With spring officially here many are looking at their yards and wanting to get a head start on the 2026 gardening and yard care season.
However, it might not be the best time to head into the yards just yet.
“You have to watch those frost dates,” said agrologist Sherri Roberts. “The best thing is to look at the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance website. They have spring frost dates and fall frost dates there. That’s actuarial pencil pushing; that’s kept data for years and years. For this area, the spring is usually about May 15th.”
Although we could still have a month to go before we get to outside gardening, Roberts said that there are still lots of options for the time being.
Start those seeds
“You can start seeds,” she said. “You can go and buy yourself a packet of seeds and grow your own tomato plants, your own cucumbers, your own watermelon plants, all that type of stuff. You should be starting those seeds now and getting them rolling.”
She noted that starting seeds now is a great way to get a variety that might not be available in greenhouses and, when the frost passes, they will be ready to bloom a lot sooner than those planted in the ground.
She did add, however, that there are some things to keep an eye on.
“You have to make sure you don’t let them dry out because they’re very fragile when they start to germinate,” she said. “What I find is really simple to use is like an old blueberry or raspberry container, because you’ve got a lid on it. You put your soil in there and drop your seed in, then just press it down really gently, water it really lightly, and put the lid on it. You are creating a humid environment that plants like, and when they get bigger, you just transplant them into a bigger pot.”
Related Stories:
Thinking about your lawn
She added that it’s also time to start thinking about lawn care, although it may still be a bit before we start working on the lawn.
“Start thinking about it; were there areas of your lawn that were really thin last year? The spring and the fall are the times that you really want to be seeding your lawn, usually May 1st to May 15th and then again in September. Those are the ideal types of times to be seeding and thickening up your lawn.”
She noted that now is not the time to start yard work as the ground needs to thaw and dry out.
If you get out there with your rake and start raking, all you’re doing is pulling those grass plants up, and it’s really hard on them,” she said. “Also, please don’t go put fertilizer down while the ground is still frozen. The ground has to be thawed so the product will actually soak into the ground. Otherwise, you are just putting it on the surface, and the minute we get snow or rain, it just leeches right off and goes into the environment.”
Patience and planning
She also reiterated that while many are anxious to get into the yard sooner rather than later, it’s not time for that just yet.
“Now is your planning time,” she said. “Now is the time to sit down with that pencil or go online and lay things out.”
Comments are closed.