Spring in Manitoba always keeps you guessing, but this year it’s really testing me! We’ve had a cold, dry spring, barely any rain, and now our area has officially been declared a drought zone.
Add to that smoky skies from nearby wildfires, 88°F heat, and barely a breeze, and gardening becomes less about joy and more about survival.
I managed to dig one of the vegetable beds — a 40-minute effort that finished me for the day. The rest still needs leveling and watering to help break up the clumps. I’ll likely add a layer of fresh soil with sand for better texture.
But between poor air quality, heat, and limited energy, I’ve had to space things out and work in 15–30 minute shifts. Not ideal when your plants are bursting at the seams indoors!
Table of Contents
- My Indoor Jungle: Seedlings Growing Out of Control
- 🌸 Flower Shopping Joy and What I Bought
- Too Many Plants? Share the Wealth!
- What’s Up in the Perennial Beds
- Preparing the Garden Beds, One Chunk at a Time
- What I’m Learning This Year
- Why I Keep Gardening, Even When It’s Tough
- Final Thought: Progress, Not Perfection
- Postscript – Still Digging
- 🌼 Thanks for Reading
My Indoor Jungle: Seedlings Growing Out of Control
Started with Good Intentions
Back in late March, I started seeds — something I have not done for over 25 years! It felt good to get things going — tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers — all carefully placed in trays on my planter stand and by the window. At first, everything looked neat and manageable.
Now, it’s a jungle!
- Tomatoes are over two feet tall, top-heavy, and flopping.
- Peppers are blooming right in their pots.
- Peppers are blooming right in their pots.
Moved Outdoors to Climatize
I’ve already potted up the tomatoes once and considered pinching flowers off the peppers to redirect their energy. They’re healthy and eager, but I’ve run out of space indoors — and patience.
That said, I’ve now moved them onto the deck to begin hardening off. They’re finally getting used to outdoor air, light, and wind. It feels like progress.
Was it too early to start? Probably. But in a Zone 3 spring drags on endlessly, it’s hard not to. You get a little sun in March and convince yourself it’s planting season. But it never is.
Drought Conditions and Working in Spurts
This spring threw another wrench into things: little snow cover, no rain, and constant dry wind. Manitoba’s been officially declared a drought zone, and it shows. The soil is powdery, the moisture just isn’t there, and what little rain we’ve had evaporated before it soaked in.
On top of that, wildfire smoke has made its way in — not heavily every day, but enough to limit how long I can stay outside. I’m pacing myself out of necessity. Some days I do 15 minutes, other days none at all.
And mentally? It wears you down!
🌸 Flower Shopping Joy and What I Bought
Despite all the setbacks this spring, I carved out time for a little joy: flower shopping! I spent 2½ hours at the local greenhouse, carefully choosing $150 worth of bedding plants in colors that make me smile!
These aren’t rare finds or collector’s items — just familiar favorites that I know will thrive in my garden and bring me happiness!
🛒 What I Bought at the Garden Center:
- Tall marigolds – mixed colours
- Short marigolds
- Deep purple coleus (a new addition)
- 1 white geranium (I’m also replanting 2 overwintered pink geraniums)
- Mixed snapdragons (used to grow these years ago)
- Pink flowering begonias
- Mixed impatiens (perfect for the shady deck)
- 1 new hosta plant
- 2 Roma tomato plants
- 2 yellow and 1 purple plant containers
🪴 Still to Plant: From Seeds, Starts & Bulbs I Already Had
These aren’t new purchases — they’re plants I either started from seed or already had on hand. They’re all healthy and waiting for their spots in the garden:
- 3 calla lilies (need to be potted)
- Gladiolus bulbs (not all will be used)
- 4 Better Boy tomato plants
- 9 pepper plants
- 5 Tiny Tim tomatoes
- 1 patio tomato
- 4 cucumber plants
- Carrot seed tape (to be sown directly in soil)
Too Many Plants? Share the Wealth!
I’m not the only gardener in the family. My not-official-but-loved daughter-in-law stopped by recently, and I was able to pass along some of the overflow: 2 Better Boy tomatoes, 1 Tiny Tim, and 5 pepper plants.
She gardens too, so it was a perfect match. Besides, I had more than enough for little old me!
It felt good to lighten the load — and even better to know those plants are going to someone who’ll care for them just as much as I would.
What’s Up in the Perennial Beds
While the veggie chaos continues, the perennials are calmly doing what they’ve always done — growing at their own pace.
My peonies are full of sticky buds (but oddly, no ants yet). That’s fine — ants aren’t actually needed for blooming, despite the old wives’ tale.
The irises are up and stretching tall. Hydrangeas are starting to leaf out, and both hostas and daylilies are pushing through like reliable old friends.
And of course, my 45-year-old Manitoba Maple is casting its wide canopy over the deck and patio garden. It was planted first, and the deck was built around it — which means this area sees a lot more dappled shade than it used to.
Still, I’ll be planting flowers there again. As long as it’s warm enough, they’ll adapt — just like me!
Preparing the Garden Beds, One Chunk at a Time
Right now, my veggie garden is still a work in progress. There are shovels in the soil, clumps of dug-up grass, and a wheelbarrow full of soil waiting to be used.
The recent light rain is a bonus — I don’t have to water before leveling now. Once it dries out just a bit, I’ll rake it smooth and prep for planting. Slowly, steadily, it’s all coming together.
What I’m Learning This Year
I’m doing what I can, when I can. My focus is on small, manageable actions:
- Leveling soil and watering after to soften clumps
- Using fresh soil mixed with sand for better drainage
- Working around the weather — and my limits
- Supporting and climatizing plants gradually
- Letting go of perfection and focusing on progress
Why I Keep Gardening, Even When It’s Tough
Some years, gardening feels like a test — of patience, of energy, of attitude. This spring has been one of those. Between smoke, drought, and delays, it would be easy to say “forget it.”
But I don’t. I keep going because gardening still gives me something nothing else does: a sense of purpose, a reason to go outside, and the satisfaction of coaxing life out of the dirt.
Even on the hard days — the 15-minute-at-a-time days — it’s still mine. And that’s enough!
Final Thought: Progress, Not Perfection
This year’s gardening season didn’t start the way I hoped. The early excitement of seed starting has turned into a slow grind of waiting. The weather’s been cold, then hot, then dry, now smoky.
It’s frustrating, exhausting, and honestly, a little depressing!
But there are still small wins — a marigold in bloom, a peony bud swelling, a tomato plant that somehow keeps growing no matter what. Those moments matter.
They remind me that even when things don’t go to plan, growth still happens. Sometimes quietly. Sometimes stubbornly. But it happens.
For now, I’m working in short bursts, watching the sky, and letting go of the idea that everything needs to be perfect. It doesn’t. It just needs to be real.
And this garden — delayed, uneven, imperfect — is still mine!
Postscript – Still Digging
This week, the weather turned cool again — even dipping to 50°F at night. I had to bring all my plants back inside, except for the geraniums, hosta, coleus, marigolds, and snapdragons.
It feels like I’m gardening against the clock. The main veggie bed is still empty, the grass needs mowing, and everything is delayed. I’m tired, I’m frustrated, but I’m still showing up. And that has to count for something.
🌼 Thanks for Reading
If this post resonated with you — maybe your own seedlings are impatient, or your weather isn’t cooperating either — I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
🌱 Whether you’re planting in bursts, staring at soggy soil, or just thinking about starting, I hope this reminds you: it’s okay to take your time!
Even in an imperfect season, progress still counts.
Thanks for reading and sharing a few moments in my garden!
Take care of yourself!
Barb