Gardening Jobs for April

Spring is finally here and the new growing season is well underway! April is an exciting month when the first harvests start coming out of my garden. Currently, I have kale, broccoli, garlic chives, and oregano ready for harvesting. I have many seedlings that need looking after and more seeds to get started indoors and out! The warmer days are on the horizon, and I cannot wait to spend more and more time out in the garden! Here are some gardening jobs for April!

Pot up tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants as needed

The tomato and pepper seedlings you started earlier in March are ready to be given more room. April is the perfect month to pot up your seedlings to give them ample room to grow big and strong. I also like to give them a little fertilizer at this point to give them a boost as they will likely be indoors for another 1 1/2 – 2 months! I did my tomatoes this last weekend, removing the bottom leaves and burying them a little deeper up their stem. The little hairs along the tomato stem will grow into roots, giving you a healthier and stronger plant!

Transplant cool-weather seedlings

The cool-weather seedlings that you started in February or early March are likely ready to get transplanted out into the garden. Be sure to harden those little guys off before planting them out so as not to shock them too much.

Cool-weather crops to transplant in April:

Broccoli
Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce and other salad greens
Onions
Peas

Build or purchase your vertical garden structures and get them out into the garden

If you are planning on growing vertically this year, April is the perfect time to get your structures built and put out into the garden! Those little pea seedlings will need a structure to climb once transplanted. The structure will help with the strength of the plant. Perennials like peonies are likely coming up as well, so this is the perfect time to get their supports in place as well! So get out there and get those trellises and teepees out there!

Sow directly outdoors & sow more indoor seeds

There are so many more seeds to start this month and a lot of them can be direct sown. There are also a lot of warm weather crops that can be started indoors this month as well! So let’s get sowing!

Seeds that can be sown directly:

Arugula
Asian greens
Beets
Carrots
Chard
Fava Beans
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce & salad greens
Parsnips
Radishes
Rapini
Spinach

Start seeds indoors:

Basil
Cucumber
Melons
Pumpkins
Summer Squash
Sunflowers

Deadhead any Spring bulbs

Your Spring bulb flowers are likely coming close to being done, and it’s important to dead head these. This keeps the energy going into the bulbs in order for you to have an even more spectacular display next Spring!

Patrol for pests to protect your new little seedlings

I don’t know about you, but the slugs and snails love the little seedlings that are out in my garden this time of year. For part of my protection, I make sure to use slug pellets that are safe for birds and other animals, and other natural forms of pest control to deter those sneaky slugs and snails. I also like to remove any that I can see slithering around the garden.

Fertilize bulbing onions and garlic

April is the perfect time to start fertlizing your bulbing onions and garlic. Use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer worked into the soil 3-4″ around each plant. Fertilize every 3-4 weeks or as needed until the bulbs start to swell!

Gardening Jobs for April