Gardening Schedule

For many people gardening is a hobby. They look forward to the warmer part of the year so that they can spend their weekends outside in the garden.

For people in Ontario the gardening season will begin over the next couple of months peaking on the long weekend in May (Victoria Day).

Here’s a bit of a checklist for the next few months.

April

• Dig over and prepare growing beds for planting
• Rake lawn
• Seed bare patches
• Fertilize lawn with a slow-release fertilizer
• Plant bareroot trees and shrubs
• Start lawn mowing toward end of month
• Remove protective cover from roses and prune them
• Plant perennials
• Plant peas, onions, leeks, sweet peas, lettuce, radish, chervil, Swiss chard, spinach and chives outdoors
• Plant asparagus and rhubarb
• Start to build a compost pile

May

• Set out annuals
• Plant container-grown plants
• Mow lawn weekly
• Fertilize and mulch beds; apply manure or compost to growing areas
• Dust roses
• Seed new lawns
• Plant perennials and summer flowering bulbs
• Plant evergreen hedges
• Set out brassica crops (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.)
• When danger of frost is past, plant and sow frost-tender vegetables, including tomatoes, snap beans and corn
• Weed growing areas weekly or biweekly, as needed