Cleaning Up the Garden Your Best Bet this Weekend

By Jos Van Hage

This May long weekend is known as the planting weekend among many local Prince George gardeners. This year however, the May long weekend is earlier than most years and the weather and temperatures are cooler than other years so it would not hurt to postpone the planting weekend for a few days until the temperatures warm up.

Looking in my own yard I’ve noticed that the garden is still too wet to rotatill and in the flowerbeds, perennials are just beginning to emerge through the soil and many of the tulips have yet to open and bloom.

I estimate that we are 10-14 days behind other years. Planting seeds in cold soil could cause them to rot as they need heat to germinate and it could be risky to plant out frost tender bedding plants as the risk of frost is still present. I have found over the years that putting in the garden when temperatures are cool does not get you any further ahead than waiting for a couple of weeks till the temperatures warm up.

Most plants need warmth to grow and with our upcoming long days of daylight the plants catch up very quickly.

You can plant out cool weather bedding plants such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onion, leeks, pansies, etc. and now is a good time to plant small fruits(strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)  perennials, trees and shrubs. You could do some container planting and leave the containers near the house in a protected area at night when the temperatures dip below 0 and then bring them out again during the day.

• Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill road

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