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| Seedlings |
Saturday, April 2, 2023
April is a beautiful time of year with the leaves coming on, the grass turning green, the first flowers blooming and lots of plants poking their heads out of the ground. There are many veggie and fruit seeds and transplants that can be put in the edible garden. It is still too chilly for most of the summer lovers until the end of the month. Big box stores, hardware stores, local nurseries, flea markets and farmers markets all have plants right now. This makes it easy to get your garden going in the spring. You can find many heirloom fruits and veggies transplants and seeds nowadays. For the unusual plants, buying on-line from seed companies is the way to go.
In preparation for spring planting, I completed my spring checklist and my garden beds are ready for planting! Spring garden checklist
I have already started salad greens and snow peas on pots. What's happening in the late March edible garden
Now, I am looking for what to plant this month. For us, the date of the last frost is April 2, today. For some of the warm loving crops, this is the date that you can transplant outdoors or start your seeds outdoors. I always look at the extended forecast to make sure we are not getting an unusual cold snap coming. Check your seed packet for the best time to sow the seeds. I like starting seeds in pots outdoors so they are already acclimated to the temperatures and strength of the sun.
Spring loving transplants are in your neighborhood stores that you can pick up now. I almost always buy some lettuce and spinach transplants to get more plants to harvest from this time of year. Quick tip-veggie plants are in stores!
Even though you will see summer lovers like basil, tomatoes and eggplant plants in the store, it is still quite chilly for them in April. They do much better in the warmer temperatures that come in May.
Starting seeds indoors is a great option too. You can grow unusual varieties you may not find in stores. Being inside let's you keep a very close eye on how they are doing, too. You just need to make sure they are acclimated for the outdoors before transplanting. "Hardening off" seedlings
Here is a list of plants and seeds you can put in the April garden:
April-transplants or seeds into the garden or pot Zone 6/7
Amaranth
Artichoke Growing artichokes and cardoons
Borage Flowers that are edible
Broccoli How to grow broccoli and cauliflower
Brussels sprouts Growing Brussel sprouts
Catnip
Cauliflower How to grow broccoli and cauliflower
Celeriac
Dill
Endive
Fennel Growing fennel
Horseradish
Leeks
Lemon balm
Lovage
Mizuna Fall and winter greens
Mustard Mustard greens
Radicchio
Sage
Strawberries Back yard strawberries
Tarragon Start a kitchen herb garden!
Thyme
Valerian
Any of the above can also be started indoors and then transplanted outdoors into their permanent garden spot or pot.
April-start directly in the garden or pot
These edibles do best when started directly in their permanent spot. Almost all root vegetable do best being directly sown (onions and leeks can be started from seed then transplanted to their permanent spot).
Beans (snap-bush & pole) at end of April Growing beans
Corn at end of April Growing corn
Fruit bushes (bare root or potted) Fruit for small spaces and pots
Potatoes (seed potatoes) Time to plant potatoes, even if you only have a patio
Turnips All about turnips
April-start indoors for transplanting in early May
Lemon verbena
Summer and winter squash Everything you need to know to grow squash
Sweet potatoes Growing sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes Growing sweet potatoes
For tips on starting your seeds in the garden: Outdoor seed starting tips I also like to put a pot on our covered deck and start seeds there. Once they are to a good size, I transplant them into their permanent pot or into the garden bed. Vegetables you can grow in pots
For tips on seed starting:
Trying to decide what to plant for this year's garden? Here are some garden ideas:
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