By Shelagh Themmen
On October 7th, 2009 I was fortunate enough to tour the garden of Irene and Vince De Bonis of Fort Langley. They are winners of the prestigious national award for 2009 bestowed by the David Suzuki Foundation. Criteria was sustainability and organic farming principles. Take a photo tour with me and see the fantastic crops of fruits and vegetables. This amazing couple has only invested 5 years of planting and growing on this plot and already are harvesting bountiful amounts of produce. The fruit trees were all purchased from Cedar Rim Nursery.
When asked what fertilizer Vince uses, he explained each spring he has delivered a large load of chicken manure that he spreads over every inch of the garden. That is the sum total of his fertilizing. When you see the results of his labours, it's hard to argue with success.
A beautiful unblemished crop of apples on this dwarf variety. Vince does not spray any of his fruit or use any chemicals anywhere in his garden.
A winter lettuce bed well on its way.
It was a wonder this Bosc Pear could still stand as it was LOADED with fruit.
Could this be a Yellow Transparent perhaps?
A bed of winter Brassicas.
Another heavily loaded Asian Pear on a tree only 7 feet tall. Perfect, gorgeous fruit!
This picture gives you an idea of how small the fruit trees were and yet produced beautifully.
This is a large bed of hot peppers that Irene and her daughters harvest, dry and then grind into a powder. I sampled one and boy it was hot!
These grapes are grown along a 4' fence that surrounds the garden. Vince is adamant that planting and harvesting be done
according to the lunar calendar so these grapes were picked just after the Oct 4th full moon. He advises harvesting immediately after a full moon.
A large pot of sage sits just outside Irene's kitchen.
This bed will provide enough broccoli to feed many families.
Mr Vince De Bonis, a true master gardener!