What Grows Where - From Apples to Zucchini?

WHAT GROWS WHERE?
From Apples to Zucchini

Story by Geoff Geddes.



BRITISH COLUMBIA



Thanks to the province's moderate climate and fertile soils, a number of vegetable crops grow well, including potatoes, sweet corn, cole crops (such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage), beans, cucurbits (such as pumpkins, squash and zucchini), lettuce, carrots and peas.


Of course, when it comes to a prime location for fruits and vegetables, it's hard to beat the Okanagan Valley.


"Our climate is especially well suited for growing wine grapes and table grapes, apples, peppers, hot peppers and melons," said Glen Lucas, general manager of the BC Fruit Growers' Association. "We also have about 99 per cent of the commercial sweet cherry production in Canada, and we're the only area in the country that grows apricots commercially."


Most crop production in the province centers on grains and oilseeds, led by canola, wheat, oats and barley.


B.C. is known as much for its lumber as its fruit. The province boasts five coniferous species that combine to generate a wide range of lumber products: Hem-Fir, Douglas fir, Western red cedar, yellow-cedar and Sitka spruce.



ALBERTA



Alberta is the second largest agricultural producer in Canada, thanks largely to its proficiency with three crops: wheat, barley and canola.


When it's time to pick berries for your next pie, Alberta should be on your radar. Blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and saskatoons will keep the family baker busy.


Among vegetable growers, radishes, zucchini, leaf lettuce and tomatoes are popular choices.


With Alberta's short and unpredictable growing season, not all perennials will thrive, but some that do include Veronica whitleyi, coral bells, fleabane, goat's beard and the aptly named Jack Frost.


Though not as renowned for its lumber industry as its neighbor to the west, Alberta has a number of thriving tree species led by White spruce, Black spruce and jack pine.



SASKATCHEWAN



"Two environmental factors here give us an advantage in some instances," said Dr. Karen Tanino, professor and plant abiotic stress physiologist in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan.


Those factors are the long summer days and a continental climate featuring high daytime temperatures and low temperatures at night. The combination of these elements allows the province to produce high quality plants and fruits.


"Our seed potatoes out-yield those in the United States by 15 - 20 per cent," said Dr. Tanino. "When our strawberry crowns produce fruit, they are 40 - 60 per cent higher in marketable yield than the same fruit produced from California-sourced crowns or from other places in Canada. We also have an edge with Echinacea and garlic, as they both have almost twice the medicinal components than their counterparts in Oregon and California."



MANITOBA



While pie-friendly berries like blueberries and raspberries tend to thrive across the prairies, Manitoba is also known for its bush fruit production, including currants, gooseberries, highbush cranberries, pin cherries, sea buckthorn and silver buffalo berries.


The province's often challenging climate favors hardy vegetables like arugula, fava beans, kale, lettuce, bok choi, parsnips, peas, radicchio, and radish and spinach seed.


The need for hardiness also applies to perennials in Manitoba. Some varieties that grow best are purple coneflower, clematis, lilies, creeping thyme, irises, autumn sun coneflower and prairie crocus.


At first glance, the long winters in western Canada would seem to limit the prospects for fruits, vegetables, flowers and cash crops. Dig deeper, though, and you'll see that when it comes to your growing options, this corner of the globe is well worth a second look.