Goodness, it’s April and there’s so much for gardeners and flower farmers to do!
Keeping watch on the weather for one.
Here at the farm in Kentucky, we’re anxiously awaiting the last frost date for our area—and holding out hope that the forecast is correct. You can learn the predicted last frost date for your area by browsing the Internet with the search term “USDA Hardiness Zone Frost Dates” or visiting the Almanac online.
In the meantime, there are plenty of chores to perform this month. So, let’s get started!
- Start organizing flower subscriptions, which normally begins in April
- Prepare and plant dahlia tubers for pre-sprouting
- Transplant seedlings into larger containers
- Sow more perennial seeds
- Plant out sweet pea seedlings
- Weed the cool-season flower rows
- Apply a top layer of compost to the field
- Finish the winter garden cleanup as soon as possible, if not already completed
Of course, this is just a sampling of what needs to be done this month. There’s so much more that requires attention—including perennials.
The time to purchase perennials is now while the highest-quality selections are still available. It’s also time to plant perennials so they can get well established in advance of summer. And it’s time to divide any existing perennials you may have in your garden or field.
April is the month for tending strawberries, too. Here at the flower farm, we also have lots of berries, fruit trees and veggies to care for. We grow our strawberries in raised beds. Right now, we’re weeding them, dividing them and fertilizing them with a fish/seaweed blend.
Yep, we’re moving from garden to garden and field to field, doing everything we can to make sure we’re off to a great start to a successful growing season—realizing, of course, that the weather is more likely to predict our actions than all the plans and predictions we’ve made!
I wish you a productive April and a happy gardening season!
Pamela Anthony
Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden