The sun may be shining, but don’t let it fool you—spring planting season isn’t here yet. As eager gardeners look to dig in, Shea Doherty, Operations Manager of Our Farm Greenhouses, says the best thing you can do now is wait, prep, and plan.
"It looks beautiful outside, but it's not quite time to plant – the ground is too cold," Doherty notes.
Instead, now is the time for cleanup and preparation. Gardeners can begin by removing straw from perennials and raking away leaves, setting the stage for when soil temperatures are more favorable. Garlic is one of the few exceptions, and peas, though it might still be too early for even them.
"You could do some radishes because they don’t mind that cooler temperature, but it’s a little early for many of the products to get planted. I would hold off another week or two!”
Doherty explains that if the soil is still wet or clumpy, it can work against the seeds, preventing proper germination, which leads to rot.
Beginner crops for new gardeners
If you’re new to gardening, Doherty recommends starting with easy crops like corn and carrots.
"Corn is easy to grow, but you won’t start that till usually in the middle of May," Doherty adds. "Carrots are always fun and delicious to have on the table all the time."
For first-time growers, prepping the garden space is key. That means breaking new ground, adding manure for nutrients, and ensuring your soil is rich enough to support growth.
"If you're doing container gardening, remember that the biggest key would be keeping them moist over the summer months. Either have somebody who can monitor them for you or have an automated watering system that will kick on now and then to make sure they stay moist."
Moisture is especially crucial for vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce.
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Picking the right garden spot
When choosing where to plant, sunlight is one of the most important factors.
"The more sun you can give them, the better and more robust they will be. A prime location that gets at least six to seven hours of sun is a must to have a good yield with vegetable products."
Lettuce and leafy greens, however, thrive with shade during the day's peak heat.
Morning sun works well for those products. They want the sun, but they don't want the heat. If you can, plant something slightly taller, like corn, to shade it in the heat of the day. That would help your lettuce stay sweet instead of bitter."
Support pollinators like bees and butterflies
In addition to growing your food, a well-planned garden can support endangered pollinators like bees and monarch butterflies. Doherty, who also keeps bees, stresses the importance of planting with these creatures in mind.
"Bees are awesome, they’re amazing pollinators," says Doherty.
While bees and butterflies aren't the only pollinators, bee populations across North America have been hit especially hard this year, with overall losses nearing 80 per cent.
"Don't flip out when you see a bee flying around. They're only going to sting you or get angry at you if you're going to swat at them. They're not like a wasp—they're lovable and livable creatures. Have things that would help them pollinate and get a food source. Pollen and nectar help them rejuvenate their hives faster. They love petunias, and you can plant them around the edge of your flower garden, so they aren't directly by your house. Marigolds don't give a lot to the bees, but they attract them to the other products they can pollinate. Cucumbers are also lovely bee feeders."
Doherty says flowers such as bachelor buttons and salvia plants attract butterflies and even hummingbirds to a garden. These pollinators can boost vegetable yields and keep ecosystems balanced.
Tree and shrub care
April is also a great time to prune trees. Doherty says trees are ready for shaping and thinning as sap flow begins, but before they fully fill out.
"It's a perfect time; they're starting to come back to life. You don't want to hit them when they're too awake because the sap is really flowing. You can take some of those branches off and trim them now, so they aren't rubbing against each other. This way, they'll grow more robust through the summer months."
However, when it comes to shrubs, waiting until signs of life return allows gardeners to identify which branches have survived winter.
"You want shrubs to come back, so you can see where the winter killed them and where the live branches are. Give them another week or two before you start trimming your shrubs.
As the weather slowly shifts, patience remains the gardener’s greatest tool. With a little prep now and an eye for pollinators, sunlight, and soil, Portage gardens will be ready to thrive once the final frost has thawed.