April Gardening Advice for Manchester – 2015

by Jennifer Fairfield

Editor’s note: Manchester resident, Jennifer Fairfield, owns and operates the Garden Mill in Chelsea, serves on the Manchester Community Garden Committee, and volunteers with the school gardens at Klager and the MECC.

I was talking with a couple the other day who said they weren’t sure that they were going to have a veggie garden this year because they had tried for the last two years, and had such limited success that they were thinking they just weren’t meant to garden. My advice to them was “Don’t give up!” I also explained that they shouldn’t judge their ability based on the last two years, because the last two years in Michigan have been challenging for even the most experienced gardeners! But the more I think about it, the more I realize that the best advice is still, “Don’t give up!” Gardening can be both very challenging and very rewarding. Mother Nature can seem fickle, and the weather around here certainly seems to like to toy with us, but gardening can bring a great deal of joy, along with great health benefits – whether you are growing your own produce (especially if you do it organically), or just growing beautiful things to look at. There is nothing like spending a little time outdoors in the sunshine, listening to all the creatures and breathing in the fresh air to reduce stress – even with all gardening’s challenges!

photo curtesy of Jennifer Fairfield

Spring truly is in the air in April! The days are getting longer, trees are starting to bud, crocus and snowdrops are in bloom, daffodils, tulips, and other spring bloomers are starting to poke their leaves up out of the ground, and we’re all eager to get out and do something – anything! – in the garden! Luckily, there are lots of things that we can be doing:

• Make sure your garden tools are ready for the season. Sharpen and clean pruners, loppers and shovels. Check gloves and garden hoses for holes. Inventory seeds to make sure you have what you need. Assess garden supports and stakes to make sure they are in good shape – replace those that won’t make it through the season. Have your lawn mower and other power equipment serviced so that it’s ready to go when the grass starts growing.
• Get your soil tested (or do it yourself with a kit), if you haven’t yet. This is something you should do each year, as the condition of your soil changes over time. You can save time and money if you know what your soil needs – you may learn that you don’t need to buy all the fertilizer you think you do!
• Pull mulch away from plants that are starting to poke up out of the ground, but be prepared to cover the plants back up if we get a really cold snap after you have pulled your mulch back.
• Once you have pulled back your mulch, you can add a top dressing of compost to help improve soil structure and fertility.
• If you are adding new mulch, wait until the soil has warmed up fully – usually after Mother’s Day, or even as late as Memorial Day weekend. If you put down new mulch too soon, you can actually keep the soil from warming up, and slow your plants’ growth and flowering.
• Clean up yard debris – branches that have fallen, leaves still remaining on lawns driveway gravel plowed onto the lawn – and pull out any dead plants that are still in garden beds.
• Cut back grasses and most perennials that you left standing over the winter. Wait to cut back semi-woody and woody perennials until the end of the month, then decide how much you want to trim based on where you see new growth, and how you want the plant to appear. For example, Russian Sage can get tall and floppy if it is not cut back each year, but that may be the look you like. So, if you want it to be bushier, cutting it back to about 6 inches or so each year will help accomplish that. If you like the height, wait to see where new leaf growth is showing, and cut back only to where there is no growth to remove dead branches. Semi-woody perennials are ones that forms woody stems, but aren’t as substantial as true shrubs or trees, and include Russian sage, lavender and some thymes.
• It’s getting a bit late for pruning many trees, except for damaged or dead branches. It is definitely too late for pruning oak trees, without risking oak wilt – a deadly disease carried by sap beetles that are attracted to sap from fresh wounds. If you must prune oak trees at any time other than late winter, be sure to seal the wound immediately after pruning (by immediately, I mean have the sealer ready when you are pruning and apply it as soon as you put down your tools). Sealing cuts on pruned trees is generally no longer recommended, with the exception of oaks pruned at any time of year other than late winter. Water-based paint makes a good sealer.
• If you are starting your own vegetable plants from seed this year, start seeds for tomatoes and peppers now, and eggplant and basil at mid-month.
• If the forecast for the next 10 days is to be believed, it looks like April is going to live up to the old saying about showers, which is a good thing. March was a pretty dry month around here. We normally see around an inch and a quarter of rain in March, but this year, we only got about half an inch. If the forecast doesn’t prove right, and since you are going to be checking the status of your hoses anyway, why not use them to give your bedding plants, especially any evergreens, a good drink (as long as the ground isn’t frozen)? February was a pretty brutal month if you were an outdoor plant, and going into spring with below average water can add stress to already stressed plants.
• Towards the end of the month, divide summer-blooming perennials that you didn’t get to in the fall (you can divide spring-bloomers, but they may not bloom this spring). If you have more plants than you have room for, give some away to friends and neighbors.
• If the temperatures we are getting now continue to hold, you could plant out some cold-hardy varieties such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, and peas. Pansies and primrose could also go out. At this time of year, it’s not a bad idea to keep row covers handy, just in case we get another really cold spell, or nighttime temps get into the twenties or below. While many of the above mentioned plants can take some cold, they are not going to do well at those lows.
• Flower seeds that can be sown outside early include bachelor’s buttons, calendula, phlox, and sweet pea.
• Plant dormant trees and shrubs once the soil can be worked.
• Clean out birdhouses now, if you haven’t already. First check to make sure they aren’t already being occupied. If the nesting materials in the box look at all new and fresh, leave them – it’s an indication you already have tenants.
• Check the condition of your hummingbird and oriole feeders – replace them if they are cracked.  I used to wait until May 1 to put these feeders out, but I found out last year that I was waiting too long.  Many of these nectar lovers that are on their way farther north may be passing through this month and would benefit from having a food source during their journey.  So, I’ll be putting my feeders out in the next couple of weeks – I’ll just be bringing them in most nights, since I don’t want them cracking when the temps get below freezing at night.
• If you feed hummingbirds, consider helping out a group that is working to learn more about these beauties in our region – Great Lakes Hummernet. You can help by letting them know when you first see hummers at your feeders. And if you see one that is unusual, they really want to hear about it. Generally, we only get one type of hummingbird nesting in SE Michigan – the Ruby-throated. Sometimes other varieties will fly through, though. If you are lucky enough to spot one, they would love to hear about it! For more information on who they are and what they do, as well as how you can help, visit their website.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.