April has arrived and along with it longer, warmer days and a few showers. It’s time to get into the garden to dig. Here’s what to do:
WATCH OUT: Since bedding plants are getting more and more expensive these days, it pays to patrol and bait for slugs before planting. The slimy critters can eat $100 worth of tender starts in an evening. As spring weather warms, slugs and snails emerge from hibernation, all eager to feed. A week or two before planting begin putting out organic slug bait. The slimy creatures will fill up on bait first, leaving transplants alone.
BE PATIENT: The weather and garden soil are still too cool for basil, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans and summer squash. Even though nurseries begin offering warm season vegetable starts this time of year, it is best to wait unless you have a greenhouse.
FILL UP POTS: One of the easiest ways to make a vegetable garden is to fill up containers with fresh potting soil and fill with Asian greens, kale, chard, lettuce, spinach and carrots. Herbs work well in containers, too. Best of all, there is no weeding, just water and harvest.
SOW SEEDS: By mid-month, the soil should be warm enough to sow carrots, beets and peas. After sowing, warm up the soil a bit by placing row cover directly on the soil. This will warm things up and also keep the soil from drying out during big windy days. The row cover will also protect the seed bed from cats, mice and birds
PROTECT: A nip of frost in the morning along with a cold windy afternoon are a given this time of year. So is a good drubbing from a hail storm. A streak of chilly spring weather will instantly halt the growth of early planted vegetable and flower starts. Protect new plantings with row cover. It is inexpensive and easy to use. Just a couple of degrees of warmth can make all the difference.
FEED: Slowly the spring soil begins to warm and plant roots begin to grow again. This is the best time to add fertilizers. Feed roses, fruit trees, berries, lawns, perennials — all things growing. An all-purpose 4-4-4 fertilizer works well for most plants. Use acid type fertilizers on rhododendrons, potatoes and blueberries. Garlic especially benefits from a good weeding and feeding this time of year.
Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.
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