Guide to starting and planting in early spring

Credit: Elizabeth Rowlands

The big question in early spring is … Is it too soon to plant?

And the answer is no! Gardeners in zone 6 and up can get going now! As soon as the ground is warm enough to allow you to dig a hole, go ahead and plant dormant shrubs, trees or “bare-root” fruit trees, raspberries, blueberries, roses and rhubarb.

Starting flowers indoors is economical and fun. Sow teeny seeds of slow growers like snapdragons or petunias in clean, lightly moistened seed-starter mix. Barely cover seed with soil, pat down lightly. Mist with water. Place in strong light from a south-facing window (or grow lights). Provide good ventilation.

You can sow poppies in early March

As soon as self-seeders and weeds appear, it’s okay to start sowing most greens

Very hardy annuals may be sown outdoors in early March in zones 6 and up: try calendula, California poppies, bachelor buttons, clarkia, godetia and sweet peas. Also sow perennial Icelandic and Welsh poppies now.

Here’s how to tell it’s time to start your veggie garden in spring, in any zone, assuming garden soil is not frozen: If soil is in wet, muddy clumps or it’s been raining lots, wait a week or two until it dries, loosens and warms. For a clue, look for self-seeders like kale, arugula, and mache – as well as your garden’s cast of weeds – to appear. Chives poke up too. At this time, the soil can be worked and it’s fine to sow mache (corn salad), kale, broccoli raab (rapini), radishes, dandelion greens (not dandelions but chicory), Asian greens like mizuna, giant red mustard, bok choi. Remember that arugula needs room – crowded seeds will bolt and the leaves stay small and are unpleasantly hot.

Start broad beans and snow peas using inoculant – this powder creates microbial activity in cold soil, allowing legumes to germinate and grow. Moisten the seed, then shake in a jar with prescribed amount. Inoculant increases yields, so save for later sowings of peas and beans.

The most common cause of seedling death is overwatering. Every plant requires some oxygen around its roots, but infant seedlings are extra vulnerable; it’s critical that they receive oxygen. Overwatering fills the air spaces around the roots and the seedling perishes. Sometimes, seedlings wilt and topple over at soil level. These have succumbed to the “damping off” fungus, and won’t recover.

Indoors, start seeds for broccoli, cabbage, leeks and lettuce. It’s better to start fewer seeds, and then spend your energy growing them well. Seedlings need room: 6 to 8 seeds per small pot or cell. Provide bottom heat – place them on top of the fridge, or use a heating cable. Once emerged, seedlings need cooler temperatures and stronger light than most windows can provide now, so consider supplemental lighting. Again – do not water until absolutely necessary.

Peppers and eggplant are slow as molasses in January – start these now. If you don’t have a heated greenhouse it’s challenging but with bottom heat and grow lighting you can do it!

Don’t germinate your tomato seeds until March or April. Tomatoes sown too early grow leggy (searching for light), since they can’t be transplanted out until mid to late May.

No compost for potatoes

So many spuds, so little time – easily grown potatoes come in many shapes, textures and flavours including purple Peruvian, fingerlings, bananas, “German Butter” – get started now. You’ll need seed potatoes, #1 (one-gallon) black plastic pots, and moist growing medium – peat moss or coir will work or mix one of these half and half with potting soil. Potatoes dislike fresh organic matter – no fresh compost please. Put 7.5 cm (3 in.) soil in pot, top with one large or two small seeds, covering seed with at least 5 cm (2 in.) soil. Place pots in the greenhouse, ventilated indoor room or bright basement. Keep “hilling” potatoes as they sprout up, covering leaves with soil, watering lightly. Carefully transfer potato plants into the garden or large containers April through early May.

Coastal gardens have alluvial soil, which lacks some trace minerals. Glacial rock dust is gaining popularity as an organic additive. It’s available in garden centres. Incorporate lightly into the top layer of soil at planting time.

Be cautious when pruning marginally hardy plants including hebe, euphorbia and clematis (especially the texensis types). Warm days followed by dips to -10°C (14°F) or colder can kill a plant that is cut back too early. Wait until temperatures rise reliably and the possibility of severe wind chill passes before you pick up those pruners!

Overgrown, rangy forsythia can be “massively renovated” – a nicer way of saying cut down to almost nothing. You’ll need a pruning saw or stronger. When it re-grows – and it will – practise selective pruning. Keep unwanted shoots snipped at the base and it won’t take over – at least not as quickly.

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