This is the most important gardening weekend across the country as consistent warmer temperatures finally arrive, allowing even heat-loving plants to establish and grow successfully. From begonias to impatiens, from peppers to tomatoes, it marks the beginning of a long growing season to beautify homes and gardens while supplying tables with fresh food well into fall.
The Foundation: Soil Quality
Whether using containers or garden beds, the most important factor for success is the soil. With numerous brands of growing blends available, determining the best for specific needs can be challenging.
For all annual and vegetable plants, professional blends like Pro-Mix or Sun Gro Complete mixes are recommended. These Canadian products come in various sizes, with the largest compressed bales (3.8 cubic feet) offering the best value—when opened and moistened, they expand to 7–7.5 cubic feet of planting medium. Both brands offer traditional blends and more porous aggregate blends for plants like portulaca and succulents that require better drainage. Pro-Mix also offers a two cubic foot half-bale, which is easier to handle and yields about four cubic feet (112 litres) when loosened.
Raised Beds and In-Ground Gardens
Many vegetable garden beds are now raised. For these, leave the existing soil in place, work it well, and add a packaged soil blend along with organic matter like Sea Soil or composted manure to enrich it. Given the wet winter, adding dolomite lime at about 1.5 kg per 10 square meters will raise pH levels, helping plants access nutrients more easily.
For traditional in-ground plots, “no-till gardening” is the future. Work in as much organic matter as possible to a depth of six to eight inches (15–20 cm) to keep soil open and porous without rototilling. Done well, this creates a better growing texture with practice.
Plant Selection for Lasting Colour
To ensure colour lasts all summer, select plants that perform best in the appropriate spot. Hot sun-lovers like petunias, geraniums, gazanias, zinnias, portulaca, and SunPatiens, once acclimatized and planted in good soil, will perform splendidly. Two key factors are thorough watering and proper nutrients to maintain vigour. Adding organic matter dramatically increases moisture retention, while slow-release fertilizers like Garden Pro 14-14-14 feed all summer with minimal fuss.
Container Gardening Tips
If possible, use larger containers on decks and patios. A rectangular planter about two feet wide, two feet deep, and four feet long is a productive growing area. Vining plants like peas, beans, climbing tomatoes, and cucumbers can be grown vertically for more sun and better air circulation, maximizing space and yield. Ensure the trellis is well secured before vegetables form. Note that the weight of such a planter may not suit balconies, and windy days could challenge the trellis, but overall, these planters are a good investment.
