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The best time to start planting your garden this spring

By Allison Dunfield • The Curator Team
Posted April 19, 2024 6:00 am
5 min read

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10 essentials to get your garden ready for the coming growing season and when is the best time to start. (Getty/File)

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Green thumbs, you’ve waited patiently all winter, and now, the time is here. It’s
officially gardening season! So whether you tend to a few containers of
veggies on a balcony, or you have a large backyard plot with flowers, herbs
and shrubs, there are a few steps to get started.

As for when to start planting? Well, that depends where you live.

We asked Global News Meteorologist Ross Hull for his advice:

Maritimes

The risk of a hard freeze can persist into late April/early May in this area so
for seedlings that are cold sensitive you will want to wait until mid to late May
into early June. A good marker is the Victoria Day long weekend – during that
period or after is often a safer time. Some crops are hardier to the cold and
can be planted earlier such as onions, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and peas.

Southern Quebec & Eastern Ontario:

Later in May or early June is the best time to ensure that frost doesn’t impact
spring planting in this area. During or after the May long weekend is usually a
safer bet but keep an eye on the forecast because frost can still hit as late as
May in this region. Although some vegetable crops and plants that are more
frost-hardy can be seeded earlier.

Southern Ontario:

Mid to late May is the safest time to plant to avoid that chance of frost in this
area. Although keep an eye on the forecast because frost can linger into May
at times if there’s a cold spell. Lettuce, spinach, and Kale can usually be
planted earlier in the season. Sunflowers can also be planted earlier in May.

Central Canada:

Mid-May for semi frost-hardy plants and late-May early June for more frost
sensitive crops or plants. Wait until the first week of June for cucumbers,
squash, corn, and tomato plants.

Alberta:

Late-May early June is the ideal time to plant warm weather crops such as
beans, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes. Some areas (especially
higher terrain) could be susceptible to frost as late as early June so make
sure you follow weather updates closely. More hardy, cooler weather crops
such as beets, cabbage, carrots, kale, and potatoes can be planted as early as
late-April.

British Columbia:

The more temperate climate in parts of this province means you can start
your spring planting earlier, especially in the Lower Mainland and on
Vancouver Island. Early to mid-May is generally a good time for warmer
weather crops while more hardy plants can be planted as early as late-March
into April.

Next steps
What to do first? Just like in your yard, experts recommend giving the garden
bed a good clearing.

“Rake through it. Get the dead stuff out,” says Len Chambers, a horticulturalist
with the University of Alberta Botanical Gardens. “It’s a matter of cultivating
that soil and getting it ready for planting.”
 Garden Leaf Rake

A rake is ideal for a larger garden

where you may need to turn over a
fair bit of soil. The metal tines on this
one will get through compacted soil
without breaking or bending. And the
handle is adjustable, depending on
how much surface area you need,
which is perfect if your beds are a
variety of sizes.

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Fiskars hand rake

If you’re a horticulture newbie and

you’re starting small with a container
or raised bed, you may only need a
hand rake to get the soil stirred up
and prepped for seedlings. These
Fiskars with flexible tines will get the
job done quickly and efficiently. And
they’re great for tight corners or
whisking around existing plants.

$20.27 ON AMAZON

Chambers also recommends using a rake or spade to dig out decomposing

leaves or roots from last year’s harvest.

Berry& Bird Shovel

Every shed should have one of these

multi-use tools. It’s basic, but it works
for a variety of tasks, from clearing
old plant material to edging to
digging in larger perennials or new
shrubs. As a bonus, the handle is
made of environmentally friendly ash.
Users repeatedly commented on its
well-thought-out design and high-
quality construction. “A thing of
beauty,” said one happy customer.

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U of A horticulturalist Duncan Giedelhauf says after raking, the rotted plant

material can be mixed in with green kitchen waste to make a great
compost/feed for this year’s garden – but he warns that you should be careful
how much leaf material you reintroduce.

“I’ve seen it happen where people rototill whole leaves into their garden. It
changes the matrix enough that it dries out faster, and things are not breaking
down.” Instead, he says put those leaves aside and add them to a compost
bin with kitchen waste and use that for the garden.

Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter

For outdoor composting, this uber

popular dual-chamber tumbling
composter is a game changer.
Tumbling the materials means no
more old-school mixing clippings and
kitchen waste by hand. Instead, drop
everything in the handy slide-top and
turn over with a hand crank every few
days. Two chambers means that you
can use completed compost while
adding peelings and organics to the
other window in the meantime.
Bonus: It’s made by a Canadian small
business owner.

$114 ON AMAZON (WAS $129)

When getting ready to plant, it’s a good idea to add fresh soil and sand, says
Chambers. He recommends topsoil for nutrients, and a coarse sand for good
drainage. “Topsoil actually has a lot of good micronutrients that plants need,
but it doesn’t have a lot in terms of structure. You need to add organic
material to it to make it more fluffy,” he advises.

Timberline 40-lb All-purpose Top Soil

Timberline soil is regionally sourced

to ensure it matches with your local
climate and conditions.

$2.58 AT LOWES

In terms of sand, Chambers says any coarse brand will do, as long as
gardeners stay away from fine sand, because when mixed with soil, it will
create a hard, compacted material in your flower bed.

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Quikrete Coarse Sand

This bag comes washed and graded

and can be mixed right in with soil.

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Once you’re ready to plant, digging in seeds can be done by hand or with
small garden tools, but there are a few innovative items that can make this
task easier.

Berry and Bird Hand Dibber

Using a hand spade or small shovel

trowel to dig in a seedling can be
difficult. It’s hard to create just the
right-sized space. If you’ve never
heard of a dibber, try one! It makes it
easy to core the proper hole for seeds
or seedlings every time.

$23.99 ON AMAZON

Seeding Square

Sometimes it’s challenging to figure

out how much space to give your
seeds, especially if they tend to
spread out or grow higher than the
rest. This handy tool takes the
guesswork out of planting. Just press
the template into the soil, poke in the
seeding tool and spill the seeds into
the perfectly placed holes. Created by
a Canadian entrepreneur to maximize
seed planting in a small bed.
 $35 ON AMAZON

Once seeds and seedlings are in the ground, the next step is giving everything
a hearty watering. The U of A horticultural team recommends a hose nozzle
that features a few different spray strengths.

“It depends on how fragile the plant is. I would recommend a fine mist for
seedlings,” says U of A Horticulturalist Duncan Giedelhauf. Once plants have
gotten bigger and stronger, they can withstand a heavier shower and ensure
enough moisture gets down into the soil, he says.

RESTMO Watering Wand

The Amazon’s Choice Restmo, made

from zinc-alloy with an extra long
wand that’s easy to hold and control,
has ten different settings from
“shower” to “full.” And there is a use
for that supercharged jet setting
besides surprising your loved ones on
a hot day! The U of A horticulturalists
say it’s the perfect strength to shoot
aphids or other bugs off leaves and
stems.

$35.99 ON AMAZON

FitLife Expandable Garden Hose

For smooth, even irrigation of all your

new blooms, this unique hose won’t
kink or get tangled as you move
around the garden. With water
pressure, it expands to three times its
original length, and once the water
drains, it returns to its original size.
Because it shrinks down, storage is
easy — it can fold up into a pail or
plastic container.

$43.99 ON AMAZON

As a final touch, add mulch to your flower and garden beds, the U of A team
advises. Along with being aesthetically pleasing, mulch provides insulation for
those burgeoning buds.

“It’s really good practice. As it slowly breaks down, it is improving the soil’s
ability to get nutrients,” says Giedelhauf. “It keeps soil cool on hot days, keeps
moisture in there and improves the soil’s structure.
 Scotts Nature Scapes Deep Forest
Brown Mulch

You can’t go wrong with a dark brown

mulch made with natural forest
products and treated to keep its
colour, for everything from flower
beds to vegetable gardens to
perennial bushes. Note: the team we
spoke with says the key to mulch is
keeping it not too thin, and not too
thick. Seven to 12 centimetres (three
to five inches) is about right!

$5.65 PER BAG AT RONA

MORE FROM THE CURATOR

• 7 great products to aerate your lawn, from tools to sprays

• Everything you need to get your lawn ready for spring
• What you need to know before trimming and pruning this spring

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