(Chelsea Update would like to thank Jennifer Fairfield, owner of The Garden Mill, for the information in this column.)
Even though we really can’t get any planting or dividing done yet because the ground is either still frozen or too soggy, there are still a number of things we can do to get our yards and gardens ready.
First, make sure that your tools are in good shape – clean and sharpen pruners, loppers, and shovels; check hoses and gloves for holes; inventory your garden stakes and other supports to see whether you need to replace any; inventory your seeds to see if you have enough.
Next, before you start planting anything, be sure to have your soil tested. You can do this with a simple soil test kit, or by sending a sample to the MSU extension.
You can find information on how to have MSU test your soil for you here, or you can pick up a do-it-yourself kit at The Garden Mill.
A soil test can show you whether you need to add nutrients to your soil to help your plants thrive.
If you haven’t yet cut back your ornamental grasses, get that done early in the month, before new growth starts showing.
Same thing goes for most perennials, though not woody or semi-woody perennials – wait until next month for those.
Pruning
Early in the month, prune any of your deciduous trees that you haven’t yet gotten to. Conventional wisdom says you shouldn’t prune maple, birch, or walnut trees until later because they tend to “bleed” a lot when pruned early. I have recently learned that, other than the fact that people tend not to like the way it looks, it really isn’t harming the tree. So, if you don’t want to see all that sap running down the tree, wait until we’ve warmed up a bit more to prune those trees, otherwise do that now.
Oak trees are the one deciduous tree that should not be trimmed this late. Sap beetles are attracted to fresh wounds during the spring, and those beetles might be carrying the fungus that causes oak wilt. Oak wilt kills oak trees, but you can help prevent it by pruning at the right time.
The best time to prune is in February, so that the tree has time to heal before the beetles start showing up. If you absolutely have to prune an oak tree at any other time, because of damaged or broken limbs, you will want to have either a water-based paint or shellac handy so that you can immediately cover the wound. It is important that you don’t wait to cover the wound in order to prevent infection.
Start seeds
Another thing you can be doing in early April is starting some seeds indoors for things you will be planting outside later. Eggplant, Peppers, and Tomatoes should all get started early in the month so that they will be ready to set out in the garden by the end of May.
Plant cold hardy varieties
If we do get some warmer temperatures, you could plant out some cold-hardy plants such as primrose, pansies, and ranunculus.
Kale, cabbage, broccoli, and head lettuce plants, as well as spinach, leaf lettuce, radish and carrot seeds could go out in the veggie garden later this month. The biggest deciding factor for whether it’s time to do any planting is the condition of your soil. If the soil is too wet, it’s not time yet (no, I didn’t intentionally make that rhyme).
There’s a really simple way to determine if your soil is too wet – take a handful of it and give it a good squeeze. If it forms a pretty solid ball, it’s too wet. If it crumbles easily, it’s good.
Along with planting some things out in April, if the soil is in good shape, you can get started on dividing and transplanting perennials that have outgrown their space.
For our feathered friends
If you haven’t already cleaned out your birdhouses, it’s already getting late, so do that right away. First, check them to make sure that someone hasn’t already decided to make that house a home for the season. If it looks like all the materials are old, go ahead and clean them out. If it looks like there is new material in the house, leave it alone – it’s a sign that someone is considering taking up residence.
Consider putting up more birdhouses if you have room for them. Don’t forget that bringing birds to your yard can help control insect populations in your garden. Many of the birds that come to houses are voracious insect eaters, which can help cut down on some of the work you would otherwise have to do.
Let’s get Gardening.
