By Jennifer Fairfield, owner the Garden Mill
(Publisher’s note: This is the second part of a 2 part column. Part 1 published yesterday.)
All the wind we saw in March has likely left debris in your yard from broken branches. Fortunately, sunny April days are perfect for getting out and cleaning it up before mowing season begins.
If you can, pile the debris somewhere on your property that is out of the way, to provide habitat for creatures, including some bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Insects we don’t necessarily think of as beneficial will also use the dead wood, providing food sources for birds and other creatures.
Early April is the time to apply weed preventer to your lawn. Weed preventers help keep the seeds of dandelion, crab grass, and other weeds from putting down roots when they germinate. It won’t kill perennial weeds that already exist in your lawn but will keep new seeds from taking hold.
If you’re looking for something to kill existing weeds, I highly recommend Captain Jack’s Dead Weed Brew (the re-branded same formula of Bonide’s Burn Out Formula II). It takes a few applications to truly kill a perennial weed permanently, but it does the best job I’ve found of any organic weed killer around.
Wait until daytime temperatures are consistently in the 50’s to cut back grasses and most perennials that you left standing over the winter. Waiting for warmer temps will give the beneficial insects that have spent the winter in the hollow stems and on the leaves of your plants a chance to wake up.
The Xerces Society has more details about when to do spring clean-up so you do the least harm.
Cut back semi-woody and woody perennials around the end of the month. Decide how much you want to trim based on where you see new growth, and how you want the plant to appear. For a more “shrubby” appearance, cut them back to about 6” from the ground so that they will branch out more. If you want a taller plant, just trim branches to help get the shape you are looking for.
Semi-woody perennials are ones that form woody stems, but aren’t as substantial as true shrubs or trees, and include Russian sage, lavender, and some thymes.
Once your garden’s soil is workable, it’s time to start planting cool-season crops, such as pea, lettuce, and spinach seeds. Radishes and carrots like slightly warmer soil, as do cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower transplants, and onion sets. The best way to know when to plant anything is by checking the soil temperature. All plants thrive at particular temperatures or range of temperatures.
If you plant too soon, seeds will more likely rot before they can germinate, and transplants can end up being stunted and not produce well. Use a soil thermometer to make sure that your garden is ready for planting. The University of California’s Extension Service offers a great chart with soil temperature ranges for seed germination.
The MSU Extension Service has more tips on when to plant both seeds and transplants.
Pansies and primrose can also go out now, but keep row covers handy – even though these are pretty hardy plants, temperature dips below freezing can cause some damage to the new growth on these plants still. Row covers can help protect your plants from frost and freeze by keeping the warmth of the soil around the plants.
Most annual flower seeds should not be planted until the soil temperature is at least 65° to 70°, but sweet pea seeds can be planted outdoors when soil temperatures have reached 50° and bachelor’s buttons and calendula are good to plant at soil temps of 60°.
Toward the end of the month, divide summer-blooming perennials that you didn’t get to in the fall (you can divide spring-bloomers, but doing so may meant that they don’t bloom this spring).
Plant dormant trees and shrubs once the soil can be worked. The Arbor Day foundation offers in-depth information for planting various types of trees to give them the best chance of thriving.
For the Birds:
If you don’t have bird houses up yet, get them up now. Bluebirds, swallows, chickadees, wrens, kestrels, and many woodpeckers and owls will use nesting boxes in your yard.
If you have a large pond or other wetlands on your property, you might attract wood ducks, mergansers, and other waterfowl with a nesting box. If you’re not sure what kinds of birds you might be able to attract to your yard, or what type of nest box the kind of bird you want to attract likes, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s interactive All About Bird Houses can help you figure it all out. They offer free downloadable nesting box plans, but also give lots of details about the type of boxes different birds prefer, where to put the box, and when to expect the birds to be nesting.
If you don’t want to tackle building your own nesting box, we’ve got a number of options at The Garden Mill.
Check existing bird houses before cleaning them out to make sure they aren’t already occupied. If the nesting materials in the box look at all new and fresh, leave them – it’s an indication you already have tenants. If the materials look old, clean them out to give the birds a fresh start.
Another way to help birds during nesting season is to provide nesting materials for your birds. Just be sure you know what is and isn’t safe for the birds, as some things can be quite dangerous. Check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Do’s and Don’ts of providing nesting materials.
If you are wondering when hummingbirds will start arriving in our area, check out Hummingbird Central’s website that tracks their migration. Right now, they are still a bit south of us, but it won’t be too long before we start seeing them at our feeders, and orioles should be showing up at about the same time.
Make sure your feeders are ready for them – check for cracks and replace them if needed. With warmer temperatures, put your feeders out during the day to help early arrivers find food. If the temps dip below freezing at night, be sure to bring the feeders indoors to prevent cracking.
