Spring is here, even if the weather doesn’t agree, and that means gardening enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the perfect conditions for planting.
Experts from two local greenhouses give some spring gardening tips.
Tine Roelofsen Rakai from Bobtail Nursery
The best time for planting is once the frost is out of the ground, according to Tine Roelofsen Rakai, owner of Bobtail Nursery in Ponoka.
Usually it is safe for planting after the May long weekend, she says.
For seeding, some can be done earlier, like potatoes, if you plant them deep enough and fill them up - then they can be planted as early as the second week of May or even the end of April.
Night frost can come unexpectedly and kill your plants if you aren’t careful and plant too early.
Any plant designated as zone two or three will grow well in Alberta and in this area, says Roelofsen Rakai.
Anything zone four is questionable and may not grow in this climate.
Zone two and three plants that grow well here include shrubs and fruiting trees such as raspberries, cherries, Saskatoon berries, honey berries, plum, pear and apple trees.
If you’re planting a previously unplanted plot, roto-till it and make the soil nice and loose, and top dress it with compost or manure, or put it around the existing plants.
Roelofsen Rakai recommends sea soil, an organic compost sourced from Vancouver Island made of fish remnants and excrement.
It’s very nutritious and “everybody’s been raving about it,” said Roelofsen Rakai. “It’s pretty good stuff.”
Debbie Hameluck from Arbutus Nursery
Debbie Hameluck from Arbutus Nursery in Ponoka recommends adding a slow-release fertilizer to your loosened soil, adding water, and then roto-tilling it again.
Once your soil is prepared for planting, think about shade and light and plant accordingly, she says.
Some plants need shade, and some need more direct sunlight.
If your flower garden has some large perennials, fill in the rest of the space with some nice, colorful annuals.
Annuals are in flower all season, but although perennials come back each year, they are only in bloom for a certain time.
If using chemicals for weed control, make sure to avoid getting it on your perennials.
A flower garden can be planted in any configuration that is pleasing to the eye, but vegetables should be planted in orderly rows, says Hameluck.
Arbutus Nursery has all kinds of budding plants, hanging baskets and a good assortment of mixed plants, and lots of forage plants.
They also carry “pot stuffers,” plants you can take and fill your own pots and hanging baskets with, some vegetables, lots of tomato plants, vines and roses that are hardy for weather in Alberta.