Pacific Northwest Gardener: Things To Do in April
April is a flourishing month at the garden, as as temperatures warm, many garden crops are unfurling fresh leaves and bursting into bloom. It’s a great time to set out begins of annual flowers and cold-hardy vegetables, because by planting now you will grab that first flush of spring growth and have a head start on the growing season. All that verdant growth means snails and weeds are on the rise. Live in the Pacific Northwest? Keep Reading to find out what things to do in April.
Genevieve Schmidt
Condition Your Soil
Lots of garden favorites, such as lilac, mock orange, slender deutzia and daphne, choose alkaline soil to greatest soak up the its nourishment. But most of the Pacific Northwest will have more polluted soil, therefore these garden crops require a small assistance to carry out well. Sprinkle garden lime at a circle round the bottom of each lime-loving plant (follow the package instructions as to how far ) to make sure the pH in your garden remains alkaline enough for all these beauties.
Woodburn & Company Landscape Architecture, LLC
Lawns also prefer alkaline soil, and also, April is the perfect time to adjust the pH using a fast-acting garden lime like Lilly Miller Super Sweet. Because lawns tend to have a great deal of square footage, it is easiest to use a walk-behind broadcast spreader to apply. Broadcast spreaders are cheap to purchase, and lots of nurseries are available to lease for a very modest fee.
Timothy Lee landscape design
Hydrangeas are. While hydrangeas are perfectly content growing in acid or alkaline soil, the color of several mophead hydrangeas varies based upon the pH of the soil. Varieties such as’Endless Summer’ turn pink when treated with lime and blue when given an acidic fertilizers such as cottonseed meal.
Plant Cool-Season berries
April is the perfect time to set out begins of cold-tolerant vegetables. As soon as it is not yet time to set out begins of heat-loving plants such as tomatoes, squash, peppers or corn, by simply planting less-sensitive veggies now you can get a great jump on the season.
Berry to plant now include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese vegetables like pak choi, Swiss chard (the’Bright Lights’ number is revealed ), carrots, beets, lettuce, celery, onions and herbs like parsley, chervil and cilantro (hold off basil for now). Onion sets are available at nurseries now, and these already-sprouted begins take off quickly from the moist, cool weather.
Photo via Renee’s Garden
Genevieve Schmidt
Plant Flowers
Annual flowers to plant in April include snapdragons, sweet William or yearly dianthus, nasturtium, calendula (revealed ), marigold, pansy, dusty miller and sweet alyssum.
Sweet alyssum and calendula are great choices of annual flowers to incorporate into vegetable garden areas, because the flowers attract pollinators which will allow you to get a good harvest. Renee’s Garden has some beautiful, unusual varieties of these seeds, such as’Summer Peaches’ sweet alyssum (revealed ) and the vivid’Flashback’ calendula.
Photo via Renee’s Garden
Arcadia Gardens, LLC
Control Snails
You’ll want to secure your new starts and seedlings in the ravages of both snails and slugs. It’s also smart to protect the shoots of emerging perennials, which are vulnerable to damage. Dahlias, hostas (revealed ), bear’s breech, lilies and Canterbury bells can all benefit from spring applications of organic snail bait.
I use pet-safe iron phosphate bait around growing seedlings. Brands like Sluggo are widely available at hardware stores and nurseries, plus they are easy to apply. Simply sprinkle a small amount of bait around new plants. Just do not set it into piles, which can mold or be readily eaten by pets or kids. By sprinkling, you make it less likely that anyone would consume the quantities required to create iron poisoning.
Photo by benketaro on Flickr via Creative Commons
Garrett Wade
Garrett Wade – $39.50
Pull Weeds
April is also an important time to stay on top of weeding. While no herbicide functions in cool weather, there are a number of resources which could help you weed faster and readily. The hori-hori, or Japanese soil knife, is a great instrument for slicing into soil and removing weeds even with a deep taproot.
Genevieve Schmidt
The Fiskars UpRoot weeder is useful for removing dandelions. You can use it while standing, and the action of it’s surprisingly fun. You lean on the instrument to press it into the weed, lift the handle and set the bud in a bucket. If you have knee or back issues which make kneeling or squatting hard, the UpRoot is an superb solution.
More:
Garden Musts for April