While recent warm days have gardeners across Chestermere rolling up their sleeves, a guest at the Chestermere Community Playschool had students, and their moms, focused on a bit of spring planting that can handle the cool weather that may still appear.
“We all know weather here is unpredictable, and it still can get pretty cool at night – some of the annuals will need to be watched in case of frost,” said Wade Lester, owner of Garden Scents. “But this is a great time to start planting seeds as most of them will take a week or two to germinate. Peas, beans, spinach, kale, onions, lettuce – these are all vegetables that can be planted from seed and will do well if the weather is cool.”
Snap dragons, Sweet peas, violas, and assorted wildflowers were among the seeds that Wade helped students pot as part of a special Mother’s Day event for the 3 and 4 year olds and their mothers. c.
“If we are expecting frost overnight, watering plant material and using a blanket will help protect against minor frosts,” shared Wade. “If you forget, or see frost on your plants, especially those newly planted perennials, annuals, or not hardened off trees or shrubs, you can sometimes reduce the damage by watering the foliage of the plants as early as possible, before the sun thaws them. The water will help melt the frost and insulate the foliage so it thaws slowly – natural thawing by the sun can happen quickly, causing plant cells to burst faster, leaving you with more leaf damage.”
When asked what the best part of the playschool’s Mother’s Day class event was, students focused something that is great, no matter what the weather: “Having my mom at school is so fun,” said Elliott Conway, a student in the Tues/Thurs morning class. Which just shows, seeds of love grow no matter what kind of spring we have.
For more information about the Chestermere Community Playschool visit www.chestermereplayschool.com
