April is one of the most important months for any gardener, but it’s a crucial month in New England due to the importance of prepping your garden space for the upcoming growing season. The following are some essential April gardening tips that any New England gardener will want to heed if they want to make the most out of the upcoming warmer seasons.
Tip #1: Rake your garden beds thoroughly
You should always make sure to rake your garden beds as early as possible in April because you don’t want to rake once any flowers or plants have actually started growing. Rake thoroughly in order to remove all dead or decaying plants and other debris from the soil; you may be able to turn it into compost, to avoid extra waste.
Tip #2: Edge your flower beds
If you have flower beds, April is the perfect time to edge them. Lawn rhizomes love to make their way onto flower beds starting in April, so edging is crucial if you want to avoid a full-blown invasion during the spring and summer. Like other plant debris, these can be used as compost.
Tip #3: Watch for blooming shrubs
If you have shrubs that bloom, they will likely bloom sometime during the month of April. Once they’ve finished blooming, you can prune them down. Don’t prune them too early, or you’ll risk stagnating the blooming process. You can also prune berry bushes during April.
Tip #4: Turn over your soil
If you’re growing fruits, vegetables, or any plants that require turned soil, then April is the time to do it. If you plan to grow vegetables or similar plants for the first time, make sure to completely turn over the soil to remove any existing debris. If you have any perennial vegetables already planted, make sure to take the time to rake up any debris that may be covering the incoming plants. If you wait too long to do this, it will be more difficult to clear debris, since you’ll notice that some perennial plants are already sprouted by the end of the month.
Tip #5: Make sure your soil is soft enough
It’s important not to work on your soil when it is too hard. Towards the beginning of the month, the soil might still be hard from the winter; but once it has softened, it is time to get to work. In addition to raking and turning the soil, you can also pull out any existing weeds once the soil is soft enough for them to easily get lifted out.
Tip #6: Test your soil
It’s important to test your soil as soon as you can in April so that you can take any necessary steps to improve the quality of the soil before your flowers and other plants start to grow in earnest.
April is a crucial month for ensuring that your New England garden is ready for the upcoming warmer months. The above tips will help your garden start off the spring in the best shape possible.
