Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Sep 30/02) - It's not every Christmas you get a greenhouse for a present.

But that's exactly what Mike Gardener's wife gave him one year -- or at least all the material to put it together.

And they have finally found a haven for the greenhouse -- it's on the south-facing deck of their home in Iqaluit.

They've had a greenhouse in Kimmirut, Cape Dorset, Panniqtuuq and Iqaluit. So far, they've had the most success in Iqaluit.

"Since I retired in 1996, I've had time to really take care of the greenhouse," said Gardener.

So this haven may not be due to location but rather to more time. Gardener retired from the Anglican ministry in 1996.

Each year around the end of May, Gardener begins to get the soil ready. A trick he's learned over the years is to put snow on the soil.

"It's very dry. The snow lets the water get in," he said.

For the next three months of the year, the Gardeners don't have to buy lettuce from the store. They grow their own. They also grow carrots, peas and radish. With a large window in their house facing south, they have also been able to grow tomatoes indoors.

This year, Gardener tried something different. He tried to grow some broccoli in the greenhouse.

"We did get a couple out of it but it takes too much room. So I don't know if we'll grow that again," said Gardener.

Another secret to the success of the Gardeners greenhouse is turkey manure. They get it in the mail in the form of little pellets.

With the end of the season being late September, the Gardeners will get the greenhouse ready for the winter. They'll turn the soil and put some slaked lime on top of it. Slaked lime stops the excessive accumulation of acidity in the soil.

"It takes a fair amount of time. The effort is getting everything ready. Once it's ready, the only effort is to water and feed," said Gardener.

Next year, their greenhouse will be in full bloom again. Until then, the Gardeners will have to join the rest of Nunavut and look for the best deals on produce from the grocery stores.