Few Torontonians know when the best time to plant a garden is. Each has their own method for deciding when’s the best time, ranging from the calendar date to instead looking to see what the trees and birds are up to and following suit.
Many people take advantage of the Victoria Day weekend (that’s May 24th this year), but some feel that might be too late, or figure they’d much rather be BBQing. To follow the older rule of (green) thumb, most gardeners try and wait until the last frost has passed, so the May 24th weekend works most of the time.
The latest frost ever recorded on Bloor Street was over thirty years ago on May 2nd. However, the latest frost ever recorded at Pearson Airport was over 60 years ago, on May 28th. And, each year these last frosts come just a little sooner. The Bloor Street average for last frost of the year is April 16th, and the Pearson Airport average last frost is May 4th.
This spring has also been unseasonably warm. You don’t have to wait too much longer to put root vegetables or ground plants in the garden – they can even be planted now. Cold weather vegetables can generally tolerate the seasonal hurdles that might get periodically thrown at them, and these include spinach, kale, lettuce, peas and radishes. Warm-weather veggies are brought in from areas around the globe that don’t generally see harsh winters or frost – they should be left until later, and these include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and beans.
If you missed the spring planting season this year, it’s not too late to set up certain veggies for harvest later this summer and fall. Some late-season plants include artichokes, snap beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, garlic, endive, radishes and spinach.
