Canada Gardener's Journal with Steven Biggs

This week, Joanne welcomes horticulturist Stephen Biggs back to the podcast to talk about his latest project, the newly expanded Canada Gardener’s Journal.

About Steven  

Steven was recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the “green gang” making a difference in Canadian horticulture. His home-garden experiments span driveway straw-bale gardens, a rooftop kitchen garden, fruit plantings, and an edible-themed front yard. He’s a horticulturist, award-winning broadcaster and author, and former horticulture instructor with George Brown and Durham Colleges in Ontario, Canada. His other books include Grow Olives Where You Think You Can't, Grow Lemons Where You Think You Can’t, Growing Figs in Cold Climates, Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t, and No-Guff Gardening, available at foodgardenlife.com.

Tune in to learn more about Canada Gardener's Journal.

Origins of the Gardener’s Journal

• Started 34 years ago by Margaret Bennett Alder
• Inspired by her father’s paper booklets he used to manage tasks and meds
• Margaret used the format to track garden tasks, neat plant sources, and observations
• First year: ~50 copies printed; grew to 500 the next year
• By the 25th edition (2017), and her retirement at age 90, over 18,000 copies sold
• Margaret passed away at 98; the journal is part of her gardening legacy

Evolution of the Journal

• Originally the Toronto Gardener’s Journal, then the Toronto & Golden Horseshoe Gardener’s Journal
• Taken over by Helen and Sarah Battersby (TorontoGardens.com), who expanded its geographic scope and won awards
• Now passed to Stephen, who has turned it into Canada’s Gardener’s Journal

What’s New in Canada’s Gardener’s Journal

• Now Canada-wide and bilingual, with information relevant across the country
• Includes average first and last frost dates using the most recent Environment Canada data
• Expanded sources list featuring Canadian suppliers that ship across the country (seeds, nursery stock, etc.)
• Ongoing plan to update sources as new nurseries and seed companies are suggested

From Toronto-specific to Seasonal Tasks

• Old version: weekly tasks tied to the Toronto area and similar zones
• New version: season-based task lists (spring, summer, fall, winter)
  • Includes outdoor tasks and indoor prep (seed starting, planning, etc.)
• Better suited to different climates and zones across Canada (and similar U.S. regions)

Perpetual Calendar Format

• Previously: a dated, year-specific planner (e.g., 2024, 2025) with fixed calendar weeks
• Now: a perpetual, undated week-by-week layout
  • Gardeners can start using it at any point in the year
  • Can stretch use over more than one year if desired
  • Focuses on periods of active gardening rather than wasting pages in off-months

Practical, Hands-On Focus

• Designed by a gardener for gardeners—light on theory, heavy on practical prompts
• Space for gardeners to record:
• What they planted and when
• Weather patterns and unusual seasons
• Successes, failures, and plant sources
• Acts as both a planner and a historical record for future decision-making

Why Garden Journaling Matters 

• Memory is unreliable: gardeners quickly forget how wet/cool or hot/dry a season actually was
• Notes and photos together help explain:
  • Why certain plants thrived or struggled
  • How changing climate and shifting zones affect timing and plant choices
• Useful for:
  • Answering client questions (for designers like Joanne)
  • Tracking long-term trends in weather and performance
  • Diagnosing issues (e.g., why tomatoes didn’t ripen as usual)

Climate Change & Updated Data

• Growing zones and frost patterns are shifting with climate change
• The journal uses the latest Environment Canada frost-date data
• Stephen expects ongoing updates in future editions as data and climate continue to change
• Honouring Founder Margaret Bennett Alder
• Margaret was passionate about a plant-based diet, which she linked to her longevity
• The journal has long included pages of her favourite plant-based resources
• Stephen has expanded this section with new Canadian sources in her honour

Availability & Price

• Price: $19.95 – positioned as an affordable gift or stocking stuffer
• Available via foodgardenlife.com under the books section
• Some specialty garden retailers carry it; retailers are listed on the website
• Stephen encourages buyers (especially Christmas shoppers) to email him via the site if they’re unsure about shipping timelines
• Although now truly Canada-wide, gardeners in northern U.S. border states with similar zones may also find it very useful

Check out Stephen’s books and Canada’s Gardener’s Journal on foodgardenlife.com. You can also find @foodgardenlife on YouTube.

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden

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Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.