Just when the whirlwind of winter holidays is over, and things start to relax, March swoops in and a flurry of spring tasks and to-dos, pulling us in every direction. From spring cleaning to filing taxes, unpredictable weather, and a high-octane basketball season, it’s important to take time to relax and find sanctuary amongst the March madness! Spring planting is a great way to ease stress in March while cultivating a beautiful outdoor space to enjoy until next winter.
Spring Planting and Other Garden Tasks to Beat the March Madness
March in the Edmonton area is still too cold to start planting outdoors, unless you’re planting our Salisbury-grown pansies that is! Our last frost date is typically mid-to-late April, so there’s still a few weeks of chilly weather to get through. However, that doesn’t mean you have to wait until the threat of frost is gone to begin your yearly garden tasks. Here are some ways you can get a head start on gardening season, find joy in planning and planting, and savour the crisp air and sunshine of spring.
Try Planting Seeds Indoors
It’s too cold for delicate seedlings to stay outside quite yet, but you can definitely start seeds indoors! Find a sunny windowsill to place your seed cups, or pick up a mini greenhouse like the SunBlaster Nanodome with a built-in UV lamp to help those baby plants grow.
Your seeds will do best in a seed starting mix. This formula is quite different from potting soil””it has far less nutritional content, but it is much more sterile to protect vulnerable seedlings from bacteria and viruses.
Once the threat of frost has passed, you’ll have to slowly transition your seedlings from indoors to outdoors through a process called “hardening off.” Essentially, you bring your seedlings outside temporarily for a bit longer each day over the course of two weeks. Start with one hour per day, then increase to two, then three, and so on, until they’re comfortable enough to handle direct sunbeams all day long.
Create a Garden Journal
Going into the gardening season with a solid game plan will make it much easier to execute once you’re ready to begin planting! Garden journals are a fantastic multi-purpose tool””use them for list-making, creating planting schedules, designing garden layouts, and compiling vision boards or inspiration pics.
Get some pretty coloured pens and enjoy the process of putting your journal together””it’s such a fun way to get prepared for the season, so the madness of March doesn’t continue through April, May, and June!
Pick Your Plants
Picking out all the flowers, plants, tasty edibles, and fragrant herbs for your garden is one of the most fun parts of March! If planting seeds indoors is on your March to-do list, here are the best choices for Edmonton.
The Best Flower Seeds to Plant in March
Early May is a safe time to start planting your seeds in Edmonton, which means you should look for flowers that you can start 6″“8 weeks before the frost date. Check the back of the seed packet, and it should provide instructions for when to start planting. Some flowers take much longer to develop, whereas some grow very fast and are better for directly planting into garden soil, so it’s good to be discerning about which flowers to start planting in March.
Here are flower seeds to start planting in March in Edmonton:
- Asters
- Celosia
- Marigolds
- Gomphrena
- Cosmos
- Salvia
- Strawflowers
- Alliums
- Bachelor Buttons
The Best Vegetable Seeds to Plant in March
Starting vegetables from seed indoors is a fantastic way to save big money in the garden””a packet of 100 seeds can cost the same as one starter plant! Here are the best vegetables to start in March, so they’re ready to plant after our frost date:
- Tomatoes
- Eggplants
- Tomatillos
- Okra
- Basil
For everything you need to start your March 2022 planting, whether it’s seeds, potting mediums, seed cups, or must-have garden tools, Salisbury Greenhouse in Sherwood Park and St. Albert has a top-tier selection for every garden, regardless of your garden size or budget. Have a fun and stress-free spring, and don’t forget to record those basketball games on the PVR!
