Growing Pumpkins in Ontario: Will They Ripen in Time?
Yes, pumpkins can ripen in most of Ontario, but only if the flowers open early enough.
Gardening in Ontario
Everything we have worked out for Ontario: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Toronto, the last spring freeze falls around April 30 and the first fall freeze falls around October 16, 2,297 growing degree days in the year.
That is enough for early varieties, tight for anything late. Garlic does well: 30.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Ontario: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from Environment and Climate Change Canada. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When Does the Heating Season Start in Ontario?
Ontario homes typically switch the heat on in September, once daytime highs and overnight lows settle into that gray zone where a house without a furnace…
When to Sow Carrots in Ontario: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Carrots go into the ground as seed, not as transplants, and they take 70 to 100 days to mature from that sowing date.
Will Carrots Fork in Ontario Soil?
The dirt under most Ontario carrot beds is loam to silt loam with a fair amount of clay running through it, and the layer just below the surface packs…
Growing Parsnips in Ontario: Will They Sweeten?
Yes, parsnips grown in Ontario will sweeten, and the region’s cold season all but guarantees it.
Beet Soil in Ontario: What the Root Will Meet
Sow a beet seed into Ontario’s typical farmland soil and it meets a loam, not sand or clay.
Growing Carrots in Ontario: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Ontario’s most common cropland soil carries enough clay in its makeup, and a denser layer just beneath the surface, to warn any carrot grower to slow…
Growing Beets in Ontario: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Ontario’s farmland runs mostly to Luvisol soil: loamy on the surface but with clay banked up in the subsoil, well drained, median pH near 6.5.
When to Start Pepper Seed in Ontario
In most of Ontario, start pepper seed indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before your expected transplant date.
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Ontario
Peppers in Ontario usually stall for a cold reason, not a hot one. This province logs essentially zero days a year at or above 90 F at the reference…