Garden to-do by the middle of May
As soon as the snow has melted and the sun becomes more consistent, many Canadians start thinking about gardening. Use our timeline to prep your garden at different stages of the early season:
WHAT to do:
- Wash patio containers with a solution of one part liquid bleach and nine parts water to kill disease pathogens.
- Sharpen shovel and lawn mower blades.
- Check hoses for leaks; oil garden-cart wheels.
WHEN: April
WHAT to do:
- Early in the month, prune branches from forsythia, quince, cherry and apricot trees, and bring indoors for forcing.
- Turn compost piles.- Edge the lawn.
- Uncover roses when buds are red and prune back to live greenwood. Cut back overgrown clematis and honeysuckle vines. Remove last year's fruit-bearing canes from raspberries.
- Start seeds of heat-loving plants, such as tomatoes, basil and squash, indoors.
- Purchase balled and burlapped trees and shrubs; plant before buds break.
WHEN: Early May
WHAT to do:
- To eliminate insect larvae, spray roses and woody shrubs with dormant oil when danger of daytime frost is past but before buds open.
- Vigorously rake lawn to remove thatch accumulation, then machine-aerate to improve soil oxygen.
- Plant potted roses.
- Purchase shredded bark mulch and spread two inches thick over soil before weeds sprout.
WHEN: Mid-May
WHAT to do:
- Divide overgrown clumps of iris, daylilies and phlox before stems and leaves are three inches high.
- Fertilize roses, perennials and lawns.
- Spread aged manure or garden compost over vegetable beds and turn soil when it is drained and workable.
- Remove seed pods and feed tulips and daffodils with perennial fertilizer when
their flowers are finished.
- Sow seeds for cool-season beets, carrots, radish, spinach, poppies and larkspur directly into garden soil.
- Patch bare areas of lawn with grass seed, covering the seed with peat moss and keeping it wet until germination.
- Buy plant stakes and set peony frames in place before stems are extended.
Click to continue for more tips on how to prepare your garden for the growing season...
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