April Gardening

April is the month when things really begin to change in the garden.  The first wave of flowers is beginning to fade, and the feeling of spring has really arrived sets in.  If you haven’t already pulled the lawn mower out for the year, you will need to get that up and running again.  Check the fluid levels and sharpen the blade if you know how. 

I have seen many people make the mistake of trying to plant all the vegetables they plan to eat for the season.  This usually leads to over spending on seeds, and under production in the garden.  Grow the vegetables that you eat the most of, don’t plan to grow your entire need, just enough to supplement your eating needs.  Get your children involved for a learning experience that will lead them to eat more of their vegetables.  Fresh raw vegetables out of the garden are much more flavorful than the ones from the store.    

April is the last chance to plant your beets, carrots, celery, endive, fennel, jicama, mustard, potatoes, and radish seeds.  But the warmer temperatures mean it’s time to plant chard, chives, spinach, and winter and summer squash seeds.  Towards the end of the month you can plant your beans (fava, lima, and snap), corn, cucumber, eggplant, melon, soybean, tomato, and watermelon seeds. 

Fertilize your flower beds if you haven’t already.  The spring rains in April will deliver badly needed nutrients to your plants roots.  It will help to scratch the fertilizer into the top layer of soil, this helps phosphate to reach the plant roots, a major contributor to flower buds and fruit.  Giving your lawn a spring feeding will help replace the nutrients lost through the winter rains.  As soon as your Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and Camellias are done blooming, fertilize and prune them.  For more information on how to do this: Pruning and Fertilizing your Rhodendrons

Warm weather means watering, water your established trees, shrubs and lawn deeply and less often.  But vegetables and newly planted beds will need more water. 

Snails, earwigs, and aphids have got a jump on your garden.  It's not too early to spray your roses, do it when the sun is off your bushes.  Put pet friendly snail and earwig bait around your plants to kill them before they can establish a foothold in your garden.