Living in Calgary, Alberta, our growing season can sometimes.. suck.. BUT there are a lot of veggies and fruits we can grow in our short growing season! And better yet, stuff you can share with your dogs!

If you have an acreage, a full yard or a balcony, you can grow any of these! They all work well in planters or a garden bed.

You can get your carrots, beets, cabbage and broccoli seeds planted right now, They will take a few weeks to germinate, and will be safe to plant now! I wait till after May long weekend to plant all my spinach, peas, pumpkins, celery & green beans, I. always pick up a strawberry basket or two…. and I’ll just be honest… Brussel sprouts are gross, so if I’m not going to eat them I’m not forcing my dog!

My favourite place to grab seeds is a little garden shop by Chinook mall called Garden Retreat. Its a small family owned business and the owners and staff are amazing! They carry all my favourite seed brands ( yes I’m that much of a geeky gardener…) West Coast Seeds, Renee’s Garden Seeds and Wildrose Heritage seeds! West Coast has a wonderful heritage blend of carrots so you can grow orange, purple, white and yellow carrots. They are gorgeous and your pup will love them as much as you will!

Fertilize?

I do fertilize! Feed those plants! A good fertilize will help those veggies flourish and is not toxic for your pup. My favourite is Evolve Tomato Fertilizer. I honestly use this stuff on everything!

Pest Control

I do not use any pesticides, you do not need to!

I plant marigolds throughout my garden. They attract pollinators, and also awesome bugs like lady bugs that eat some of the problem bugs! Planting basil by your cabbage will help detour cabbage worms. Nasturtium is an edible flower ( great in salads!) and helps repel many pests! Plant these beside your cucumbers and squash. Onions can also help deter unwanted insects! Please remember onions are not safe for dogs to eat, however totally safe to have onions growing in the same area you are growing your dog friendly veggies!

Look at your leaves regularly, look for unwanted pests. Remove any infected leaves, prune regularly. Use insect netting to cover your cabbage if you are worried about cabbage moths ( I get them regularly and covering the veggies gets rid of them quickly! )

Harvesting!

By July you will be enjoying your spinach, beans, peas and more! Pumpkins and watermelon will take a bit longer, but you’ll be able to munch on carrots and broccoli all summer long while you are waiting to harvest the squash.

Maua helps herself to my peas! They are grown up along a trellis where she has access to them. She is quite polite and gently pulls them off. I’m not sure how I got so lucky with this! When I dig up carrots and beets, she has her nose right in there, usually stealing a carrot from by basket when she thinks I’m not looking!

A quick note about broccoli! Steamed or cooked broccoli will be easier for your dog to digest (and cause a little less gas!)

All these veggies can be frozen and added to their supper throughout the winter.

FUN FACT!

Did you know we grow a lot of our own beets and spinach we use in our treats? Both freeze very well, so we grow as much as we can! We use a lot of spinach in our Ralphie Burgers ( which are also found in our Puppy Meals) and beets in our Apple & Beet bites as well as our famous bacon Candy Canes (only available in the fall)!

Let us know what you grow and what your pups favourite veggies are!