After a long winter, it's finally time to start thinking about getting your beds ready for planting the veggies you'll soon be growing. Here's a list of things to do in your garden in April and May. Aim to plant most of your veggies outside after the last frost date, which for Greater Sudbury is May 17. Many gardeners in the Greater Sudbury region do their major plantings after the first full moon in June, to avoid any late spring frosts that can kill young plants.
Early Spring
Prep the beds
Remove winter mulch, or work compost that has broken down into the top layer of the soil. Most vegetables only need 2 to 3 inches of good soil to grow well. Clear away dead leaves or any other debris from winter storms from the soil surface so you're ready to plant.
Prune
If you haven't already done it in the winter, trim and prune your fruit trees. Prune before buds begin to break into bloom or you'll stress the tree and get a tiny crop (or possibly none). Also prune blueberry, raspberry, gooseberry, current, and other fruit-bearing bushes.
Divide perennials
A good time to divide many perennials is just before their spring growth has begun. This includes perennial herbs. To keep herbs at their peak, they should be divided every 2-4 years. Use a garden fork or shovel and a sharp knife. Dig around the base of the plant and lever the root ball out from the soil. Grasp the clump and divide it with the sharp knife. Depending upon the size of the original plant, you may cut it in half, making two plants or multiple plants if the root ball is huge. Be sure that each divided section has roots and shoots. Perennial herbs include: bergamot, chamomile, chives, lovage, mint, oregano, tarragon, thyme, sage, winter savory.
Fertilize your garden
If you are correcting a soil nutrient deficiency based on a soil test, it’s best to fertilize well before you plant so that you can work the fertilizer deep into the soil. Otherwise, fertilize in the spring before planting your veggies and as growth begins for perennials. Here's a good guide: https://www.almanac.com/content/how-apply-fertilizers-your-garden
Start seeds and plant veggies
If you are starting seeds inside, some veggies need to be started 6 to 8 weeks before they are transplanted into your garden. This includes tomatoes and peppers.
Hardy, cool-season vegetables germinate best in cool soil, so plant those seeds in early to mid spring once the soil has thawed. They should be ready to harvest by early summer. Cool season crops germinate in cold soil and can grow in cool weather and with short periods of daylight.
Pea, onion, and lettuce seeds will germinate as low as 1 C. so plant them as soon as the ground is unfrozen and workable. Most other cold weather food crops will germinate in soil as cold as 4 C. So plant your root vegetables and leafy greens directly in the garden, including: beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, cabbage, collards, kale, spinach, swiss chard, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, potatoes.
Late Spring
Start more seeds
Other veggies only need 2 to 4 weeks to mature enough to be transplanted outside. Count back from the date you want to plant, and start those seeds inside. The back of your seed packets will tell you how many weeks it takes the seeds to germinate (start to sprout), and whether they are a good candidate for starting inside.
Seeds you can start indoors include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, peppers, pumpkins, swiss chard, tomatoes, watermelons.
Seeds that are best started outside include beets, carrots, cucumber, garlic, okra, onions, peas, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, squash/zucchini, sweet potatoes.
Seeds that can be planted either way includes beans, celery, kale, spinach.
Check the packet for more tips!
Plant warm weather veggies
After May 17, transplant warm-season seedlings like tomatoes, peppers, and all sorts of herbs. And start planting some seeds outside. You may want to wait to do this until after the last full moon in June. Some crops like cucumbers are extremely susceptible to frost and cold damage so they should be planted no earlier than 2 weeks after the last frost date.
Apply much
Once you've planted the majority of your plants, apply 2 to 3 inches of mulch to control weeds. Organic mulches include compost, shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves and leaf mold, straw (NOT hay), grass clippings, pine needles, or creative options like ground corncobs, coffee grounds, newspaper or cardboard.