April Garden Chores

There are always April garden chores to complete, but the biggest of the April garden chores is to get all of your seeds and seedlings in the ground now that the danger of frost is past here in Texas. I realize that up north you can still get snow in the middle of April so I think you need to wait a bit longer. Check your Almanac for that or check with your local county extension agent or just Google it.

So we are trying to get everything we have planted. We have a lot. We did not sell all of the seedlings we grew because they are small. They are small because of all of the cold snaps we have had this year. Plus, I keep adding seeds that I want to grow. :)

Here are a few more chores:

Plant your seeds outside for roots, greens, and lettuce.

Plant your transplants if you have not done so already, but don't forget to harden off the plants.

Mulch your garlic bed that you planted last fall.

Plant potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Start winter and summer squash, melons, beans, and basil.

Add compost to any garden bed areas that have not been composted. Then add mulch on top once the beds have been planted.

Our April garden chores also include planting any starts you have in your greenhouse, if it is warm enough in your area now. 

Inspect your growing plants, especially tomatoes and squash for bugs. When you see the tomato horn worm or those nasty squash bugs, smush them immediately. Look on the underside of the leaves to make sure there are no insect eggs laid on them. Remove the eggs if you find any and destroy them.

April garden chores include planting flowers or flower seeds among your vegetable plants. This encourages bees and other pollinators to visit your garden and pollinate your plants. Marigolds and Nasturtium keep undesirable insects off of your vegetable plants. Wild Bergamot, chives, oregano, and mint, which are herbs, are loved by bees, as well as  sunflowers, bee balm, daisies, and dahlias.

April garden chores today include (if you have not yet planted them), direct sowing the following into your garden beds:

• melons and watermelon
  
• squash, both summer and winter
• all beans
• corn
• cucumbers
• Swiss chard
• greens,
• Southern peas
• okra
  

Hopefully, you did not plant any of these seeds into little pots because they all hate to be transplanted.

If you have a pond, like we do, April garden chores can include adding new waterlily tubers to your pond.