Tips From The Experts; Two experts offer advice to the amateur gardener

Each province in Canada, excluding the Maritimes, has its fair share of zone 1 soil conditions. That's one classification away from tundra, yet the people still plant gardens.

"You'd be surprised," said Satterthwaite. "They send us photos, and there's mountains of muskeg (peat bog) and then this fabulous flower garden." Nature's ability to overcome is probably the best tool in the reluctant gardener's shed.

"You can grow something, anywhere," agreed Cole. "There are plants that will survive just about everywhere."

Amid all this struggle and hard work, the inevitable question arises - why bother gardening?

"It's rewarding, but it's frustrating at the same time," conceded Cole. "You spend good money to buy a plant and then manage to kill it because you don't understand its requirements, or it really wasn't hardy in the first place."

But as with many things, there can't be pleasure without persistence and a little pain.

"I think one thing that gardening teaches you is patience. It's an ongoing thing," said Satterthwaite. "It does not play into the MTV way of life. It's not instant, bang, bang, bang."

To get down on your knees, stick your hands into the earth and make something grow is a subtle, slow process.

"That's why I think people are really gravitating toward it," she said. "It's a relief, it's very soothing."The long Canadian winter is finally over and it's time to start gardening. Here are some tips from gardening experts Aldona Satterthwaite and Trevor Cole on how to get your plots thriving.

Instead of turning your soil over just throw compost on top. Worms will pull the nutrients into the soil, sparing your lower back all that work.

If you're unsure about what to grow, take a peek at what's working in the other gardens of your neighbourhood.

Pay attention to your plants and read gardening books. A little knowledge and attentiveness can go a long way.

Start small. Amateur gardeners who go big run the risk of failing big.

Gardening doesn't start May 24. Depending on what you're growing and where, it can start earlier, or later.

Use soaker hoses, with the holes pointed downward, to water your garden. Oscillating sprinklers are fine for lawns, but they damage topsoil.

Don't water when the sun is at its peak or you'll burn your plants. And don't water too late at night. The water will lay on the leaves, creating fertile conditions for mildew.