April 2018 gardening advice

In late March and early April – before much else is even thinking about blooming – ranunculus comes to cheer us up and give us hope that spring is just around the corner.

by Jennifer Fairfield

All in favor of Spring hurrying up and getting here, raise your hand! OK – for those of you who remember (yes, I’m showing my age here), I just got a picture of the kid in the 1970s TV show, “Welcome Back, Kotter” who used to raise his hand crazily in class whenever he thought he knew the answer to something. That’s exactly how I feel right now – “Ooh! Ooh! Me, me! I want Spring!!” I don’t know why, but this winter seems to have been a really long one. Rationally, I know it was no longer, and certainly no worse, than many of our winters. But I’m not being rational right now – I WANT SPRING!

Unfortunately, the weather predictors have recently come out with their thoughts on the next few months, and it looks like we’re going to need to rely on early-blooming, cool-weather plants to keep up in color for a little longer than usual this year – if they’re right. They’re saying that April through June will be cooler than usual in Michigan. I really hope they’re wrong!

The recent rain has left things a bit soggy around here, which means that we really can’t get working in our gardens and yards just yet. Soil compaction happens when we walk on our garden beds and lawns while they are soggy, and that creates a number of issues – compacted soil doesn’t drain well (so it stays wet even longer), it reduces root growth, and it can reduce the roots’ ability to take up water and nutrients. So, stay out of the garden and off the lawn until things dry out a little bit. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do now, and when things dry out, and it warms up a little, there will be even more to do:

Indoors and Outdoors:

• Before starting to plant outdoors, test your soil (we have a very easy and reliable testing kit in stock). Your soil conditions change over time, so it’s best to do this every year. Knowing what your soil is lacking makes giving it what it needs to support good plant growth so much easier. When doing a soil test, be sure to test different types of soil separately – do one test for your lawn, one for your veggie garden, and one for you flower bed. Your different types of plants will have different needs for nutrients, so treating them all the same won’t give you the best results. If you have multiple flower beds, test them separately as well. Just because the soil in one bed lacks something, doesn’t mean the same will be true for another bed. If you haven’t done a comprehensive soil test in a few years, you should consider sending your samples to MSU’s extension service for testing. They will provide you with a more in-depth report on your soil’s condition, along with suggestions for solving any issues.
• Start seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant indoors now, and basil at mid-month. Organic Life has a great resource for figuring out what to start when. Outdoors, plant peas and spinach as soon as the soil is workable, radishes and carrots after the soil has warmed up a little more. Cabbage and kale transplants, as well as onion sets, can go out by mid-month, and broccoli and cauliflower by the end of the month, depending on the weather, of course. Even if it’s ideal weather for planting, keep row covers handy for the inevitable frosts we are guaranteed to still get. Young plants can’t withstand the frost as well as plants that are further along.

• Make sure your garden tools are ready for the season. Sharpen and clean pruners, loppers, shovels, and hand tools, if you didn’t get to that task before putting them away for the winter. Check gloves and garden hoses for wear and holes. Check garden supports and stakes to make sure they are in good shape. Have your lawn mower and other power equipment serviced so that it’s ready to go when mowing season begins. And speaking of mowing, now is a great time to think about how you will maintain your lawn over the season, and how you can help pollinators while doing so. MSU Extension’s article on Smart Lawns for Pollinators has some great tips for helping, or at least not harming, pollinators while keeping your lawn looking great.

• Clean up yard debris – branches that have fallen from trees, leaves still remaining on lawns, driveway gravel plowed onto the lawn, etc. Wait a little bit longer to pull out any dead plants that are still in garden beds, or do it carefully, and don’t burn or remove the debris from your land. The reason for this is that “debris” may be providing shelter for over-wintering eggs, larva, and even adults of some of the creatures we want to encourage in our yards – bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. This post from Savvy Gardening has some really great tips for doing your spring clean-up in a way that helps our pollinators and other beneficial insects.

• It’s usually safe to cut back grasses and most perennials that you left standing over the winter when daytime temperatures are consistently in the 50’s. 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. Semi-woody perennials are ones that form woody stems, but aren’t as substantial as true shrubs or trees, and include plants such as Russian sage, lavender, and some thymes. For more advice on when to do your clean-up, check out this article from the Xerces Society.
• If the weather gurus are wrong, and we get a prolonged warm-up this month, 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 cold snap. Add a top dressing of compost, after you pull the mulch back, to help improve soil structure and fertility. Wait to add more mulch to your planting beds, trees, and shrubs until the soil has warmed up. This task is usually one best done in mid- or even late-May, depending on the weather. If you put new mulch down too soon, you will be keeping the soil cool, which will slow down the growth of your plants.
• Pruning of trees should really be long done by now, with the exception of any broken or damaged 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 the 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). Mostly, sealing cuts on pruned trees is no longer recommended, with the exception of oaks. You can use any water-based paint to seal tree pruning wounds that require it.
• Towards the end of the month, as new growth is starting, 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.
• Plant dormant trees and shrubs once the soil can be worked. As I mentioned above, walking on your soil while it’s still wet is not a good thing, and in the early spring, the soil is usually quite wet from melting snow and all the rain we usually get. To tell if your soil is ready to be worked in (and on), simply take a handful of soil and squeeze it. When you open your hand, if the ball stays together, it’s too wet. If it falls apart and is a bit crumbly, then it’s safe to get to work.

For the birds:

• 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 that this year’s birds are already starting to take up residence.
• If you live near a body of water, and have open land, you have the perfect conditions for a Purple Martin house. Purple Martins need our help, because they only live in man-made houses, and they have been in decline in Michigan for 50 years. For more information on how you can help, check out the Michigan Audubon Society’s website. Now is the perfect time to get a house up for them, as they will be heading here soon, and may be looking to spread out from their current homes. If you don’t get any of them coming to your home this year, don’t despair. They are creatures of habit, and it sometimes takes them a little time to find a new house – but they will find it!

• If you really want to attract more birds to your bird houses, put out nesting materials. All kinds of birds use all kinds of different materials to construct or line their nests, and you can help by offering them some useful items, such as human and animal hair, strips of cloth, and small bits of yarn. Don’t give them the lint from your dryer, as that can contain harmful chemicals, and can also get wet and soggy – neither of which will be good for the birds. You can simply stuff your offerings into a suet cage to make it easy for them to find and get out.
• Check the condition of your hummingbird and oriole feeders, and replace as needed. 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.

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by Sara Swanson

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