To all those Canadians out there

Hi all
I have been asked to become the regional host for Canada, and despite it being a bit broader than most in size we DO have some issues that are unique to us.
I have been living in the US for the past 15 years and moved back January 2011. I am a physician and left Canada when Canada was trying to get rid of doctors and came back for a variety of reasons, aging parents... and health issues.
In Feb 2009 I was diagnosed with advanced endometrial cancer and underwent aggressive surgery chemo, radiation, and then more chemo.
WHen faced with an early demise, the one thought that kept reverberating through my mind is "how many more garden years will I have?"
So 2010 I took to gardening like never before, I had to grow EVERYTHING, and LOTS of it. Everyone said, why not save some for next year, but I thought, you never know where there will be a next year.
AND SO even though I have gardened for years, I have really put it into high gear for the past 3 years.
We currently live in the Okanagan area of BC, and I am calling our place "our final resting place" since we have left behind WAYYY too many asparagus and blueberries and fruit trees that we have never seen to fruition.
So this is the most exciting year of gardening of my life.
I discovered All New Square Foot Gardening in January of this year and was quite interested for 2 reasons (and I do think everyone has different reasons).
We live on an acreage that has pretty poor soil, and is totally inundated with Quack Grass. So using raised beds with a very specific recipe just seems to fit the bill. I can define what land I want to garden in and what land I only want to walk on and keep all my precious soil in one place.
I do not have the experience that many others here have, but from what I have done this far, I really am impressed, I have 150 square feet in Mels Mix. and about another 70 square feet I have not gotten to changing over yet.
I have a special interest in working to extend the season here with hoop houses and greenhouses, so I can grow more things well.
My grading zone is 5a, and after the frost last week, I am thinking perhaps lower.
When you live in very small towns it is very hard to find out which zone you are in, and Canada does not have the new hardiness zoning that the US did this year.
But my last frost was supposed to be May 7th and the first frost in the fall should be October 15th.
I am hoping we can compare notes.
Please post and we can get a Canadian Thread going
I will post some photos separately

Welcome as a fellow regional host.

Kay

All the Canadian's must be busy gardening but we're happy to have you as our host for Canada GWN. It's always nice to have a friendly face for all of our regions.

Your season doesn't sound to far off from mine really. Our first and last frost dates are really close.

so ROOSTER
Did it freeze where you live...? Last night?

Uh oh!
No, but we did get a little front through here. No frost or freeze though.

Fellow Canadian here...over in zone 3A in Atikokan Ontario. No frost yet, and so far, fingers crossed, it doesn't show any in the forecast for the next week. I have started a few seeds, but not sure if they are gonna do anything, as I wasn't watering them on a regular basis. I do have a few things popping up, probably due to desperation though........I have some onions, and garlic pushing the soil as well as a few peas. Not sure if they will all come up as I may have discovered seeds need water a little too late. Have I mentioned NEWBIE at gardening yet???
I seen my first potato leaf today...woo hoo. I planted 21 and so far...two.
Very excited to get everything else going in the garden. Although there is no frost in the forecast...I'm holding out till the first week of June. Our LFD is usually the first week of June and our first frost is somewhere around the middle of September.
Do you all think it would be a little balsey to plant stuff that should be waiting till AFTER the last frost....a week before??? Since its been so warm...I've been getting a little anxious to get things into my dirt. My beans and cucumbers aren't due till the first week, and of course I'll be getting my other stuff like tomatoes and my herbs from the local nursery....but...still wondering if its best to wait it out??

thanks.

I plant stuff before I should, and put buckets over them, at night . They just need something to keep them a bit warm at night. If you have a sunny place to put them during the day, they will do well.
I have many of my tomatoes in large buckets (5 gallon) so that I can take them inside at night.
And then in the fall, I can take them in.
With Mels mix they are not that heavy either