It is finally starting to feel like spring. Warm, sunny days and cool, clear nights, and some showers for good measure. April is when everything gardening picks up momentum. It’s full steam ahead with this month’s garden jobs.
0.5 BODY
This technically isn’t a gardening job but it is closely related. As we really start to get down and dirty in the garden, it is important to remember to take care of your body. It might have been a while since your bones and muscles have been worked hard, and, if that is the case, start slowly so your body can get used to the work. It is also important to stretch before and after gardening. Here is a video we made with Bodies4Life Training to guide you through some stretches:
1. Garden Tasks
April’s garden tasks closely mirror those of March. Continue cleaning up the garden to keep it tidy and weed free. Weeding and pest management should be kept under control this early in the season. It is much easier to deal with these now than to combat an infestation at the height of your growing period. Prepare your raised beds and containers with fresh compost and topsoil in preparation for planting.
2. Ornamentals
A lot of ornamental plants should be ready to be planted this month. Hardy annuals, such as bacopa and calibrachoa, can be planted now. A good rule of thumb: if you find them in a nursery or garden centre, they are good to go. Remember to carefully inspect transplants before bringing it home. If you read our Navigate a Nursery post from a couple weeks ago, you’ll remember how to spot good, healthy plants. Choose bedding plants with some flowers, lots of buds, and lush foliage. Also, keep any eye out for insect damage!
3. Edibles
Like with the ornamentals, lots of fruits and vegetables will be ready to plant this month, such as cabbage, kale, beets, spinach, lettuce, etc. Again, if you find it in the garden centre or nursery, it should be good to go. Inspect all the edibles transplants for insect damage before buying. You don’t want to bring an infestation home with you!
Warm season crops, such as tomatoes and peppers, shouldn’t be planted until next month when the threat of frost has passed. If you had direct sowed seeds, be sure to thin them out to avoid overcrowding.