Dan Rubin

May 23, 2021 | Grains | Dan Rubin

Buckwheat, The Northern Grain

For people living in Northern Europe, particularly in colder areas where wheat is hard to grow, such as the steppes in northern Russia, a traditional grain substitute (the seed of ……

April 15, 2021 | Cucurbits | Dan Rubin

How Not To Cross Your Cucurbits

The cucurbit family includes plants that are among the most useful food plants domesticated and cultivated by humans. This large family of inter-related species includes cucumbers, squash,…

April 15, 2021 | Peas, Beans & Legumes | Dan Rubin

The Long History Of Peas & Beans

Members of the botanical family known as the Leguminosae were among the very first plants domesticated by humans. Members of this family appear as tended crops as early as 6000 BCE. ……

April 8, 2021 | Greens | Dan Rubin

In Praise of Weeds

In exchanges that take place on the various local Facebook gardening pages, a common question is “Is this a weed?” and “How do I kill it?” Those questions speak volumes…

March 16, 2021 | Trees and Shrubs | Dan Rubin

How Old Are Your Olives?

A meditation on what we receive from the oldest living things.…

March 11, 2021 | Seeds | Dan Rubin

Canadian Seed Companies

Seeds of Diversity, the Canadian national heritage seed network, is a wonderful institution that promotes seed saving, regional seed banks and has published a list of more than ninety Canadian…

March 8, 2021 | Herbs | Dan Rubin

Eight Easy Herbs

The word herb is a loose term that means any plant grown for flavour or medicinal purposes, including various leafy greens and flowers that contain strongly smelling and tasting compounds ……

March 5, 2021 | Seeds | Dan Rubin

Seed Starting Chart

In the Spring, many of us are looking for advice on when to start our seeds indoors. This will vary from plant to plant, depending on when they will be ……

March 4, 2021 | Seeds | Dan Rubin

Seed Starting

In this 45-minute video, Dan explores the basics of starting seeds early, indoors and demonstrates what kind of soil to use for this, possible seed starting containers, planting and watering ……

March 2, 2021 | Soil | Dan Rubin

It’s Soil, Not Dirt

As a gardener and in the garden workshops I have been leading over the past eight years, I often hear people ask questions about dirt, meaning the ground in which ……

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