April in the Garden

Does April bring a little panic to you? It’s no surprise if it does. April seems to bring garden chores to us from a dozen directions at once. Steady on! A little organization and prioritizing will bring gardening back under your control. One way to organize is by geography. You can’t do it all at once, so pick a spot to begin and work out from there. I think it’s a good idea to start at your back door, and beds close to the house. You’ll be seeing these areas frequently and will get a sense of satisfaction from having them neat. I’d make the next stop your foundation plantings and anything visible from the street. That way approaching your house will also have a pleasing tidy appearance. You’re not going to need the vegetable beds for your hot season crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant until the middle of March, so forget about them for now.

If you’re planting potatoes, peas, salad greens or brassicas, you can do it as soon as the ground is dry enough to work. If it’s too wet, the soil will compact and won’t be friable enough for good growth. It’s too early for most annuals, but you can stick some pansies in the ground to liven things up a bit. Please be careful not to trod on muddy ground. It might be a good time to place some stepping stones in areas you naturally want or need to put your foot down. Minimize your need to bend and stretch in awkward angles by strategically placing natural or man-made stepping stones every 4’ or so or create a winding path through your gardens.

Mulch can also provide a good cushion for the ground. It’s a good time to place your mulch order and have it delivered, either bags or bulk. I always order a bit more than I think I need and am always glad I did. I prefer shredded cedar up close to the house, natural hardwood for flower and landscape beds, and either cedar or pine nuggets for pathways. There is no right or wrong type of mulch. The choice is yours. You’re probably going to want to spread it 2-3” thick. Be careful not to bury newly emerging perennials. It’s probably a good idea to pull the mulch away from the sensitive, tender crown. Please, no mulch volcanos around trees! Piling mulch up tree trunks invites rodents and diseases. Let it breath!

Get a head start on the weeds. Keeping up with them is a lot easier than have a jungle to pull. One weed to keep a careful eye out for is Cardamine hirsuta or Bitter Cress. Those innocent little rosettes, with dainty white flowers starting to bloom, will become a nightmare if you don’t pull them now. The pretty little flowers will become seedpods by the end of the month. When mature, those pods will send seeds out for yards with the slightest breeze or disturbance. As the old farmer’s adage says, one year to seed, seven years to weed. Stay on top of them.

Now is the time to fertilize evergreens and spring blooming shrubs. Azaleas, rhododendrons, Andromeda, mountain laurel and conifers will all benefit from an acidic fertilizer now, before the bloom and new growth begins. Holly Tone is a good choice. All Espoma products are organic and gentle. Follow the product package directions for application. More is not better. Spring blooming deciduous shrubs would also benefit from a fertilizer at this time. Please, no Miracle Grow. The chemicals and high nitrogen content are wreaking havoc on the environment. Organic is the responsible way to go.

Start your deer control regime now. The deer are establishing their graze paths now. It’s much easier to keep them from browsing in your gardens than it will be to break them of the habit. There are several good products on the market.

Sadly, 4 major snowstorms in March prevented a lot of us from completing our March gardening checklist. Check back to our March article on the Williams Nursery website or Facebook page to see what you can catch up on now. Most importantly, take time to sit back and appreciate your efforts. Plants are sprouting, growing, budding and blooming at an incredible rate this time of year. Grab a chair and look around you. There is great beauty to behold. Don’t miss the miracle that is Spring.