When Can You Plant in Sault Ste. Marie?

Every year we get the same question.

“Is it safe to plant yet?”

And honestly, it depends a lot on what you’re planting.

We usually tell people to plan for frost until around May 24-28 and even

then some years we still get cold nights after that.

We've seen people plant everything on the first warm weekend in May and then one cold night hits and sets everything back.

What You CAN Plant Early:

• pansies

• violas

• lettuce

• kale

• cabbage

• broccoli

These are all cold tolerant, so they'll be okay with cooler nights.

This is why you'll see a lot of pansies out early, they can actually take the cold up to -4C.

What You Should WAIT On:

• tomatoes

• peppers

• cucumbers

• zinnias

• marigolds

• most hanging baskets

Even if they don't die, cold nights will stunt them or slow their growth.

We grow these in the greenhouse, and you can see it right away when they get too cold, they just don’t perform the same after.

Simple Timeline (Based on What We See Every Year)

Late April – Early May

• Good time for cold crops + pansies

• Too early for summer plants

  
  

Mid-May (May 10–20)

• People start planting… but it’s still risky

• You’ll need to cover things if it gets cold

  
  

After May 24 Weekend

• Getting safer

• Still keep an eye on night temps

End of May – Early June

• This is when you’re pretty much in the clear

What Happens If You Plant Too Early?

We see this every single year.

Someone gets excited, plants everything early…then we get one cold night and that’s it.

• leaves go dark or mushy

• plants stop growing

• tomatoes just sit there for weeks

Even if they don’t die, they usually never catch up properly

What We Tell Our Customers

Honestly, we always say: "It’s better to plant a little late than too early."

People think planting earlier gives them a head start…but most of the time, it does the opposite.

When you plant at the right time:

• things grow faster

• plants look better

and you get way better results

Not Sure What’s Safe Right Now?

If you’re unsure, just ask us when you’re in. Tell us what you’re planting and we’ll give you a straight answer based on what’s actually happening weather wise, not just a date on a calendar.

Coming to the Garden Centre This Spring?

We grow a lot of our plants ourselves, so they’re already used to our conditions here.

Whether you’re planting early or waiting it out, we’ll help you pick what actually makes sense for right now.

Quick Questions We Get All the Time

Can I plant before May 24?

Yes — just stick to cold-tolerant plants unless you’re covering things.

What temperature is too cold?

Most summer plants don’t like anything below 5°C, and frost (0°C or lower) can damage or kill them.

Should I cover my plants?

Yes — a simple frost cloth can help on cold nights.

This is the one we use from amazon: https://a.co/d/0fH5WdFE

It protects plants up to -4C.

Want Help Planning Your Garden?

Come by and we’ll walk you through it, what to plant now, what to wait on, and how to set things up so you actually get good results.