As mid-April approaches, it's time to get hands dirty or dust off your gardening gloves whichever you prefer and dive into the wonders of the season!
Take a moment to reconnect with nature, and savour the simple joys of your future garden—whether it's the serenity of a morning coffee amidst birdsong or a tranquil sunset stroll in your backyard. It’s an exciting time!
This is the perfect time to shed the layers of winter and embrace the transition to the season ahead. It’s hard wired within us. Like sunflowers turning their faces towards the sun, we too feel an irresistible pull towards the great outdoors as the days grow longer and the warmth of spring rejuvenates us. It’s time to emerge from hibernation! Mother Nature is slowly waking our natural world up.
We get so excited about nice weather that we often forget that we can have 4 summer like days and then a few nights below zero again. It's important to keep in mind that while the ambient temperature might be warming up, the soil temperature will still be quite cold. Think of the soil like a lake; just because the air temperature is warm doesn't mean the water is, and it takes time for the lake to warm up.
Now is the time to start puttering in your garden. While it’s still too early to plant most things, there are still plenty of things you can do to get your garden off to a great start.
Here are some things to get your garden primed!
1. Start planting cool-season crops - While it might still be too cold to plant all the vegetables, you can start planting cool-season crops like radishes, lettuce and peas. These vegetables thrive when it’s cool and can tolerate frosts, making them perfect for planting early in the season when the temperature still fluctuates a lot. Flowers that love cool temperatures are poppies, bachelor buttons and calendula.
2. Begin preparing the soil - It's never too early to start preparing your soil. Clear away any debris, weeds, remove old plants from last year and work in some compost or other organic matter to enrich the soil.
3. Start seedlings indoors - If you're eager to get a jumpstart on the growing season, now is the time to start seeds indoors. Think cucumbers and tomatoes for vegetables, basil and dill for herbs and cosmos, sunflowers and zinnias for flowers. These are all easy to start from seed.
4. Add mulch - Adding a layer of mulch can prevent weeds from growing. Mulch is also a game changer in retaining moisture so if you mulch you'll be setting yourself up for less watering.
5. Gardening in April requires patience. Don't rush planting warm-season crops until the soil has had time to warm up fully. Take this time to dream and plan out your garden. Bask in the miracle of the transformation of a seed to you growing delicious food and beautiful flowers.
Happy Gardening!