April is a turning point in the garden. What you do this month can set you up for a thriving season… or quietly set you back without you even realizing it.
In this video, I’m breaking down the most common April gardening mistakes I see every year — and what to do instead. Whether you’re starting seeds, planting out, or trying to get your soil and watering right, these are the mistakes that can stunt growth, reduce harvests, and make your season way harder than it needs to be.
If you want a stronger garden this year, don’t skip this one.
👇 Helpful links & resources
🌿 My Raised Bed Course (just launched!):
https://join.nextlevelgardening.tv/raised-beds
🧰 Neptune’s Harvest Products I Use
Organic Fertilizer
🌱 FREE GardenGuide:
https://www.gardenguide.com/
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Why April Tricks Most Gardeners
01:00 – The Watering Mistake That Backfires Fast
03:15 – Why Warm Days Don’t Mean What You Think
04:53 – The “Momentum Trap” (Easy to Fall For)
06:10 – The Transplant Shock Nobody Notices
08:18 – Feeding Too Soon… or Too Late?
09:59 – Why Small Weeds Become Big Problems
10:49 – The Bed Prep Mistake That Sets You Back
11:28 – How These Mistakes Quietly Compound
12:20 – What to Watch Next
31 Comments
We are having heavy rain in Houston 😂
Thank you Brian. Great tips.
How do I access the free garden guide?
I'm in zone 6 still waiting for the temp to get right still two weeks out for frost date. Of course here in the Ozarks you never know what's going to happen. Got I'm running out of room things are getting too big I need the weather to get warm fast
Thank you Brian. 🤗🌷💚🙃
Did get my potatoes planted about 2 weeks ago and had a 14° night but it didn't hurt them they're up about a foot now
This video is spot on! I've had gardens for decades and Brian is perfectly diagnosing mistakes we all make in April. This is my first year with a greenhouse and my temp sensor stopped. So until I get that fixed I am holding off moving the peppers out there because I worry the nighttime temp will get below 60° and stunt their growth. Brian, your app is fantastic. I bought the Neptune's Harvest crab and lobster shell because of you last week. Thank you!
It was 26 degrees F yesterday. My garden isn’t in yet
Always informative and encouraging 👍
I know I must water more this year.. 😖
You just reminded me I need more NH Tomato and Veg!!!
@6:22 as someone who planted 24 tomato plants outside yesterday, I should have hardened off…….
Got all but my pepper starts moved out. I thought I was behind, but the extended cold here in VA (was 34º just a few days ago) has been delaying me putting stuff out. Brian, thank you for this video because it's where I am headed this month! God bless you and the family! 💜
This is so true. I see so many people get their garden ready early and plant tomatoes out Mid-April only to have them get frozen and die or they just sit there because it's not warm enough yet. 🙂
We need a video on controlling fire ants in raised beds. They are all over the south.
I've got a beautiful crop of weeds outside. The high tunnel looks good. It's too early to be planting outside garden yet. Trying to prune, weed and planting perennial. Right now the cleanup is overwhelming. Maybe not as overwhelming as harvesting and processing
Excellent information. Thank you!
I harden off by taking all my plants out to the garden at once, putting them close together, then covering with 40% shade cloth for 7-10 days.
After that I plant normally. Works great and MUCH easier.
(Zone 5B Upper Michigan)
All I see or hear about is people planting tomatoes and maybe potatoes. My potatoes haven’t even formed eyes yet (I got two different types from the store to test) and I just started some seeds for a lot of other stuff, including one or two types of tomatoes, but nothing has sprouted yet.
I’m a container new gardener and so far I’ve got some dill and lettuce beginning to sprout in two different pots outside in the shade (my garden is full shade except for a very small corner) and I have 3-4 Alaska pea plants at different growth rates (the biggest is in his own pot that I started inside and have begin to harden off by leaving outside for a few hours every day unless it’s raining heavily) and 2-3 pole beans at different rates (the oldest being in his own pot and I’m hardening along with the oldest Alaska pea). Aside from pathetic looking crop of mixed micro greens (I plant to start those all over again soon), a small mint plant I got from a grow kit that actually is thriving growing on some pebbles in a small mason jar, and two flower plants (two morning glories and a small bunch of sunflowers growing in a small mason jar from the same grow kit as the mint) that’s all that I’ve managed to grow.
I had a really bad bout of white mold take over more than 6 of my seedling pots at the start and didn’t know how to fix them so I ended up throwing them away 😔 RIP little babies. Now I know I can leave the infected ones outside and the mold clears up quick!
We need more container garden tips (and not your expensive containers that most can’t afford)! As well as partial and full shaded gardens! There’s more than sunny hot states in the US and not enough representation for the rest of us.
Brian – BaHahaha – It's April and the garden is green, you're so funny. Nope, my garden was under an inch of snow a few days ago. The only thing green and growing nicely is my fleet of 3-4 foot fake xmas trees in my raised containers. I did unplug the twinkling winter lights yesterday, though. But meanwhile, inside my plant room glows bright as the surface of the sun with racks of little seedlings getting ready for the end of May. I had full germination from a bunch of impatiens seeds I collected last fall, I didn't expect that to happen, I'm hoping for a certain color that Home Depot doesn't always have. My Amish pastes are up a couple of inches, I planted them late and hopefully I'll have a bunch of flowers to plant this year. I enjoy your channels; you've been a great garden teacher. I'm excited to see the next phase of what shows up in your garden.
Last year was my first garden and I had some lovely tomato plants until I began to notice a few leaves missing. Then, a day or two later a couple of whole branches. I looked them all over until I finally found the fat, sneaky hornworm that was perfectly camouflaged hiding below a branch. It amazed me how much damage the little guy wrought in such a short time. I got him, but my plants never truly recovered. This year I am on hornworm patrol! 🐛
As a beginner this feels so overwhelming 😢
Still too early for South Central Washington State…..I'm awaiting the warmer weather!…Zone 7
Watering infrequently but deeply isn’t just for April. It’s good practice for the entire growing season
Love your wise advice. TY!!
I am not using organic. I am using natural fertilizer. I mean almost year old cow manure.
Good stuff. I'd add a hardening-off issue that's easy to succumb to. You're putting your seedlings out, gradually increasing their exposure to the elements, and taking them back in, yada yada. That's all as it should be. But they're still in those small containers, and they dry out like way faster than you might think. You may need to water them twice a day, even when temps are still relatively mild.
Any advice for tobacco, hot peppers and watermelons for the uk, awesome information
Very informative video! Thanks! 👍🌱
The best thing I believe for any Gardner is automated watering it saves so much time once you get it dialed in. It’s crazy. No overwatering no underwater.
LOVE your shirt!