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April Showers Bring May Flowers: Gardening Tips for April

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April 10, 2013

April is the prime time to start your spring gardening. In fact, April is the official National Garden Month. Depending on where you live in the country, your tasks for April may be different. Here is a brief overview of some of the prime April gardening tasks by region.

The Pacific Northwest

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, here are some gardening tips for your April gardening.

  • Sow cold season crops. These include radishes, peas, carrots, onions, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
  • Plant your herbs. You can plant seedlings of parsley, rosemary, mint, chives, and similar herbs now if your soil is ready.
  • DO NOT plant tomatoes, peppers, or other vegetable seedlings yet. Frost is still possible and it can kill the seedlings.
  • You can start to plant the following: Azaleas, roses, and fruit.
  • Once you are confident you have had your last frost, you can start planting your garden flowers and summer bulbs.
  • You are most limited in your planting during this time. Most of your flowers or seedlings will need to hold off on planting until May.

The Pacific Coast

Tips for the Pacific coastal regions.

  • Plant your annuals now. Includes azaleas and blooming flowers.
  • Plant any warm-weather loving seedlings.
  • Unlike other regions, you can plant your perennials now.
  • If you are in hotter southern regions of the coast you can begin planting your tropical plants and trees now as well.
  • Be sure to mulch your gardens now.

The Southwest

If you live in the Southwest here are you planting guidelines for April:

  • Sow your annual flower seeds now. 
  • Plant your winter vegetables. This includes radishes, peas, carrots, onions, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
  • Planting fruits is also acceptable now. Plant your watermelons, strawberries, and fruit trees now. One trick to continuous harvest throughout the growing season is to plant your items a few days or a week apart. You can plant some strawberries now, wait a few days and plant some more, and so on. This will allow you to have a better more continuous harvest throughout the season.
  • Plant flower seedlings now, unless you are experiences an exceptional cold April.
  • If you are wanting to start some sod or plant a summer lawn, this is the time.
  • Mulch where needed and consider planting or enjoying the wild flowers.
  • Don’t forget to harvest any remaining cold weather vegetables.

The Southeast

You can do everything that your Southwest neighbors can with a few exceptions.

  • You may have slightly colder nights so you will want to cover any seedlings, trees, or shrubs you have planted. You can cover them with plastic covering or even sheets. Just be sure to cover them if the temperatures are going to drop below freezing over night.
  • Harvest any remaining cold weather vegetables you have in your gardens.

The Northeast Atlantic

Tips for those colder weather dwellers in the northeast.

  • Weather still may be chilly here so focus on planting seeds.
  • You can plant your winter harvest seeds now such as squash, potatoes, radishes, ect.
  • You can also plant warm weather flower and fruit seeds now.
  • Steer clear of planting any seedlings now.
  • Map out your garden for May so you will have your perennials ready.

Mid-Atlantic Region

You aren’t quite as cold as your northern Atlantic friends so you have slightly more options.

  • Everything from the Northeast Atlantic list.
  • You can also plant your annuals now such as azaleas.
  • Prune your roses which will start blooming any time.
  • Plant fruit trees or shrubbery now.

What region do you live in? What tips do you have for others in your regions for starting a beautiful April garden?

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