April is a pivotal month in the Arizona garden, with warm days and cool nights providing ideal conditions for growth. However, with rising temperatures ahead, now is the time to complete key gardening tasks to set up for a successful season.
What You’ll Learn:
Vegetable Gardening: How to support your tomato plants with trellises, smart pruning techniques, and preventing blossom end rot with consistent watering.
Mulching & Fertilizing: Tips for proper mulching for veggies and herbs, plus when to fertilize strawberries and garlic.
Pest Management: Natural methods to control aphids using beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings, and how to tackle invasive weeds like stinknet.
Container & Flower Gardening: Repurposing container soil, refreshing large container mixes, and planning for buckets of blooms in April.
Caring for Roses & Herbs: How to keep roses blooming with regular fertilizing, and when to prune or pinch your summer herbs.
Fruit Trees & Citrus: Essential tips for labeling, protecting, and thinning fruit, plus preserving lemons for your favorite recipes.
Watering Strategies: Learn how to adjust your watering schedule for deep, infrequent watering to build strong, heat-resistant roots.
Join me as I walk you through each step with practical advice and real-life examples to help you create a garden that flourishes even under the intense desert sun. If you’re ready to transform your garden this April and enjoy a bountiful summer harvest, hit that play button and let’s get started!
#AprilGardening
#DesertGardening
#SummerGardenTips
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Vegetable Gardening
02:25 Pests & Wildlife
03:42 Container Gardening
04:09 Flower Gardening
05:37 Herb Gardening
06:05 Fruit Trees
07:50 Watering in April
Learn more: https://growinginthegarden.com/arizona-garden-in-april/
April Planting Guide:
https://growinginthegarden.com/what-to-plant-harvest-april-low-desert-of-arizona/
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in the low desert timing is everything April brings longer warmer days and we need to get our gardens ready for the upcoming season In today’s video I’ll show you the most important garden tasks to do this month Download your free checklist and follow along I’m Angela from Growing in the Garden My garden’s in Mesa Arizona I want to help you succeed even if you’re gardening in tough conditions Remember those tomatoes we planted last month yours are already planted right well it’s time to pay some attention to them Tomato plants can grow tall really fast so it’s crucial to give them some support I’m going to add trelluses to both of these tomatoes These are built to fit within the garden grids And they work great Look at that first layer in place They go nice and deep I don’t need this bamboo pole anymore Pull that out So this tomato has plenty of support now I love it All right Are we good i think so There we go You might notice I didn’t prune these tomatoes It’s not always an easy answer of if you should prune tomatoes or remove suckers For me it’s very seasonal In the spring I tend to leave as much foliage on the plant as possible That is going to help shade and protect the fruit In the fall when the days are shorter and we’re looking for that sunlight I will prune back suckers prune off extra leaves so the plants can get as much sun as possible As seedlings pop up in your garden it’s crucial to get them thinned The earlier you can give each plant the space it needs the quicker it will take off and start growing As your summer garden begins to take shape with seedlings emerging and your beds filling in it is time to mulch Before summer I like to add a thick layer 3 or 4 in of mulch to all of my beds If you have perennial herbs like sage or thyme growing in your garden beds just give them a light layer Their roots don’t like all of that trap moisture Don’t forget to fertilize your strawberries blackberries onions and garlic this month When daytime temperatures are consistently above 90° it’s time to add shade cloth that will cool the air by about 10° buying you time for your crops to continue producing April is prime time for aphids I prefer letting beneficial insects take care of it for me I plant lots of alysum around my roses I let my dill cilantro and parsley bolt That brings in beneficial insects that take care of aphids for me I’ve spotted aphids a couple of times throughout my garden already this season but by the time I can get my camera and take a picture of them they’re gone The beneficial insects are hard at work making my job easy A few days ago there were quite a few on this rose bush but now I can only see one That’s food for the ladybugs You might spot caterpillars on your Texas mountain laurel this month Some leaf damage is normal and usually doesn’t harm the plant long term If the infestation becomes severe you can use BT to help control them Stinket is an invasive weed taking over Arizona It spreads by releasing thousands of seeds and when it dries out it becomes a fire hazard If you see stink net pull it out bag it and put it in the trash not the compost There’s a hotline to report it so they can track it It’s a tough one but we all have to do our part to stop the spread It’s getting too hot to garden in small containers As they finish producing repurpose the soil by adding it to your garden beds Use it as mulch or mix it into your compost After that put those small containers away until cooler weather returns I will keep growing in large containers like these whiskey barrels Containers of 20 gallons or more are better able to withstand Arizona’s intense summer heat April is also the month of buckets of blooms I love looking back at some of my past flower harvests Want harvests like these write down the blooms you love and check out my planting list for summer and fall That’s when you’ll start those seeds [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] Warm season flowers like Maragold and Cosmos are getting going You’ll get more blooms from them if you pinch It might seem drastic to cut back a flowering plant just as it’s beginning to grow but this one step increases the number and length of flower stems Once the stem is between 8 and 12 in tall use sharp pruners and cut the top 3 or 4 in off just above a set of leaves Wondering which flowers to pinch take a look at this guide Roses are at peak bloom during April Enjoy the blooms To keep the blooms coming instead of fertilizing once with a granular fertilizer I’ll fertilize twice with a water soluble fertilizer That works for new and established roses How are your perennial herbs doing they should be looking great That prune and compost we gave them in early spring has resulted in lush new growth Harvest and enjoy these delicious herbs The secret to large basil harvests later in the summer is early pruning Now when your plants are young prune just above two sets of leaves and continue doing that until the plant is as large as you like it At that point keep harvesting or let it flower for the bees Let’s talk about fruit trees berries and citrus If you haven’t gotten everything planted don’t wait You need to have everything in by midmon Once everything’s planted here are a few things to check Did you label your new plants do it now You think you’ll remember but you’ll forget Add the year and type of tree and any other details and then add the tag to a small branch If you’ve added these tags in the past now’s the time to check on them Have the branches outgrown them move them to a larger branch Don’t be like me and forget about them This one is stuck I’ll pull it out and add it to a smaller branch If you’re growing citrus paint or wrap any exposed bark to protect it from the summer sun Improper pruning can leave bark vulnerable and you definitely want to avoid that Check your trees Do you need to repaint or rewrap remember to use a latex-based paint or I like to use this citrus wrap Paint or wrap can fade or disintegrate over time Reapply as needed to protect citrus bark If you want big delicious fruit you have to thin them Thin stone fruit and apple trees this month Try to thin the fruit before they’re an inch in diameter usually within a month of full bloom Keep about 4 to 6 in between the stone fruits And I like to prune apples down to one per cluster Lemons are super prolific When they begin to soften and it’s time to harvest all of them here’s what I like to do Use a vegetable peeler to remove just the skin Avoid the pith Freeze dry or dehydrate the peels And then juice the lemons and freeze the extra juice I like freezing the juice in pint jars It makes it easy to make my favorite lemonade recipe For the full recipe head to my website growingthe.com And finally let’s talk about watering April is a transition month Your plants watering needs will go up as the temperatures climb It’s crucial to keep an eye on your soil moisture levels Adjust your timers as needed and remember this simple principle Water deeply less often Deep watering encourages strong roots in your trees shrubs flowers and garden beds Plants with strong roots can handle higher temperatures much better That’s it for April If you’re feeling overwhelmed head to my website I’ve got lots of resources to help you out You can do this and I’m here to help Let’s make it a great month Okay No that’s that’s not what it is Oh sorry I forgot what I was going to say It’s actually so the fruit can like But that should I start all the way over is that okay uh oh If you’re feel I like that Yeah Got this You can do it Yeah you can do this Okay
45 Comments
Ah HA moment! I had been pruning and removing suckers on my tomato plants and it clearly removed the shade from my plants, greatly damaging my tomato production. So the guy who gardens in the milder climate near coastal California and recommends removing suckers is not the guy I need to listen to as I garden in central California where we have long HOT summers. Thanks so much for the education this morning Angela! Heres to a great summer garden!
Where did you get the pole on 7:09 that holds the lights?
I love your videos ..can you make a video talking about basil and how to care for it mine has flowers that I need to cut off and possibly prune it cuz Ivd had it growing in ground couple years…also have tomatoe plant from costco I need shade my shade fell off
I live in San Tan Valley. My seedlings are just coming up…how do you have all those flowers already ?
This is my first time trying onions. I appreciate the info about fertilizing them this month.
Moonflowers, Snapdragons. Nasturtium.
Thanks for the wealth of information 🙏🏼💚
👍👍
What’s t(e hotline to report those weeds? I def have them in Laveen
Thank u..yes i feel overwhelmed. I have nothing planned in the ground, everything is in raised beds or containers. Also, because of the extreme heat, i put up shade clothes.so bees can't really get close to my vegetables. ….thank u for all those great tips
Hello from Zone 10b, Fort Lauderdale, FL !🐶🐕😎🧑🌾❤️
That is a good looking tomato trellis set up. Do you think it would work for roselle as well or is it too narrow? My roselle tends to get leggy and drape itself over adjacent plants in the late summer. I'm looking to find a solution before it's a problem thus year.
Love your channel and all the tips. So helpful. Thanks
Nice video.
❤❤❤❤good evening ❤❤❤❤have a good night ❤❤❤❤
The hardest thing for me to do is thin plants, like cutting out my heart
🩷
Your buckets of blooms are inspiring me!!! 😍
What zone are you in ?
I love seeing all this green and flowers. Our ground is frozen solid, and another snow storm on it's way.
Your garden looks GORGEOUS in April! I'm a little afraid I started my sweet peas too late (in january) here for 7a, but we will see 😅 they've been in the ground for a month, and I'm thinking of setting up shade sails for all my flowers!
Thanks! I love April here in the Phoenix area because of all the flowers and greens that are growing.
Some of my cilantro is bolting now, and more will during the upcoming heat wave this next week. It has survived so far by being shaded.
Only certain flowers will be in pots in my garden now once the existing greens there bolt.
My orange tree trunk is well surrounded by a large canopy that goes almost all the way to the ground. It does well each summer. I never let landscapers make it into a lollipop. They don't touch my fruit trees as I do any pruning at the best times for the trees
Where do you get your mulch? Paul said yours look nicer than ours.
I'm scared Angela! I'm in tempe and next week is going to brutalize my plants. Trying to quickly figure out how to build a structure for shade cloth
Thank you for your tips and wisdom ❤
I’m near Mesa. What kind of mulch are you using on your veggies?
Mite help you maybe change to hydroponic less water it really change my mind to switch
It's incredible what you can grow there!
Do you have a link for reporting the stink net? It came to Maricopa last year and I will pull it and throw it away if I see it in someone's front yard lol
Awesome info thank you. Where do you get the square foot tomato baskets. Thanks
Hi. Me again. Other than being organic, does the heirloom fertilizer offer more than miracle grow rose fertilizer. Is it worth the money. Many thanks.
Do you think that 50% shade cloth for afternoon to sundown shade is enough? Im looking at shade solutions on the west side of trellises and raised beds. It would be cheaper and easier with my garden setup.
I loved your watering system, so I ordered one for my raised beds. Wanted to try just one before I added more and find out I don't like them or they don't work as well. Anyway, while ordered that I saw the tomato cages that you talked about in this video and I got some of them also. I really love both the watering system and the tomato cages. Thanks for recommending them!
We just found your channel. Very awesome. We are in Casa Grande. We are very very new to this. We build one raised bed 3 x 8x 18 deep. Our back yard was new rock over a ground cover. We raked the rock away, put in straw and then filled with the pink organic compost from HD. Mixed in steer manure and some worm castings. We planted a fair amount of stuff when we were supposed to. Mar 16th. We have noticed it recessing. Also looks like nats or aphids. We are trying to water consistently, in the am, however by afternoon seems a bit dry. It gets morning sun. Then by afternoon it’s in the shade. We do end up doing another light watering. We have heard both good and bad about mulch. Went to get some tonight. We heard it robs the nitrogen, so we went with a mix, then found your channel. Should we add some mulch since we’re in 9A We are also doing Alaska fish fertilizer. Again we’re super new at this and excited to learn. Hopefully you will be doing another class again we would try and attend. Thank you. Awesome channel.
Holey Moley!! Your garden looks absolutely amazing!!! So much color! Simply beautiful ❤💚💐
what kind of mulch are you using?
Sorry if someone already asked but what type of tomato trellis are these. I love how they click to add length.
I’d love to get some citrus tree wrap. Where can I find it? I checked your website but did not find it.
That's exactly what i did to my marigolds and cosmos. I cut back to 4-6 nodes and it came out pretty well. I got more blooms and a shorter plants. I also deadhead the plants when the flowers are already spent so that I'll get more and more blooms. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Watching from the Philippines.
This is great informations for new gardeners you are one of my favorite gardener where I can get great tips thanks for sharing 🍅🫑🥕🍓🍎🍊🍋
Great one! Thanks so much.
Hello, were did you get your tomato cages from thank u
What do you do with the lemon peels? 🤔🍋
What is the mulch you use, is it bagged or bulk?
Where did you get the tomato support (built to fit within the garden grid that can be extended)?