Wintery conditions mean crunch time for gardeners

An early blast of winter means the clock is ticking for Saskatoon gardeners to prepare their plants for the cold.

Dave Van Duyvendyk, a plant expert with Dutch Growers, said that with overnight lows expected to dip well into the minuses, the clock is ticking for plants like tulips, begonias, potatoes and beets.

“As soon as the frost penetrates into the soil, it’s going to be damaging those root crops,” he said.

With the snow coming a bit earlier this year, Van Duyvendyk said some plants may not have had time to shed their leaves.

“Get rid of any snow that’s on top of the leaves and allow the leaves to fall off the plant so they can go dormant,” he said.

Other plants, like roses, can benefit from bark mulch to insulate their roots and huts to prevent sunscald, according to Van Duyvendyk.

Van Duyvendyk also reminded people to get their sprinklers blown out as soon as possible if they haven’t already.