Now that it’s April the days are getting longer and warming up and we are eager to get outside, amiright? Here is a list of a few excellent activities to shake off winter and kick off a brand new season in the great outdoors.
Clean up
If you didn’t do it in March this is the perfect time. (Click here for a look back at last month’s to-do’s!) I’m going to add this tidbit just in case you’d like an excuse to ease up on the clean up a smidge. Don’t be so quick to clean up all of the leaves in your plant beds. Unless they are thickly piled from last fall and flattened, or in a very visible spot you prefer to have more tidy, those leaves are actually contributing to the health of your garden. They will break down over the summer and add nutrients to your soil. In the meantime, think of them as mulch, helping to keep weeds down and soil cool and moist. Yep, an honest to goodness benefit to procrastination. If they really bother you, instead of throwing them in yard waste bags you can gather them and add them to your compost pile.
April 15th is Planting Time!
Start dividing, moving and planting new hardy plants (perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees) mid-month. Here in the Chicago area, the soil is generally workable by April 15th and that’s the official start every year to my season! Perennials are beginning to emerge and won’t skip a beat this season if you divide or move them now. We can try to time this work for a good soaking rain to water in all these new planted plants…but we can’t really rely on April rains anymore. So make sure you turn on the faucets and hook up the hoses, too. Watering those plants in well at the time of planting is a secret to gardening success.
Weeding
Be on the hunt for dandelions and other early emerging weeds like henbit and wood sorrel. It’s so much easier to pull weeds early in the season before they set their roots. If you have lawn grass that has invaded your planting beds it’s easier to tease it out by the roots now as well.
Cool Season Annuals
Pansies will soon be everywhere (yay!) and can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked. Other cool early annuals I commonly see available include sweet alyssum, snapdragons, heavenly smelling stocks, beautiful blue Lobelia, and the colorful daisy-like blooms of Osteospermum. Personally I’d wait until later in the month to plant these, just because I’m too busy these days to cover them in case it gets too chilly, or, horrors…snows. But in the past I’ve risked it and fared well. So if you’re the gambling type and have a protected spot, go for it!
Plan for Next Spring
Great gardeners have two secrets, they always plan ahead and they remember what they were planning! If your garden feels a little blah click here and here for ideas and inspiration to get a head start on a more colorful April 2020. For more personalized recommendations and a spring strategy for your garden click here and schedule a consultation session to pick my brain. I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeves!
Vegetable Garden
- Our last frost date in the Chicago area is May 15. This means you want to wait until then to plant tender plants like tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. With that in mind, start them now if you’re starting them from seed this year. The benefit to raising your own is having so many more options like tasty and beautiful heirloom or non-GMO varieties that are not always easy to find at nurseries when seedlings become available.
- If you’re into seeds, in mid-April direct sow cool season crops like lettuces, arugula, peas, parsley, Swiss chard, etc. If you’re new to seeds, direct sow means start those seeds right in your prepared garden beds. Easy peasy. Your seed packet will generally have directions for how to do this, along with how to start them indoors.
- Alternately, buy cool weather vegetable seedlings at local nurseries. Keep your eye out for any I mentioned above under direct seeding, as well as broccoli, kale, onions, leeks, etc. All can be planted around the middle of the month.