Late March: Don`t Work the Soil Yet

A few days of unseasonably warm temperatures does not mean that summer has arrived. We live in Southern Ontario and weather can be variable. Before deciding on what gardening chores you can do now, check the long range forecast. Look at both the daytime and night time temperatures. Excessively low night time temperatures can slow or halt plant growth. Environment Canada estimates that the last frost date for Toronto is May 9, based on a 30 year average between 1960 and 1990.

Your garden soil needs an opportunity to warm up and dry up before you start to work in it. Working soil that is too wet will result in compacted soil. Let your soil warm up before you plant, divide or move plants around. The exceptions are some of cool weather crops, such as spinach, that will happily germinate in cool soil.

Posted in Gardening Tips.