By Becky Blixrud-Dufour

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Growing pains — learning to garden in Kamloops

Jul 21, 2025 | 7:30 PM

WHEN MY HUSBAND DREW AND I bought our house, I never anticipated gardening would become a significant part of our lives. The landscaping was scarce — lots of dirt and dust, save for one lilac bush and one shade tree out front. A neglected garden box in the yard became a dumping ground for organic waste. During our first autumn in the house, my mom planted a few garlic cloves in the box, daring it to grow.

And grow it did! Those rows of garlic hooked me. I wanted to grow more, but I had no idea how. Thank goodness for the internet, recommendations from my green-thumb parents and thrifted books. Drew constructed garden beds out of wood reclaimed from our deck renovation, lining the bottom of the boxes with cardboard and organic matter for weed suppression. We purchased quality soil, but not wanting to spend more than we had to, only used it on the bed’s upper few inches.

Our garden started small. We grew garlic, potatoes, peas, tomatoes — even ornamental pumpkins! Every year, we would add one or two more garden boxes/beds and expand our crops to include various leafy greens, tomatillos, peppers, cucumbers, cucamelons, basil, cilantro, sage, parsley, beets, carrots, beans, onions and lots of marigolds for the bees.

We eventually created 14 large plots in the backyard, formed from mounds of soil and compost with wood chips in between to keep the shape. Most of our yard is either garden boxes/beds or flowers, with composting bins to keep generating new soil.

Every year, some crops do really well and others struggle. Putting in the automated water system helped — Drew figured out how to hook up automated timers and drip hoses. We learned that mulching with straw or chips in Kamloops is key. The soil does NOT like to be bare — it dries out quickly and is more susceptible to weeds taking over. (Thank-you, City of Kamloops Rec Guide gardening workshop for the tip!) Animals have also been a challenge for us as our yard is unfenced. I’m sure our neighbours thought we were crazy for growing a garden in an open yard. Drew put a string fence around the gardens in an attempt to keep the deer out. Fawns sneak under and have a snack, but the grown deer tend to move along. The rats have ignored our barricade and munch the tomatoes. I’ve learned to pick the produce as soon as it starts to ripen if we want to eat it ourselves. I did some research on what attracts rats so I could make our yard less appealing. Heat domes, planting too early — or too late — and numerous other challenges have all taught us important lessons. I also had to learn what to do with a lot of veggies ripening at once — cue learning how to make salsa verde, hot sauce, canned tomatoes and other preserves.

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The greatest joy within the garden has been seeing our son, Quinn, learn how food is grown. Quinn turned 5 this spring and his connection to the garden never ceases to amaze me. Each year, we experiment with plants, starting seedlings, companion planting, and every step along the way, our Little Farmer has been learning right beside us. Quinn planted his own peas and watermelons this year, and has been monitoring the plants for each new bloom. We planted raspberries and strawberries early in our gardening experimentation, and Quinn marks the beginning of the summer when flowers and bees start to appear on the bushes. He’s learned that large peas are sometimes bitter and best saved for seeds; that his favourite kind of veggie is the little yellow pear-shaped cherry tomatoes. He refuses to eat carrots from the store, but he’ll pull one straight out of the garden. He chews on fresh mint for fun?! The true satisfaction it brings me to see Quinn experience and understand the full life cycle of food is unparalleled and always warms my heart.

Gardening has been a great excuse for our family to spend time outside, share a project and strive for food self-sufficiency but it has also connected us to our neighbours and the community. So many kind folks have stopped by while we are working outside. Between trading seeds, plants and produce with our neighbours to sharing some of our garden bed space, growing food and flowers has become a big part of our social life.

Joining the Kamloops Food Policy Council has been the perfect opportunity for new gardeners to gain knowledge from fellow Kamloops food growers. Every potluck, pop-up event or Gleaning Abundance session has brought me in contact with other community members who share knowledge with us growing newbies.

If you’re new to gardening, I encourage you to just start. Start small; with what you can water by hand until you can invest in a drip hose and a water timer. Start with large pots free off Marketplace and fill them with dirt you can buy inexpensively at garden centres. Start experimenting — watch some videos about growing in your situation and using what you have. Start with buying cherry tomato plants pre-potted. Go to gardening workshops, plant mint in a bucket on your front step. Start by asking for advice, by getting some seeds from the KFPC Seed Library, volunteer an afternoon at the Mt Paul Food Centre Demonstration Garden and ask questions. Start with reading the pollinators brochure from the Master Gardeners. Find an elderly neighbour with a garden and ask if you can plant a few things in exchange for helping them weed their plots. Start with coming to a KFPC potluck!

Gardening can be as inexpensive and labour intensive as you want it to be. You can always scale up as time goes on.

Drew, Quinn and I have made many gardening mistakes along the way but being determined to grow a portion of our own food was not one of them. I promise the joy outweighs the growing pains — pun intended.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.