5 gardening tips for Victoria Day weekend

Gardeners across Waterloo Region are itching to put their shovels in the ground on Victoria Day, commonly known as the beginning of Ontario's gardening season.

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Perry Grobe of Grobe's Nursery in Breslau has these five tips for getting your garden off to a successful start.

1. Don't be in a rush

Althoughthe May long weekend is the unofficial start to the gardening season, Grobe stresses that you can wait to put your plants in the ground.

Holding off for a week or two could be particularly helpful this year, as the region has experienced some colder-than-normal temperatures over the past week.

"There are some plants that won't like the soil being as cold as it is right now," he says, referring to zucchini, basil, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. "It won't kill them, but they'll just sit there laughing at you."

If you have to buy your summer vegetables this weekend, Grobe recommends leaving them on a window sill for a couple of weeks.

2. Get the right tools

New gardeners don't need to buy everything in the gardening section of their local department store. According to Grobe, they only need a few key tools:

• Digging shovel or trowel
• Pair of pruners
• Pair of clippers, if you have hedges
• Hand weeder
• Decent hose or large watering can

3. Be picky about newplants

Due to last week's unseasonable temperatures, Grobe says gardeners looking to buy new plants should opt for ones that have been stored inside.

"If it's been outside over the last week or so with the cold temperatures, the root systems might be damaged and you won't know that until after it's been planted," he said.

When selecting a new tree, bush or shrub, pick ones that are either beginning to bud, or have already budded.

Regardless of type of plant, Grobe says not to pay too much attention to external appearances.

"It's been difficult for us to keep things looking perfect, because of all this weather," he says. "If things have minor imperfections on the tips, remember that ... it may be outside the control of the guys that have been growing it."

4. Prepare the soil

For those digging a new garden, Grobe suggests completely removing the turf from the area.

"I'm not a big fan of rototilling it under, because I find that often times the grass will grow back up through the new plants," he says.

If the soil under the turf is "half-way decent," turn it over with some peat moss and compost until the garden bed is a few inches higher than the lawn.

Grobe also recommends stomping on your new beds, to get some of the air out of the soil, and treating the plot with a transplant fertilizer that contains a rooting hormone.

"I can't stress strongly enough that that is the absolute secret thing that every person putting anything with roots in the ground should use."

He says the fertilizer forces a plant to produce a new root, which helps it establish itself in the new location.

5. Take care of your body

It may feel funny, but Grobe says it's important to stretch before you garden, and to take your time.

"I think sometimes, if you haven't done it for a while, there's [a feeling] that, 'Oh! It's the weekend. I've got to work! I've got to go at it!" and they bite off more than they can chew."

Instead of tackling everything in one day, he recommends breaking up the work into manageable chunks, "because at some point you'll want to drink some wine and enjoy looking at the garden, rather than worrying about how sore you are."

For more tips on preparing your body for a long day of gardening, tune in to CBC Radio One 89.1 FM in Waterloo Region Tuesday morning at 8:10 a.m.to hear a conversation with Kitchener chiropractor Dr. Steven Murdoch.