. I also have a few air sponge containers (similar to these) that we have placed indoors and out. It seems to be working!

I may receive a small affiliate commission if you purchase something through one of my links, at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!

While central Canada is having a heatwave, we here on the prairies are the complete opposite, with night time lows around 0°C. Some areas are even getting snow this weekend! Yikes! If you are in one of the (lucky? lol) areas, remember that late snows are called poor man’s fertiliser, so you are getting moisture and minerals, while we only get the cold ; )

I know it’s not much consolation. Sadly, May Long Weekend tends to be pretty crappy on the prairies. I have the heater in the greenhouse again this year, to keep my baskets (that I made on Mother’s Day) warm, and all the bedding out plants that are waiting to go into the garden and my millions of pots (okay, only 20 ish, but still)

I am so itching to get planting my tomatoes and all my patio pots. I enjoy the process of planting and watching them grow and change throughout the summer. These are the things that bring us joy, eh? Now if only the weather would smarten up!

Marigolds – The marigold is the most common of flowers and yet is the workhorse of the companion garden. Plant them everywhere in your vegetable garden, especially around tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers. There is no fruit or vegetable that will not flourish and benefit from having a marigold growing beside it.

Marigolds deter aphids, (bad) nematodes (small worms in the soil), beetles, and maggots. They also encourage better growth in your edibles. Marigolds attract beneficial insects that eat the bad bugs and are also effective at controlling the root nematodes that cause club root and other garden soil diseases.

Oh, are you battling chafer bugs in your lawn (that end up in your garden beds)? June bugs or other lawn pests? You can preorder beneficial nematodes from WCS right now, to arrive in June. Fight the bugs with predatory nematodes, no nasty sprays required.

This quick read about beneficial insects (the ones that eat the bad bugs in your garden) is one of the best I have read. It has pictures of the bugs (always helpful!) so that they do not accidently get sprayed, plus point form reasons that you want to encourage them in your garden, especially your veggie plot.

Add rocks to a shallow bird bath to create a separate butterfly puddler or bee watering station, so pollinators can land and drink without fear of drowning. A small clay saucer makes a great puddler for bees and butterflies, once filled with stones and water.

In the heat of summer, a honey bee colony can drink one quart of water, or more, each day. Gardeners can offer simple water sources, which may be particularly important during droughts or very hot weather, when nectar flow is low. Read more in this article about gardening for bees and butterflies here.

Top 30 Flowers for Hummingbirds: Bright Blooms They Love – with garden zone so you don’t waste time looking for plants that won’t grow in your area.

Fragrance a Path or Driveway With Lemon-Scented Foliage – grow creeping thyme.

DIY’s & Inspo

Check out this cute flag diy above. Now hear me out.. yes, we are Canadians so we need to tweak this idea. I am thinking that we attach a solid maple leaf panel onto the fabric strips/ribbons, just like they have done with their panel of stars. Maybe from an old t-shirt or bag, etc? Funky and fun : )

I feel that I have to mention some books this month, as I have been reading a few really good ones. Last month’s book club book was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – a tough read in spots, but worth it. This month’s book is We All Live Here by JoJo Moyes – an easier read but one that keeps you turning pages. For Mother’s Day, I got Wildwood by Eleonor Florence – A single mother, an abandoned farmhouse, and an epic battle with the northern wilderness – it’s a Canadian classic about a single mom living in the northern boonies. I also want to read Trad Wife – I guess they are making a movie out of it? I can see that being really good.

The UNEXPECTED alleyway transformation that united a street against waste – do you have an ugly back alley? Get inspired by this video to do a clean up and maybe, just maybe, make it into something special.

The one and only recipe that caught my eye this week is this Rhubarb Julep – make it cocktail or a mocktail. It looks yummy… but then again, I am a big fan of rhubarb.