savin ia

N. Shore berry productive

MANY OF us have memo-
ries of picking pesticide-free
fruit from our grandparents’
back-yard gardens.

By Roy Jonsson
Contributing Writer

Today there is a strong desire to
have a small productive fruit area
in our own gardens, not so much
for the volume of fruit, but to
have something that is home-
grown and organically raised.

In trying to choose between
berries and tree fruit, there are a
few things you should consider
about both climate and disease in
our area.

The North Shore has the highest
rainfall of any area in the Lower

Mainland (1,200-4,000
millimetres).

The precipitation increases from
west to east and from lower to
higher elevations. Caulfeild

Plateau has among the lowest
rainfall, and upper Lynn Valley
the highest.

.. While many areas may not have
-3,000-4,000 millimetres of rain-
fall, they do have periods when
high humidity and poor drying
conditions persist for days or
months during the winter.

Let's not forget that we live in a
temperate (cool) rainforest.’

No fruit trees are well suited to
this type of climate; they are

_ susceptible to both fungus and
insect diseases.

Untess you are prepared to
spend a large amount of time im-
plementing a systematic pesticide

- spray program to keep the insects
and fungus at bay, not to mention
squirrels, raccoons and bears, the
time and effort spent planting,
pruning and fertilizing may not be

. worth the effort.

Far too often we try to work
around the natural conditions of

an area by using pesticides when
we might better ask ourselves what
our particular area is best suited
for when it comes to fruit.

The answer is berry production.

Our area, while not perfect,
offers far better possibilities for a
good harvest of berries with fewer
pesticides than you n. :d for fruit
trees.

Berry plants and bushes need
good drainage and are far less
susceptible to disease than tree
fruits.

With the addition of organic
material to our sandy or sand and
clay loams, North Shore soils will
support any type of berry crap.

If you wish to start or expand a
berry patch, seek out the best-
named varieties at your local
nursery.

This wili not only ensure a good
crop, but will also provide a
disease-free planting stock.

Do not accept potentially con-
taminated plants from your
neighbor no matter how much
money you will save,

Also, if a named variety does
not perform up to your expecta-
tions it is easy to convert the
patch to a more suitable variety.

Strawberries come in two types.
the June-bearing ones are bigger
and more productive but have a
short three-to four-week season.

Ever-bearing are the opposite.
The one you choose will depend
on your preference.

There are many June-bearing
varieties, but two of the best for
the North Shore gardener are
Totem and Shuswap.

Both are resistant to fruit rot, a
quality that is important in a wet
area.

If you want ever-bearing, then
look for Tillicum, Quinalt or
Ozark Beauty.

Raspberries can be planted in
rows or clumps depending on the
amount of space available.

They do not need as much mid-

day sunshine as other berries, but
the quantity and sweetness of the
crop will definitely diminish with
partial shade.

There is a fall-bearing variety
that might be useful to grow,

For regular crop raspberries
look for Willamette, Skeena,
Chilcotin, Meeker, Chilliwack or
Comox.

Heritage and Autumn Bliss are
the fall types.

The blueberry is far more
adaptable than other berries to the
home garden because the bushes
can double as !andscape plants.

They can be pruned and shaped
and will produce flowers, berries
and great fall color.

Why not tuck a few plants into
your regular landscaped area and
harvest a crop of berries each
summer? Blueberries like damp
acidic scil with full sun, a condi-
tion that is common in many
gardens.

There are a dozen named
varieties with new hybrids being
introduced each year. Look for
Bluejay, Bluecrop, Jersey or
Spartan.

Blueberries are self-pollinating,
but two varieties will improve the
crop.

For the home gardener with
more space, you might want to try
one of the rambling-type berry
crops. Black, Boysen, Logan and -
Tay berries all provide excellent
fruit.

Training these ramblers up an
old fence or building will not only
hide the area but also allow for
some vertical gardening, conserv- '
ing regular space for flowers and
vegetables.

When it comes to fruit produc-
tion on the North Shore, why
fight the weather.

Plant berries and go with what
nature has given us.

Roy Jonsson is a horticultural
consultant end gardening instruc-
ter.

“yclists pedal for lung research

°NINE NORTH Shore residents
will be pedalling for lung. health
‘with cyclists from all parts of the
province: on
Bicycle Trek for Life. & Breath.
The ride is conducted September

1i,:°12 by the British Columbia’

Lung Association.

Space is filling up quickly for:

the Trek, which takes 250 cyclists

‘at their own. pace on country
roads through 200 kilometres of
beautiful'-scenery in the Fraser
Valley and northwestern
Washington state.

Each: of the North Shore cyclists
is collecting donations now to
“reach the minimum $350 needed
before the Trek to help reach the
goal to raise $200,000 for medical
_tesearch, health education and the
association’s other activities in
B.C. _

By collecting donations, trek-
kers accumulate incentive prizes
‘such as mountain bikes, triathlon
watches, wind. trainers, Cuisinart
juicers, cycling and camera
equipment, gift certificates and

chances in drawings for restaurant -

dining, resort packages and inter-
national travel on Air Canada.

Each trekker . receives: meals,
“refreshments and snacks,. over-
night accommodation at Cultus
Lake, transport of sleeping bags
and other personal gear, training
tips, advice on fundraising, a
safety information session,
detailed maps and mechanical
support on the road, a free
wrap-up party in November, and
more.

For registration information or
to sponsor the North Shore trek-
kers, contact Trek Coordinator
Janet Wadham at 731-4961.

the ninth annual.

joto submitted

GEARING UP for the B.C. Lung Association’s Trek for Life &
Greath on Sept. 11 and 12 is North Vancouver resident Guy Brad-

fieid. For details call 731-4961.

PATTERSON TOTTI TS

Pagers help to maintain
communication lifelines

EVERY PARENT knows —
and bemoans — the furious
pace at which we live today.
Caught between conflicting
demands from the home and
the workplace, we can lose
touch with the most important
people in our lives, our
children.

Pagers are becoming a pop-
ular communications tool to
keep busy families in touch in
the ’90s.

In many households today,
pagers are being used to help
parents maintain contact with
their children, first as they
roam around the neighborhood
and later as they take transit to
do an errand or meet a friend.

Right from the timie parents
leave a baby with a sitter for
the first time, pagers can offer
critical support, allowing ther
to enjoy an evening out, confi-
dent in the knowledge that they
can always be reached.

’ Even before the baby is
born, pagers help expectant
parents to stay in touch so that

during the countdown period
the father can be on hand to
take the expectant mother to
the hospital.

When maternity leave ends
and the mother returns to
work, pagers can offer her
peace of mind, knowing that
she is always accessible in an
emergency.

More and more daycare cen-
tres are relying on pagers to let
parents ‘know that their child -
has become ill or that some
other situation requires their
input.

Pagers have become a silent
partner maintaining a‘ com-
munications ‘lifeline to their.

_ youngsters.

Pagers are available at
authorized dealers and selected .
retail outlets. | .

For further information on
paging, consumers can write
Paging Services Council of
Canada, 1 Yonge St.,. Suite
1900, Torento, Ontario M5E
IN4 or call. 1-800-66-
PAGING.

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