When we feel the warmth of the sun it seems like it’s time to get out the garden tools and work up the flowerbeds and the vegetable garden.

If you don’t have space for a vegetable garden you can turn to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food to find all kinds of information on container gardening. This is an excerpt from the website: “Using containers, people can grow food just about anywhere there is enough sunlight: on balconies, windowsills, decks and paved spaces. Containers or raised beds also provide more accessibility for elderly or physically challenged gardeners, and they can be used when underlying soil is too contaminated to be used to grow edible crops. Many vegetables and herbs are suitable for container gardening. The bigger the container, the longer the list of plants that can be grown. Keep in mind plants grown in containers are grown in soilless media that drains quickly and must be watered more frequently than their soil-grown counterparts.”

The Ministry of Agriculture has a map to show planting dates for vegetables in Ontario. Prince Edward is split into two zones. Zone B is South of Picton and shows a frost free period (average in days) of 160 to 170.

The average date of last spring frost is April 30 and the average date of first fall frost is October 13.

Zone C is North of Picton and shows a frost free period (average in days) of 150 to 170. The average date of last spring frost is May 3 and the average date of first fall frost is October 8. These dates are approximate of course but give a guide for planting and growing seasons.

We have some events coming up this month that might be of interest to gardeners. “Garden in a Container” with Lise Bois; “Greenhouses and Bees” with David Middleton; “The Garden County of Canada” with Terry Sprague. For more information or to participate in these one hour online webinars, call Community Care at 613-476-7493, check the activity calendar on the website at www.communitycareforseniors.org or email [email protected]

There are lots of webinars available through Community Care’s Active Living Programs and to see the full list click the “Activity Calendar” button in the top right of every webpage. Community Care has a Home Maintenance program that sees screened workers provide yardwork, gardening and other outside work for seniors. Call the office to find out more about this. You must be signed up as a client of Community Care to have access to these workers.

Call 613-476-7493 for more info,

-Debbie MacDonald Moynes