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The owner of a Saskatoon greenhouse says she and her team are preparing for a rush of customers ahead of the next two weekends, typically the busiest times of the year for local green thumbs.
Nikki van Duyvendyk, owner of Dutch Growers, says it is “all hands on deck” at her store as growers flock to her shop at the sight of warmer weather at the start of the planting season.
“Mother’s Day weekend is really the kickoff of the whole season. It’s when you typically will start putting in your garden, your trees, and shrubs and cleaning up your yards,” she said, adding that the Victoria Day long weekend tends to be the other busiest weekend.
Van Duyvendyk says her greenhouse is prepared by hiring additional staff — growing the team from around 40 in the off-season to approximately 110.
“That’s really just making sure that we have enough people so that we can water everything, teach people how to plant, how to garden, and also enjoy what we’re doing at the same time.”
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As the snow melts and temperatures begin to warm, experts say May is often when green thumbs start getting eager to put plants in the ground. But they caution to keep an eye on the weather forecast in case the temperature drops too low at night, endangering your plant’s survival.
“Our last average frost date is somewhere around May 15 to May 21, but we have to keep in mind that that’s the last average frost date. So there’s still a chance that we can get frost after that date,” said Brooke Culver, horticulture outreach specialist at the University of Saskatchewan.
“You can certainly start buying your seeds this time of year. I would hold off on planting until after the May long weekend,” said Culver.
With rising food and fuel prices, experts say they are already noticing different types of growers shopping around.
“It’s definitely the younger generations as well, which is so amazing to see a lot of new gardeners, people that have never planted before, coming in,” said van Duyvendyk.
Culver has the same observations and recommends that new growers start small and not be afraid to make mistakes.
“Really pay attention to the information that comes on that seed packet. That will tell you when to plant it out. It will tell if it’s better to start it indoors as a transplant or to sow it directly into your garden,” said Culver.
While gardening can be intimidating for first-timers, experts say reaching out to the community can make getting started easier.
“Connecting with other growers, connecting with your neighbours, the people you work with, friends and family. We’re here to help you on your gardening journey,” said Culver.
The University of Saskatchewan’s Gardenline resource offers free, research-backed advice for all growers, said Culver, adding that there has been a recent influx in queries within the past few weeks.
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