April Garden Tasks
- Start seeds for veggie gardens and summer annuals.
- Dahlia and gladiolus bulbs can be started now in pots and transplanted in late May.
- Keep your flowering annual plants covered if frost threatens and all should be well. (Remove covers during daytime’s warmer temperatures).
- Don’t fret over soil mounds and tunnels in lawns. Voles have been tunneling under snow and moles have been going after worms and grubs. Rake and spread the piled soil over the area lawn area and fill in any holes. Spread a 1/4 inch layer of compost over the area and then over seed with a grass mixture suitable for the site (for shade, part shade or sun). New tunnels that appear can be treated with MoleMax, rodent repellent. Consider using Milky Spore this spring and summer to reduce the grub population in your lawn (and Japanese Beetles in July).
- Rake out garden beds and dead grass from lawns. This loosens compacted soils and removes material that can harbor last year’s diseases.
- Spread slow-release, all purpose fertilizer around the base of trees, shrubs and emerging perennials.
- Spread pre-emergent Organic Weed Control (corn gluten) now and before Forsythia stops blooming. Forsythia indicates the soil temperature is good for weed-seed germination. Corn gluten prevents seeds from germinating!
- Pick up your fungicides and other preventive pest controls now and join Garden Rewards to EARN POINTS AUTOMATICALLY on purchases of $10 or more. Collect your Points through mid-June when you can redeem your Rewards!
Pansies survive fine in cold weather but frost will “burn” (brown) the flowers. Cover with light cloth to keep the flowers pretty when frost threatens.
Your Garden in the Fall
Still-warm soil and relatively cool air temperatures promote healthy root growth in plants that return each year. Check out our Fall gardening tips.
Fall Articles