If you are growing summer vegetables from seed, remember that they need to be hardened off before planting them in your garden. Gently harden the plants off by slowly introducing them to outdoor weather and sunlight. Leave them outside on mild days for a while and increase the exposure every day until the plants can be left all day and night. Watch for signs of stress.
Tomatoes that have been grown from seed can now be placed in larger containers. Sticks or small canes of bamboo can be used for support at this stage. In mid-May they can be placed in their final growing spot or container. Pinch the growing tips of any legs and make sure watering is consistent and air flow is free around the young plant.
Potatoes are one of the easiest crops you can grow. Put a seed potato in the ground in March or April, and in three or four months it will multiply to produce a crop that will feed a family of four twice.
Annick Gitteney
Plant your new strawberries between April and JuneLeave about 13 inches between your plants if possible. If space is at a premium, arm yourself with a terracotta strawberry pot, a little kit with numerous planting holes. If you’re thinking of planting fewer plants in pots or hanging baskets it’s worth going for something a little prettier than your bog-standard plant – ‘Toscana’ has lovely rich pink petals.
Tips for April Gardening
Cut back and feed the bushes
Cut back spring flowering shrubs after they bloom, then give them a dose of fertilizer. If the azaleas or camellias show some yellowing between the veins, apply some organic feed. Cut off dead flowers from spring bulbs, but leave the foliage to provide energy for the bulbs next spring.
weed
Time to start weeding. When your plants start growing, full-grown weeds can suffocate and kill your emerging plants, so make sure you pull out as many weeds as you can—roots and all. Perennial weeds such as bindweed, couch grass and ground alder should be dealt with early, as they will take over the entire garden if you let them.
Deadheading and frost protection
Continue to dead-head violas and pansies in containers, they will flower profusely from now until late May. Avoid planting summer bedding plants too early, although many plants such as bacopas, petunias and fuchsias are available for purchase at many garden centers; They will still need protection from frost and April rain. If you can’t resist the temptation and have a greenhouse, they can be kept in a protected environment until they are ready to plant in mid-May, when all danger of frost has passed.
Staking tall plants
Plants that will be tall this spring and summer need to be protected from windy weather damage or uprooted. Most of us don’t think about supporting plants that are only a few inches tall, and our window of opportunity can easily pass. Peonies will increase growth and come into leaf, so use a sturdy metal circular plant support to hold the weight of the heavy blooms, and you’ll be rewarded with a spectacular show of bouncy peonies in May.
