If you live in Canada (or anywhere where spring has just arrived), this post is for YOU! Today I’m talking directly to all the gardeners for whom gardening season has only *just* begun. We’re pretty much still looking at bare lawn patches (maybe with a hint of green), eager (and possibly foolhardy) bright-green shoots, and the hardiest of spring-blooming bulbs. But take heart! Because this is the perfect time to be planning a garden and preparing for the growing season.

Between a bout of pneumonia last fall and then being pregnant and then having a newborn (not complaining about the baby – only the pneumonia!), I’ve basically missed an entire season in my garden. I am beyond excited to really get going with my garden this year, but of course there’s a whole lot of planning and preparation to do before things get too established. 

The last real garden update I wrote was waaaaayyy back in 2015. (Bad blogger, bad!) I definitely have some remedial blogging to take care of this year. As a starting point, I’ve rounded up some of the best gardening and garden-planning posts from my fellow bloggers living in colder climates, as inspiration not only for you but for me! (I’ll have more specific garden plans coming up in a post really soon.)

Resources for Planning & Planting a Garden in Colder Climates

 

Brittany Stager | How to Build a U-Shaped Raised Garden Bed (+ free building plans!)

Brittany and her husband built this beautiful raised veggie bed, and their instructions (and FREE plans!) are impeccable. I love that the u-shape allows for easier access for watering, weeding, and harvesting. Such a smart idea!

 

Madness & Method | Building A Raised Garden Bed

Another fabulous resource for building raised beds. Nicole’s instructions are easy to follow and her instructions are really clear!

 

Satori Design for Living | Cold-Tolerant Annuals for Early Planting

Fantastic ideas for annuals that will survive in the colder early gardening season. Here in Canada, we sometimes get cold snaps, even in May! This is a really helpful post on what to plant that will survive our colder springs.

 

Flourish & Knot (yours truly!) | Top 10 Tips for New Gardeners

I put together this list of tips two years ago, as a resource from one new gardener to another. If you’re just starting out on your gardening journey, let me pass along a few things I’ve learned in my first years of keeping a garden.

 

Just Plain Marie | How to Figure Out When to Plant Your Veggie Garden

Marie has great tips for calculating the right time to plant your vegetable seeds, taking into account things like frost-free dates, soil temperature, and so on. I paid close attention to this post, because it is full of valuable info for a new gardener!

 

Ugly Duckling House | How to Dream Big About Outdoor Spaces (But Keep it Real)

Now, I know I said that this post was specifically for those gardening in the North Pole (kidding!), but this post from Ugly Duckling House was too chock-full of great tips to pass up (even though Sarah is blogging from the southern US). I love her dream-big-but-don’t-go-overboard approach to planning an outdoor space! 

 

Empress of Dirt | 48 Money-Saving Gardening Tips

AMAZING ideas for saving money on your garden. I’m sure we all love to save some $$ but if you’re a new homeowner and have a teeny-tiny budget for your garden, this resource is invaluable. Empress of Dirt has tonnes of awesome gardening content for you! [As the name would suggest. :-)]

 

Other AMAZING Resources for Garden and Landscape Planning!

 

Suburble | Building a Greenhouse

I have some major greenhouse lust after reading Tara’s chronicles of building THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GREENHOUSE EVER. Seriously. Read the post. Even if you live in a one-bedroom apartment with no outdoor space. It is a thing of beauty.

 

Creek Line House | How to Successfully Grow Your First Grape Vines

Why yes, I do think I’ll plant my own vineyard. Our little suburban backyard is plenty of room, right? Well, lucky for Courtenay, she has lots of space for her DIY vineyard, and it is SO COOL! 

By the way, if you ARE living with less outdoor space (perhaps you only have access to a balcony or windowsill?) I have a few container gardening posts over in my Floral & Garden section!

Two Plus Cute | Planting an Arborvitae

A great resource if you are planning a live privacy wall for your outdoor space. Great tips on how to plant, transplant and care for an arborvitae tree.  

 

Love Create Celebrate | Getting Your Lawn Ready for Spring 

… In a place where the snow just melted. 🙂 Lindi has put together a great post on how to prepare your lawn to thrive all season. (And I commiserate with her about the state of her lawn.)

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We’re supposed to get some good weather in the days ahead, so I am hoping to be able to start sowing some of my hardier seeds outside soon. We’ve had some reasonably warm weather lately (for Quebec, that is!), so what I’m most concerned about are the night-time temperatures. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the forecast, and reading up on when to start sowing! 

In the meantime, if you have gardening advice, particularly for those just starting their season, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. I’m ALWAYS appreciative of the tips and tricks of more experienced gardeners. 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend!