Garden-by-Month guide
Gardening in Ontario can be a little confusing since the weather in April / May can often be erratic and unpredictable. This year I got a sunburnt and snowed on – all in the same week in May! These are the top plant timing tips that I’ve learned throughout the past 7 years gardening my own small plot of land in Toronto. It’s only August which means there’s still lots of time to plant herbs, greens and root veg for the fall. Happy planting from this doctor’s homestead;
May
May is the perfect time to begin planting root vegetables, like beets, carrots, parsnips, radish and onions. When the soil is just thawed enough that the top isn’t frosty in the mornings you can directly plant seeds in the ground without worrying about them freezing. It’s also a safe time plant quick-growing flowers like sunflowers and morning glories and early season vegetables like lettuce, kale.
June – August
Early June is the ideal time start your garden if you’re using store bought plants and flowers. At this time I move the seedlings that I’ve been working on indoors to their summer home in the outdoor garden. It’s also the time of year when I zip to my local garden centre for pepper, cucumber, beans, summer squash and tomato plants along with fresh herbs like basil, sage and chives. Consider the amount of sunlight your garden will get throughout the day when deciding which plants to grow. Shady gardens can be planted with endive, leeks, spinach, radish and cabbage, while carrots, onions, tomatoes, peppers, beans and squash will need as much sunlight as they can get. Herbs like parsley, chives and basil do well with partial sun so I often grow them close to the house where I can access them quickly while I’m cooking plus they end up with a little shade in some parts of the day.
September
In early September you can add some more carrots and onions in the ground for another harvest in the fall. It’s also the time to get your fall plants like garlic (best to plant mid-October), spinach and kale into the ground which should last through early winter.
