To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
CTV
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
According to historical from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) the average mean temperature on the Monday of the long weekend over the past 10 years (in Winnipeg) has been around 13.5 Celsius – usually making it a suitable time for some garden planting.
Only four out of the last 10 holiday Mondays have experienced precipitation - with 2021 being the most recent year with 2.8 millimetres.
However, with the city dealing with lots of rain lately, and even contending with an unusually strong hail storm this past Thursday, the recent weather may make you pause.
Carla Hrycyna, the president and co-owner of St. Mary’s Nursery and Garden Centre, says this spring’s rain has been beneficial.
“May long weekend is traditionally the time that we want to be out in our garden and I think this season it may be the time that we can actually get growing. The ground is thawed out beautifully, and the rain has helped to go with that, so if we can get into our gardens and start moving some things around like getting some planting, I think it grow time. Just be cautious, we always watch about the weather. But I think this season, I think it’s good to grow," said Hrycyna.
Another school of thought for gardeners is to hold off planting until after the full moon.
