Gardening cannot be done according to a calendar. We’ve all been told that the season truly begins after the May long weekend, but that can be quite arbitrary. Some plants and seeds certainly prefer being planted once the weather and soil has warmed up, but that doesn’t always happen according to Victoria Day.
It’s far more important to be watching the weather and monitoring the soil moisture and temperatures. This season, many seeds planted early were challenged by cool and wet conditions. A few mornings in June were close to two degrees! Spotty germination may have created a need for repeat or additional seeding. The last frost frequently occurs after the last full moon in May which can be another good indicator of when it’s safe to plant those vegetables and herbs that cannot survive frost.
Some years we may have complained about cooler rainy weather in late June. But this year with water restrictions in place, it made all the difference to our flower gardens, as well as our vegetable patches. The lesson in this case was recognizing the importance of collecting rainwater! Luckily when the heat started, water was once again available, and things started to grow in leaps and bounds.
While the calendar can be a good guide to when to carry out certain garden tasks including planting, the only thing we can count on is the unpredictability of the weather, and the need for us to be prepared, and flexible.
Check out the crops that are flourishing in the CKE Community Garden.
Happy Gardening!
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