722: Donna Balzer on Growing Lemons for Profit.
making a little side income growing citrus in the Pacific Northwest.
In This Podcast:
Do you wish you could grow citrus but live outside of California or Florida? Donna Balzer is growing lemons in Canada and she loves to teach others how she does it. She and Greg discuss all the juicy details, covering topics from the roots to the leaves. Donna explains how she cares for her citrus trees in the harsher climate using some unique methods to protect them from frost. In return, they give her a delicious harvest that is not easily found in her area, and even a little bit of income.
Our Guest:
Donna Balzer is the co-host of the internationally aired HGTV show “Bugs & Blooms”, a regular guest on CBC radio in Alberta, a very popular and inspirational public speaker around gardening, and the bestselling author of No Guff Vegetable Gardening. She lives with her adoring husband in Qualicum Beach, B.C. with their puppy. She has two greenhouses, twelve grandchildren, three grand-dogs, four grand-cats and two grand-guinea pigs all spread across Alberta and B.C.
Listen in and learn about:
- Becoming a specialist in the world’s worst gardening place
- Being a gardener is like being a doctor
- How is she making a little money? (HINT: She’s not selling the lemons!)
- Letting the trees get cold is not as bad as you think
- Why warmer is not always better
- How Donna covers her citrus and keeps it from freezing
- Store your lemons right on the tree
- Water your citrus once a month in the winter
- Online class on growing lemons – Grow Lemons In Cold Climates Masterclass
- Rooting citrus from cuttings
- Pest control for citrus – scale, spider mites
- When you grow your own lemons, you don’t throw away the peel
As well as:
Her failure – Focusing on frost and forgetting that the soil matters too
Her success – Her greenhouse
Her drive – New gardening challenges
Her advice – “Anyone can garden.”
Books written by Donna:
No Guff Vegetable Gardening (co-authored with Steven Biggs)
Three-Year Gardener’s Gratitude Journal: Part Diary, Part Personal Growing Guide
Donna’s Book recommendations:
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard
How to reach Donna:
Website: donnabalzer.com
UrbanFarm.org/DonnaBalzer
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