06/12/2026
Lately, I’ve been seeing the same posts over and over in gardening groups across Western Canada:
“My ______ hasn’t germinated yet.”
“Only half of my ______ came up.”
“Did I miss my chance?”
And I know a lot of people are feeling disappointed, frustrated, and worried that in our short Zone 3 growing season, like they’ve already missed the planting window.
I just want to say this clearly:
It’s going to be okay. And no, you are not too late to plant or replant.
I had a feeling this was going to be another cold spring.
When I looked back at my notes, last year I planted my tomatoes outside on June 8, and even then it felt too early. This year, I encouraged everyone to hold off starting tomatoes until the first week of April, because the season already felt off. After the last two unusually cold springs, I’m really glad I trusted that feeling.
And if you held off too, I hope you’re feeling glad now as well.
For many, seedlings planted outside of major city centres (which often act like little microclimates), things just haven’t been happy.
Leaves are turning purple.
Growth has stalled.
Plants are sitting there looking sad.
Corn isn’t germinating well or at all.
Beans are slow.
Basil is crying and shriveling.
Cucumbers, squash, watermelon, and peppers are struggling.
Everything has felt like it’s either standing still or crawling.
But here’s the good news:
We’re about to turn a corner.
The first new moon of June falls on June 15, and between that and the full moon on June 29, we should start seeing a shift.
And no, I don’t mean that in some new-age kind of junk way.
What I mean is this: during that phase, we typically see stronger warming patterns, longer light cycles, and better overnight temperatures - all of which matter tremendously for germination and plant growth.
Because honestly, overnight temperatures can matter even more than daytime highs.
You can have a day that hits 20+°C, but if your nights are still dropping below 10°C, things are not going to germinate quickly - or happily. Seedlings aren’t going to thrive. A 15°C day with overnight temps above 10°C can be far more helpful than a hot day followed by a cold night.
Usually, we see that new moon to full moon warming trend around the end of May or beginning of June.
This year, it’s landing later, more in the second half of June.
And when you look ahead at the forecast, that really does seem to be what we’re heading into: warmer temperatures, more sun, and much better planting conditions.
So yes, you may need to replant a few things.
But you also may be surprised by what still comes up once the weather starts cooperating.
I’ve had that happen myself. About 7 years ago, I planted Romano beans and nothing came up when I expected it to. So I went back and planted Royal Burgundy bush beans a few weeks later. Once the temperatures finally warmed up, both varieties germinated - and I ended up with the most beautiful, densely planted bean row I’ve ever had.
So if you’ve written something off already, don’t lose hope just yet.
For what you would direct sow into your garden, you are not too late to plant now. I promise.
Once the temperatures even out, things are going to take off.
Will it be too late to start tomatoes from seed?
Yes.
But is it too late for beans, carrots, beets, potatoes, zucchini, and so much more?
Not at all.
There is still plenty of season left.
So if you need to plant or replant, please don’t feel discouraged.
And if you need to reorder anything, you can use coupon code EIGHTHSPRING for 15% off your seed order for anything you need to replace or still want to try this season.
May the sun shine and your gardens be blessed.
💚
Picture of a trial tomato chilling in the greenhouse, bulking its roots up before being planted outside to shoot up.
