Gardeners Wheel
There is a natural rhythm to the lifecycle of a northern garden. Certain
activities are essential for all gardens, no matter what Zones you live in.
Every gardener has his or her own Wheel of the Year where gardening chores and
pleasures are defined by the number of frost free days in their own yard.
These little microclimates are created by:
Elevation: This really affects frost, which always comes earlier in low
lying areas.
Slope: Most gardeners agree that the perfect location for a garden is on
a south facing slope, which have a longer growing period than their north facing
counterparts.
Wind: Sheltered areas will generally be warmer. Winds will also dry the
soil and can damage plants. Wind coming in off the water will sometimes ward off
early frosts.
Finding Your Zone
The number of frost free days in each little microclimate will define each individual Gardener's Wheel. For instance, technically I live on the edge of an area between Zone 5 and Zone 6. My home is located at the foot of a 300' hill, about 120 feet off the valley floor. I live in a sheltered little mini valley. So, even though the north side of the hill slopes up behind me, I can grow plants for zone 6b. Further up the valley, breezes from the Minas Basin help make the town of Wolfville another little pocket of Zone 6B. If you're new to an area and unsure, ask at the local nurseries or Garden Clubs.
The Canadian Gardeners' Wheel
No matter where you live, there is a natural rhythm to year for Canadian Gardens. I always find that the year naturally divides itself into eight little seasons. This has held true whether I was living in northern Alberta, in Central or Northern Ontario, in North New Brunswick or here in Nova Scotia. The only difference between each area is how early or late these activities happen. All the frost free days do is define what types of plants you can grow and how much time you have for dreaming and planning in the winter.
Early Winter
Easily the most leisurely time of the year for most gardeners.
This is a time to take stock of the year. If you have been
saving seeds, by now they are usually dry and ready to package
away for the spring.
Late Winter
This is a time when the seductive pleasure of curling up by the
fire with sketch pads and seed catalogues can easily inspire
even seasoned gardeners to bite off more than they can chew.
Fortunately, winter lasts long enough to help us regain our
perspective. Keeping a seed inventory can be an effective
reality check. Late winter is an excellent time to build gardens
planters and ornaments in the workshop. This is a good time to
clean up the greenhouse and cold frames for planting. However
tempting, it still is not time to start seeds, not unless you
want weak spindly plants. And of course stomping out the spaces
for tentative new beds in every fresh snowfall is a time honored
tradition!
Early Spring
This is the six week period of time before the last spring frost
in your garden. Here in my yard, the frost free days normally
start the middle of May, so i think of the beginning of April as
the start of Early Spring on my gardening wheel. Now its time to
start those tender annual seeds in the greenhouse and cold
frames. This is a great time to tidy up winter debris from the
yard. Its also my favourite time to prune roses and other hardy
shrubs and trees. Save the cuttings of course to see if you can
root them in the greenhouse. If you are planning purchases from
the local nurseries, this is the best time to shop to get the
selection you want. Gardening is big business now and many
places offer great specials, especially the week or two before
Mothers Day. Be careful to shop around as prices can vary
widely. For instance, last summer the grocery chain that had
such great deals the year before had somehow become much more
expensive than the local nurseries.
Late Spring
In some of the areas I have lived in, this has been the shortest
part of the wheel. For instance, in Northern Alberta, the first
frost free day came a scant two weeks before the real summer
weather started. This is one of the busiest times of year in the
garden. There is an eternal debate about waiting until this time
to plant seeds directly in the garden. I prefer to wait until
the frost free days have started because i sit on the "seeds
will come quicker if the soil is warmer" side of the fence.
After all, I'm not a commercial farmer trying to get the best
price by getting my crop to market first. If time is of the
essence, one could always invest in some of the are great season
extenders out there, such as row covers and water walls. Early
Spring is also a busy time with tilling and weeding as its
generally better to wait to mulch until the plants have all
surfaced.
Early Summer
If you can spare time from the weeding, this can be a great time
to check the local grocery and hardware store garden centers for
end of season specials. Check carefully to see if the vendor
still honors guarantees on items bought at this time. Or you
could simply have a cutting swap party with some of your
gardening buddies. This is a time to really savour the fragrance
of your garden while you are keeping up with the weeding and
feeding.
Late Summer
If you are growing herbs and vegetables for keeping, this is the
very busiest time of the wheel. Pickling, canning and freezing
are all underway. Herbs are hanging everywhere to dry and seeds
are being picked and dried. Fortunately, if the weeding and
feeding chores have been kept up, there will be time for all of
this processing and preserving.
Early Fall
At this point in the game, most of the hard work is done. This
is a time to gather seeds and enjoy the last fresh tomatoes of
the season. Here in Zone 6b, its also time to plant fall greens
and even peas on a good year. In warmer climes this is a season
to be savoured, but in more northerly zones this is a short
lived span that can be counted in days.
Late Fall
After the frosts have begun, late fall settles in. Time to
finish tilling any last beds and plant spring bulbs. If you use
cover crops for green manure, its a good time to plant your
winter rye. (Note: in colder zones winter cover crops are best
started in early fall.) I normally collect leaves from friends
in the village at this time, to layer with vegetable scraps in
my composters for the winter. If you're handy with crafts, this
is a good time to pick vines to tie into wreaths for later.
