Now
16°C · Partly cloudy
Today
16° / 8°
Soil 6 cm
10°C
First frost
~17 days (Sep 25)
Gardening in Yellowknife
AI field guide · refreshed weeklyYellowknife Gardening: September 8–14 — Race the Frost
You're in zone 2b with 17 days until the average first fall frost (September 25). Soil at 10°C is cooling fast; frost can arrive any night now. Your 121 frost-free days are nearly spent. This week's temperatures (6–16°C) mean tender annuals are done, but cool-season crops still have time if you act now.
Sow outdoors now
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
Direct-sow cold-hardy varieties like 'Space' or 'Bloomsdale' immediately; they'll germinate in cool soil and mature before frost. Sow 1 cm (0.4 in) deep, 10 cm (4 in) apart.
Arugula (Eruca sativa)
Sow thickly in rows 15 cm (6 in) apart; harvest as microgreens in 3–4 weeks or let mature. Frost actually sweetens the leaves.
Mâche (Valerianella locusta)
A cold-hardy salad green that thrives in zone 2; sow 0.5 cm (0.2 in) deep and thin to 8 cm (3 in) spacing. Will overwinter under mulch in some years.
Radish (Raphanus sativus)
Fast varieties like 'Cherry Belle' mature in 25 days; sow 1 cm (0.4 in) deep, 5 cm (2 in) apart. Your last chance this season.
Turnip (Brassica rapa)
Sow 'Hakurei' or 'Purple Top' at 1 cm (0.4 in) depth, thin to 10 cm (4 in); they'll size up before frost and store well.
Start indoors now
Microgreens (mixed brassicas and legumes)
Start trays of broccoli, radish, or pea shoots indoors now for harvest in 10–14 days; extends your fresh greens through September.
Sprouts (mung bean, lentil, alfalfa)
Jar-sprouted seeds need no soil or light; ready in 3–5 days. A reliable winter protein source.
Harvest now
Lettuce and greens
Pick outer leaves daily or harvest whole heads before frost blackens them. Cut-and-come-again varieties like 'Lollo' still producing.
Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)
Frost improves flavor; harvest outer leaves and leave the crown to regrow. 'Winterbor' and 'Lacinato' are zone-hardy.
Carrots (Daucus carota)
Pull any mature roots before the ground freezes solid. Leave small ones to sweeten under frost if soil permits digging later.
Root crops (beets, turnips, parsnips)
Dig before hard frost; brush off soil and store in a cool, dark place (ideally 0–4°C, 32–39°F) with high humidity.
Tasks this week
- Mulch beds with 5–10 cm (2–4 in) of straw or leaves to insulate soil and extend the harvest window by a week or two.
- Pull spent annuals (tomatoes, beans, basil) and compost them; they're done.
- Drain and store garden hoses and irrigation lines before freeze-up.
- Collect seeds from cold-hardy herbs (dill, cilantro) before they shatter; store dry in paper envelopes.
- Check soil moisture after rain; water newly sown seeds gently if no rain falls for 3 days.
Watch out for
- Frost can hit any night from now on—cover tender plants with row cloth or burlap if temperatures dip below 0°C (32°F).
- Soil is cooling; germination is slow. Keep seeded beds consistently moist but not waterlogged, or seeds may rot.
- Wind gusts to 30 km/h (19 mph) mid-week can dry out seedlings and damage tall plants; stake or shelter as needed.
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