All the Dirt: Where to Start Your Gardening Month

By Jim Nunweiler Saturday, April 03, 2010

April is one of the busiest months for gardening. Many gardeners start the month off by stepping in their garden and saying, “Oh my gosh, where do I start?”

I would start out developing a plan. Divide your gardening area in half, quarters or what ever is easiest for you to cover. Plan on a given amount of time spent in each area.

You have an opportunity at this time to setup theme gardens. If you have a hillside area, you can add some inexpensive rip-rap and create a beautiful rock garden bed. Some gardeners like to theme by color. By incorporating shades of blue into the landscape it gives a sense of cooling whereas reds and yellows will heat thing up. Moon gardens are another interesting treat. You plant predominately whites and silvers into a garden area and highlight with lighting during the evening. A garden like this can be enjoyed 24 hours a day.

After the planning is complete, it’s time to dig in. The soil should be friable, which means it’s easy to crumble. If the soil sticks to your shovel, it could be too wet to work and it’s probably best to give it another day or two to dry down. This is also a great time to add amendments and compost to your garden(s). The old adage stands, “dig a $10 hole for a $2 plant”.

Planting correctly can get your plants off to a great start. When planting cell pack or potted plants, use the healthiest you can find. Healthy plant material is less likely to be damaged by insects or diseases.

If you plan on planting vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, plan on placing a paper collar around the stems of the plants extending from 2 inches below ground to an inch above before planting. The paper will decompose as the season progresses.

If you don’t use a collar, you could experience cut worms. Cut worms are moth larvae. They are dark brown to black in color and 1 inch to 2 inches in length. These little buggers are found just under the soil surface and come out at night to cut down your newly planted seedlings.

April is also a good month to divide clumping perennials such as day lilies, fall blooming mums, delphiniums and Shasta daisies. When dividing, keep the youngest divisions and discard any of the older woody portions.

It is also a good time to prune the early spring flowering shrubs, like forsythia and spirea after they have finished blooming for the season. Start deadheading the spring blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils and crocuses as they begin to fade. Leave the foliage until they start yellowing to nourish the bulbs for next year’s bloom.

Don’t forget our feathered friends. By feeding those that remain year round, they become an asset when insects become active in the garden. If you have room for a birdhouse in the garden, this will also attract the birds. Hummingbird feeders should be in place by April 10 to greet these dynamic migratory wonders.

Also remember that Arbor Day is on Friday, April 30 this year. This is a day to plan on planting a tree for ANY reason.