April in the Garden

General

April is an excellent time to undertake work in the garden. The days are cooler and there should be a reasonable amount of moisture in the soil. Early planting and replanting of trees shrubs and perennials will enable them to make root growth before the cold winter.

Applications of nitrogen based fertilizer should stop now and superphosphate and potash based fertilizers used to ensure good hardy growth to take the plants through the winter.

Vegetable Garden

• Plant cabbages, cauliflower and silverbeet.
• Cut down asparagus fronds of before seeds drop.
• Harvest vegetables
• Cultivate the vegetable garden and mulch with compost for the winter
• Prepare garden plots for strawberries and rhubarb

Ornamental Garden

• Plant winter and spring flowering annuals - polyanthus, pansy, wallflower, myosotis.
• Sow: Early Sweet Peas
• Plant spring flowering bulbs tulips, narcissus and snowdrops
• Plant lily bulbs on a bed of sand
• Lift gladiolus and store on cool dry place
• Prune spent flower heads off perennials.
• Start lifting and dividing perennials and replanting them in new positions for next year.
• Lift, divide and replant rock garden plants
• Wrench trees and shrubs that you want to transplant around the garden.
• Plant new trees and shrubs so that their roots can take hold of the ground before winter. Make sure the ground has sufficient moisture in it before you do this.
• Trim hedges

Glasshouses

• Harvest the last of the tomatoes.
• Remove shade from glasshouses.
• Cleanup the soil and keep clean ready for next year. If you change the soil now is the time to do it.

Lawns

• April is a good time to sow an autumn lawn. Ensure good moisture content of the soil.
• Spray lawns for weeds with proprietary chemicals

Fruit

• Harvest fruit before it is fully ripe and preserve.