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Gardening Tips & Tricks

Want to grow your own food?

Learning to grow your own food is a powerful step toward both food security and food sovereignty. When you grow even a small portion of your own fruits, vegetables, or herbs, you reduce your dependence on fluctuating grocery prices, supply chain disruptions, and limited availability—making your household more resilient in uncertain times.

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Growing your own food on the North Island is not only possible, it's an adventure! Explore our tips and tricks to empower yourself to build your home food security. We aim to update this often! Please reach out if you'd like to see anything added.
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blue-gloved hands planting a starter plant in brown soil icon

One of the most intimidating parts of getting started growing food is all the different information out there! See the links below for important frost dates and suggested planting dates for our region.

Guides & Resources

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Old Farmer's Almanac

Check out the Old Farmer's Almanac! A planting guide for the North Island (based off Coal Harbour's frost dates)

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See West Coast Seeds Vegetable Planting Calendar - a planting calendar for Southern B.C.

West Coast Seeds Vegetable Planting Calendar

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Master Gardener: Faerlyn Marzoff

Looking for more gardening resources? Take a look at the North Island's own Organic Master Gardener, Faerlyn Marzoff, and her social media pages!

Vancouver Island Regional Library logo of a blue circle and a white icon of an indigenous killer whale in the middle

VIRL offers many gardening resources for all island residents! Click the link below to browse their Seed Library, Book Lists, and Virtual Gardening Series.

Vancouver Island Regional 
Library

Garden Retail Centres

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North Island Home Hardware Building Centre

 

8945 Granville Street,

Port Hardy

Phone: 250-949-8313

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ShopRite 

General Store

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1664 Campbell Way,

Port McNeill

Phone: 250-956-3323

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Wild Roots

Plant Shop

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501 Industrial Way,

Port Alice
Phone: 250-284-3530

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Sea soil logo with name in yellow, outlined in black and an orange flower with a yellow middle face, raising its green arms

SeaSoil Products​

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2175 Mine Road,

Port McNeill

Phone: 250-729-9965

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