Welcome to Tropic of Canada, a site dedicated to help you get the most out of your garden!
A few years ago I mentioned to my husband, Keith, that it would be nice to have a few fruit trees and a small vegetable garden. Our property is about a third of an acre, which includes our home. After having been a production manager and grower for many large nurseries in England, California, and Canada, producing thousands of plants weekly, Keith needed more of a challenge. He came up with the thought of; “How many varieties of fruit trees and bushes could be grown well, along with the vegetable garden, in this size of space?”.
That first few has now grown into 240+ varieties of cold and temperate, hard and soft fruits. Planted outside are the cold hardy types, most of which are grown espalier on wires. The temperate types are grown in containers which are kept outside in the summer. In winter the varieties that go dormant are kept in the garage, while the evergreen varieties are kept in a cool greenhouse. If you do not have a greenhouse, these plants can be kept in a sun-room, by patio doors in the house, or on a large sunny windowsill. It is wonderful being able to eat your own fresh fruit year round!
As we pursued this interest, we wanted to make those temperate fruits available here in Ontario, so that all families could enjoy fresh fruit in their own home. We researched varieties that would not only do well in a Canadian environment, but also flourish whether grown in a container garden, or a garden with limited space. After much thought we decided to offer only tissue cultured, virus free plants. These plants are raised in the USA. We import them, grow them out, and offer them for sale in containers. The soil contains slow release fertilizer, so all you have to do is keep them watered. You can top up the feed once a month to have a heavier crop. Please view our availability list HERE. Check back often, as our availability changes as plants mature and flourish.
For the cold hardy, hard and soft fruits we recommend the following suppliers:
www.silvercreeknursery.ca
www.whiffletreefarmandnursery.ca
www.tropicalacresfarms.com
Each has supplied us with excellent, well grown plants.
If you wish to learn more about getting the most out of your garden or about growing these varieties please contact us and we will be happy to guide you.
Phillip, Stephanie, Michelle, Lizz, Keith, Ed