Spring is finally in evidence as daffodils and flowering trees start to bloom. Expect the inevitable April showers this month but with sunny days too, when you can turn your attention to the lawn. It’s an exciting month, with indoor-sown seeds well into growth, and it’s also time to start sowing outdoors. Just watch out for frosts…
Here’s some April gardening tips and chores that have served this gardener well over the years.
Sowing seeds:
April is the perfect time to sow seeds. By now, the following vegetables should have already been planted: Peas, carrots, cabbages, leeks, Swiss chard, radishes (spring varieties), rocket, lettuces (spring varieties), celery and root parsley. You can also plant garlic and onions this month.
Fertilize fall-planted garlic:
Fertilize fall-planted garlic with a high-nitrogen source, like blood meal or bat guano. Got onion sets that over-wintered? Now’s the time to start hitting them with nitrogen boosts, maybe fish fertilizer, periodically until their tops go soft and wilt in the coming summer.
Cutting back shrubs:
You shouldn’t be cutting back most garden shrubs at this time of year. For hedges and wild shrubs, the cut-off point is the end of March. However, these rules do not apply to subshrubs, i.e. shrubs that lignify at the bottom but remain herbaceous at the top. Lavender, blue spiraea, heather, thyme and winter savory are all classed as subshrubs. Gather these plants in one hand and cut them back by 30 to 50% in mid-April. This stimulates vigorous growth. Be careful when it comes to old plants that have not been cut back in a while: They often cannot tolerate being cut back to the old wood.
Planting in a small greenhouse:
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, aubergines — they all can be planted in a protective small greenhouse now so that you can harvest them earlier. Installing a frost buster greenhouse heater on critical nights means the delicate vegetable plants are protected from any late frosts. You can choose between various models, including electric or paraffin-heated.
Set up a compost area:
Compost and manures are very important as you will be able to use them to organically nourish your plants and soil without the need for synthetic fertilizers.
This does not need to be complicated. You can dig a sizeable hole; build a crate like structure, some woodworking involves. You can also buy a simple compost bin.
Throw in a mixture of anything organic including grass clippings, paper, vegetable peelings, and leaves. Turn the compost once or twice in a month using a rake to keep the compost heap aerated.
Go after lawn pests:
Grubs of various sorts and sod webworms take advantage of spring to feed near the surface. Now’s the time to inspect your lawn for dead and fading patches or soft spongy areas where grubs may have destroyed the turf’s roots. You might spot the grubs themselves.