Spring Garden Prep: What to Plant and When in Southern Ontario

Spring Gardening Tips for Southern Ontario

As the snow melts away and warmer days return to Southern Ontario, it’s time to shake off the winter blues and start preparing your garden for the growing season. Whether you're in Niagara, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, or a nearby community, early spring is the perfect time to clean up your beds, enrich your soil, and start thinking about what to plant and when. The growing season in our region usually begins in late April to early May, depending on your specific location and the year’s weather conditions. The last expected frost typically occurs between April 30 and May 15, which is a key date to keep in mind when planning your planting schedule.

Start by clearing out garden beds, removing leaves, debris, and any leftover dead plant material from the fall and winter. Prune back ornamental grasses and perennials, and loosen the soil to improve drainage and root growth. Adding compost or organic matter now helps restore nutrients and sets your plants up for success.

In early spring, usually around early to mid-April, you can begin planting cold-hardy vegetables and flowers. These include lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, radishes, onions, carrots, and beets. For early-season color, pansies, snapdragons, violas, and calendula do well in cooler temperatures. While occasional frosts may still occur, these plants can typically handle it. If you're starting seeds indoors, this is also a great time to begin hardening them off for transplanting later.

Once the danger of frost has passed—typically after mid-May—you can move on to frost-sensitive vegetables and annuals. This is when you can safely plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, corn, and tender herbs like basil. You can also fill your flower beds with summer-loving blooms like petunias, marigolds, geraniums, zinnias, impatiens, and sunflowers. If you’ve grown any of these from seed indoors, be sure to gradually acclimate them to outdoor conditions before transplanting to avoid shock.

Spring is also the ideal time to plant or divide perennials, as well as to plant new shrubs and ornamental trees. The cooler, moist conditions in early spring help reduce transplant stress and promote strong root development. You can also prune back any dead or damaged branches before new growth takes off. Once your planting is done, edge your garden beds for a clean, crisp look, refresh your mulch to lock in moisture and reduce weeds, and consider fertilizing based on your soil’s needs.

If spring garden prep feels overwhelming or time is tight, Golden Lawn and Garden Care is here to help. We provide full-service garden cleanups, planting, mulching, and more across Niagara, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, and surrounding areas. Let us take care of the work so you can enjoy a beautiful, thriving garden all season long. Get in touch today to book your spring service and let your garden bloom!