Is It Too Early To Start Planting Your New Garden?

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - Gardeners, rejoice. The warm weather is finally here.

But one expert is cautioning gardeners to wait a little longer before planting "sensitive" plants, since the planting season is "about 10 days behind" due to a cold start.

"We can start by saying what a terrible April it just was, and so glad it's behind us," said Mark Saidnaway of Pemberton Farms in Cambridge. "I think April's the new March and March is the new February and especially in gardening, things are about 10 days behind this year."

Now is the time to fertilize your lawn with a PreEmergent weed control product, he said.

"It's always been an old secret gardener's trick," he said.

Some shrubs and hardy plants are starting to bloom, and while it may be best to wait for more sensitive plants, you can plant them outside now.

"We should wait, but you know what? The weather is beautiful right now. It's OK to put things outside, I would just say keep an eye on the low temperatures at night and not let them dip below frost... Just be careful where you plant them," Saidnaway said.

For example, while he typically waits until mid-May to plant tomatoes, if you choose to plant them in the coming days, protect them at night. You can protect them by cutting the bottom of a 2-liter bottle of soda and putting it on top as a little barrier from the cold, Saidnaway said.

More people are looking to plant native plants, perennials, this season.

"They're indigenous to this area. They're very hardy," he said.

Spring, he said, is finally upon us.

"Even the lilacs are starting to bloom, and rhododendrons are starting to bloom, so finally, we're almost in the spring time," he said.