I personally haven't planted anything new this year yet, but that's at least partially because I've been so busy. Anyway I'm pretty convinced I'll do some planting tomorrow, but still the forecast is calling for crummy weather the next couple days. Oh well, I'm sure planting season will come around sooner or later.

More like yo-yo weather down East. Sunday and Monday it was so hot 30+, I couldn't stay out for more than 20 minutes at a time. Too hot to plant, move or divide anything. Since then, someone turned the cold switch on again. The high this week is around 10 and windy. Brrrr Calling for 21 and sunny on Saturday, that's just about right for me.

It is currently raining here, over an inch so far. We desperately need it (rancher talking here) as for the gardener in me, come on sun. I have had hard frosts all week. C

It is now snowing here. C

So far we haven't actually got any more frost..although the last few nights have been pretty close calls. And rain rain RAIN!! Even with us being ranchers, we don't want any more rain. We're not done seeding and the pasture needs heat now to take off.

I don't have a veggie garden dug yet to plant, but my mom and sister have both already planted their garden; I think they'll be fine...they probably won't take off until it warms up and stops raining though.

And NAF(see..I'm being good!) - I DO recall the long weekend being planting time! I'm a big girl too! ;)

I still don't understand the May long weekend thing. I moved here 7 years ago. It doesn't make much sense that both S.Ontario gardeners and Prairie gardeners plant everything on this weekend - these are totally different climates! It's a bit too late for planting broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, peas, and things like that. It's also a bit too early for tomatoes, peppers and melons as we are seeing with this year's weather. I'm now harvesting radishes and gai lan; my first peas should be ready in a week. I did put out some peppers but I felt it was a mistake and now I know it was.

Eh? It's fine to plant peas and radishes now.

Drhorticulture:

I've lived in Zone 7 and in Zone 2b/3a and the May long weekend thing applied (as far as I could tell) for the most part, in both places. Although in Zone 7 a lot of perennials were blooming in late February, most annuals and some vegetables didn't get planted there until at least the middle of May. Sometimes I planted on the May long weekend. It depended on what you were going to plant.

Oh, and it isn't too late to plant peas, beans, lettuce, etc., in Zone 3. If you've got one crop almost ready, plant another. I aways plant peas and beans about 2-3 weeks apart so I get to harvest them for much longer =:) I planted one tomato plant two weeks ago just in case we had good weather. It's not particularly impressed. =:)

Yes, but I always take folklore with a pinch of salt :). I'm pretty sure that spring planting dates for Toronto (away from the lake) and Saskatoon are different,probably by 2 weeks. So, it just doesn't make sense to plant the same crop on May long weekend in both places.
I'm frustrated by Prairie garden centers because they never have starts available for the right time. Never staggered. Everything is sold in the same mid-May to early June period, which just continues to encourage gardeners to plant everything in this narrow time frame. It doesn't have to be that way.
Also if you live in the warmer areas, like S.Manitoba, peas and radishes run into summer heat very quickly if they're not planted early.

Drhorticulture

I feel the same way. It really bugs me that everything is shipped pretty much at the same time. I imagine it's for the convenience and profit margins of the growers.

What drives me even more crazy, is when they sell things at grocery stores that can't possibly grow to their full potential in certain zones. A primula, for instance, that blooms in February on Vancouver Island, can't possibly bloom in February where it's -30 and with 3 feet of snow covering it. It's just not the same growing it indoors.

Rant rant =:)

Here comes the rain, again !

It rained and snowed like mad here in Calgary. Over 55mm of precip. last night. The snow actually accumulated.

Well all the snow melted yesterday, (South and West of Calgary) but I woke up this morning to a whole new batch. and it is still coming down. Hope this is the last of it. They (the weather god's) are still calling for 20 degrees by Thursday. Cheryl

Just heard from a friend in Camrose area and it's snowing like crazy out there. My veggies consist of a pot of tomatoes and one of lettuce. My garden for the year. And since it's only 4 out here I think I shall bring the tomatoes into the house.

I can't imagine how you guys feel when you see snow. I think I'd lose it !

We've had a lot of rain. The lawn is looking pretty good, which it rarely does.

I've stopped moving my plants in and out. At least the garage has a north facing window so they get a little bit of light.

I'm sure I'll survive, and just hope the plants do, too, particularly the 2 Mandevilla vines that cost $21.95 each !

Sigh....My tomatoes are in the ground and it is now snowing on them...I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they make it.

Here it's white and still coming down, tomorrow night will be the night
of make it or brake it.
Stan say's....don't plant before June 6th.

Konrad

Talk about discouraging weather, it's now only just over three weeks before the days again begin to shorten ... how's that for depressing!

But, who knows, maybe we'll have a great summer!

Terry

Lots of heavy rain here (though fortunately too warm for snow). I still need to plant a few pots and then a flower bed, but don't want to walk on muddy squishy grass (we reseeded and resodded parts). On the plus side, the grass is starting to germinate.

Glen

Fially stopped snowing. Temp was zero all night and now is up to 2. The (hopefully) beginning of a warm spell.

I AM SO TIRED OF BEING COLD AND STILL WEARING MY WINTER JACKET. fEH

The snow finally stopped. It's getting sunny out there. Let's hope there no more snow until at least September, LOL.

I've been in Edmonton for about 25 years and was always told not to plant before the week after the May 24 weekend. Like this weekend, I've seen lots of gotcha's. I still want to plant by May 1st :) May is the nicest weather (other than freezing) we get.

I spent a couple hours outside Saturday morning carefully shaking snow off my trees and bushes - about 8" of heavy wet stuff, then it started melting faster than it was falling. We got aroud 3" between the rain and the snow. This wasn't nearly as bad as 2007, though. I only lost some smaller branches and some that were growing at too low an angle. I looked it up - it was around May 25, 2007 - I was woken up at about 5:00 AM by the sound of big tree limbs breaking.
My planting times - Potatoes go out between May 5th and 10th. The main garden goes in between May 17th and 27th. I plant my perennials out in May, and pansies go out early - sometimes snapdragons, but they break so badly if they get that heavy snow. My petunias will start going out this week, with the really tender stuff like basil and tomatoes not going out until June 7th or so, and getting row covers on top. I know they could probably go out sooner, most years, but I've lost too many plants to frost over the years. I think my latest frost was about July 7th - one of those freaky things.

Connie

My uncle has always planted all of his garden early, I bet this year he's gotten zip for cucumbers and beans! I usually throw a row cover over the cucumbers, but with the forecast still not looking very good, I think I'll plant them in pop ups. Last year, I had needed to replant the beans three times, they just kept rotting in the cold ground.

HURRY UP AND WARM UP!

Tery

So, how's everybody doing with their planting?

We had a nice day yesterday, but I was busy until 8:00 in the evening, so I planted only a few things last night.

Today I put on my stupid mosquito spray and planted a few more things until it rained and I got soaked and fed up and went inside.

My daylily order arrived today, and even if their home was ready, I'm sure it would be too hard to plant in the muck.

Much more of this and I feel I'm going to give up trying....

Yesterday was pretty nice out. However I was gone for 12 hours driving a bus load of Junior High students to their zone track meet. I was awfully glad it didn't rain on us there, or it would have been a soggy ride home. Today they were forecasting 30% chance of showers - it's been raining steadily since 9:00. I'm always glad to see rain in our dry country, but I had hoped to do some planting tonight. At least I finally got the rest of my plants out of the basement and into the greenhouse - finished building extra shelves on the weekend, and last night was the first one without a risk of frost or snow since the middle of last week. Maybe on the weekend?

Connie

This morning was rather nice, so I started putting out the tomato plants, then the wind really came up and the temperature dropped and it began spitting rain. This is the latest start to my planting out :(

Well, I do look forward to summer when it finally does arrive ... all three weeks of it!

Terry

I haven't got so much to complain about as you guys out west, but the way things have been going, i don't know when i'll into my planting. Every nice day, it seems i'm busy or have committments (like work), and then on the days i'm free, it rains. Like the weekend coming up - rain both days. I'm jus going to have to go out in the rain and get my tomatoes into the ground. This is nuts!