Rooted Here: Growing in Calgary’s Climate
Rooted Here: Growing in Calgary’s Climate is a 2026 series offering in-depth information on key gardening topics tailored to Calgary’s unique growing conditions.
Location and Timing:
All sessions take place on Thursday evenings, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, at the Dalhousie Community Association. Each session is two hours long. Details for each topic are listed below:
- May 14 – Edible Gardening in Calgary – Part 1 – Spring
- June 11 – Edible Gardening in Calgary – Part 2 – Summer
- August 6 – Growing Fruit in Calgary
- September 10 – Indoor Edible Gardening Year-Round
Details:
You can sign up for the full series or select the individual sessions you want to attend. Each session will be informal (which is what makes Janet’s style so natural and awesome) and will include demos and examples.
Costs:
Individual Sessions: $TBD per session (advance purchase at least 1 day prior to the session) or $TBD (at the door)
Janet Melrose, Calgary’s Cottage Gardener
Gardening can provide an opportunity for you to “grow, nurture and bloom” (Janet Melrose).
Janet’s vast experience, great stories and great tips about gardening in Calgary will make you want to get out there and apply some great ideas into your own gardens (no matter the size of your garden or your experience level).
May 14 - Edible Gardening in Calgary - Part 1 - Spring
In the first session learn the fundamental for successful edibles:
- Our climate and environmental factors for edible gardening
- Soil and water requirements for edibles
- Cool season crops for spring
- Seeds versus seedlings
- Techniques for seedings
- Early care of those growing edibles
- Some common disease, insect and weather damage that we may encounter
August 6 - Growing Fruit in Calgary
Learn about growing fruit successfully in Calgary:
- Types of fruit that are hardy for Calgary- from apples to kiwi
- Planning your fruit garden orchard or food forest
- Selecting trees and shrubs
- Planting techniques and first year requirements for newly planted trees and shrubs
- Care for fruit trees and shrubs including training and pruning
- Harvesting tips
- Pests and diseases of fruit species
June 11 - Edible Gardening in Calgary - Part 2 - Summer
In the second session learn about growing in the summertime:
- The warm season crops that are planted when the soil is warm
- Perennial edibles
- Techniques for hardening off and transplanting
- Planting systems to maximize productivity and the growing season
- Summer pathogens and bugs that go after edible crops
- Harvesting know how
- Plus sneaky tips to foil Mom Nature’s quirky side
September 10 - Indoor Edible Gardening Year-Round
Growing indoors year round:
- Requirements for growing edibles indoors- space, light, temperature
- Growing systems
- What we can grow indoors year round
- Techniques for various
- Problems that crop up
- Harvesting
- Fun stuff from kitchen scraps
