Laidback Gardening: What to Do in April?

It’s getting hot in here!

But, if you read the Laidback Gardener’s calendar regularly, you may have noticed that I often preach… patience!

In January, I suggested that you recover slowly from the holiday season before embarking on assessments and resolutions.

In February, I invited you to grow microgreens or take care of your houseplants, rather than starting your seedlings too early.

In March, it was the same story: we only tackled slow-growing seedlings, while exploring alternatives to outdoor gardening such as shopping for summer seeds and bulbs, reading gardening books, refining our plans or organizing our seed collection. We were still in the realm of quiet preparation, not frantic action.

Listen here Mathieu, we’re tired of being patient! We’re one trowel away from losing it!

I know it’s nice out, the snow has melted, there may even be a few bulbs starting to bloom. So why wait? Why not transplant our seedlings, snatch up every perennial in sight, plant shrubs like there’s no tomorrow, and roll around in the dirt like the garden-crazed pigs we truly are?

Who would have thought I would become so wise with age? No one!

But anyway… in April, the soil is often soggy, still cold and fragile: walking on it or planting too early can compact it and harm your crops for the whole season. Seedlings started indoors are not ready for the nights that are still too cool, and putting perennials or shrubs in the ground too quickly can be a shock. In short, it’s better to resist the call of the rake for a little while longer.

But there’s nothing to stop you from stretching your legs, strolling through the garden, observing the first signs of life, breathing in the fresh air… without immediately grabbing your shovel!

In truth, there are already plenty of things to do: pamper your seedlings, gently prepare the vegetable patch, walk around the garden and warm up quietly for the gardening marathon that is summer in Canada!

And honestly? Patient or not, I always end up covered in mud anyway.

Seedlings

1. Seedling season is in full swing! If you are a laidback gardener, you may be just starting your seedlings – and that’s perfectly fine. The recommended timings in the guides are often designed for those who garden in greenhouses or under powerful lamps. But indoors, with lower light, starting too early often results in etiolated and less vigorous plants. It is therefore better to adapt your sowing to your environment, rather than follow the calendar to the letter. Here are some seedlings to sow indoors in early April and mid-April;
2. Fertilize your seedlings: Start fertilizing the seedlings when they have 4 to 6 true leaves.
3. Water seedlings regularly, checking the soil every 2 to 3 days;
4. A quarter turn for your seedlings: turn the trays a quarter turn each time you water or at least once a week to prevent the plants from leaning towards the light. Here are some other tips for growing healthy seedlings;
5. Thin out seedlings: when thinning out, collect the young edible shoots such as lettuce, onion, cabbage and chard – a first harvest!

Vegetable Garden

1. Sowing in a cold frame: Some vegetables can be sown in a mini greenhouse, cold frame or under floating cover from April onwards: lettuce, spinach, peas, radishes, rocket;
2. Install supports for climbing plants: To save yourself work later in the season when you are busy, install supports now for climbing plants such as peas or beans.

Ornamental Garden

1. Postpone spring cleaning or don’t do it at all: Resist the urge to clean flower beds for a little longer. Several pollinating and beneficial insects, including bumblebees and butterflies, overwinter in dead leaves or hollow stems;
2. Prune summer- or fall-flowering shrubs as needed: Spring is a good time to prune shrubs that bloom after mid-June, such as Japanese spirea or panicle hydrangea, as they produce their flowers on the current year’s wood. Prune them before the leaves fully appear, only if necessary;
3. Buy your summer bulbs: Summer bulbs, such as tuberous begonias, cannas, callas, dahlias, gladioli, etc., are available in garden centers. Watch out! The earlier you buy, the more choice there is!
4. Remove winter protection: For those who have installed winter protection to protect new tree or shrub plantations, the time has come to remove it. Sudden rises in springtime temperatures can cause your plants to overheat. It is also best to leave the top of your protection open to let the heat escape;
5. Forcing branches for an early spring: you can still ‘force’ branches from trees and shrubs that flower in spring to bloom early in the house. The technique is useful for all trees and shrubs that flower in spring, such as willows, forsythia, service berries, magnolias, ornamental almonds and fruit trees.
6. Take cuttings from annual plants: At the beginning of fall, you may have brought in cuttings of annuals such as pelargoniums, begonias, impatiens and coleus to keep them over the winter. The aim is simple: to keep them alive so that you can replant them in the spring. April is always a good time to take cuttings from these plants and propagate them for your garden this year.
7. Make a sketch of where your bulbs are: Spring-flowering bulbs are not commercially available until September. So you plant them in the fall. But how can you remember where your existing bulbs are so you don’t plant them in the same place? Simple, you have to make a plan of where they are when they are in bloom in the spring. Or, even simpler, take pictures!

Lawn

1. Avoid walking on the grass while the ground is still soggy: Although the snow has already melted in many places, it is not necessarily time to clean your lawn (you can even avoid doing it altogether!). In spring, the ground is still soggy, and walking on damp ground compacts it and impairs the growth of the lawn;
2. Gently rake the dry grass: If you want to clean your lawn to remove dead leaves, twigs and dirt, wait until it starts to turn green. Usually, this is a few weeks after the snow melts and the ground will have dried out enough for you to walk on it without damaging it;
3. Rince the grass along the side of paths and pavements: if it doesn’t rain after the snow melts, use clean water to wash the grass near the street to remove de-icing salts.

Houseplants

1. Repot your houseplants: Repotting houseplants is essential to promote their growth. It is generally done in the spring. Most plants benefit from annual or biennial repotting, while young, growing plants may require repotting twice a year. Mature plants with little growth activity, such as indoor trees or cacti, can even remain in the same pot for 4 to 7 years;
2. Topdressing large plants: If repotting is impossible (plant too big or heavy), topdressing is an excellent alternative. It consists of removing 2 to 3 cm of topsoil from the surface, where salts accumulate, and replacing it with new soil;
3. A spa day for houseplants: As the days get longer and our plants slowly come out of their winter rest, it’s the perfect time to give them some well-deserved care. A few simple gestures will revitalize them and thank them for their beautiful presence throughout the year;
4. Clean your windows: By keeping your windows clean, you allow more light to enter the room, thus promoting the growth of your plants. Also make sure to clean both sides of the windows for maximum transparency;
5. Take cuttings from your houseplants: When winter draws to a close, the increasing number of daylight hours will trigger the growth of our houseplants, or it will start very soon. The best season for taking cuttings from our houseplants is usually between mid-February and the end of August;
6. Keep an eye out for insect infestations in your houseplants: Some insects that are harmful to houseplants calm down during the period of short days by entering diapause, but with the lengthening of the days, they become active again and begin to reproduce abundantly from the beginning of March;
7. Resume fertilizing houseplants: in temperate regions, fertilizing houseplants ceases in October with the decrease in light and the slowing of growth. If you haven’t already, now is the time to resume fertilizing;
8. Adjust watering gradually: With the resumption of growth, indoor plants often need more water in the spring, but increase the frequency gradually using the golden rule of watering.

Fauna

1. Clean and disinfect birdhouses, or add new ones: A quick look at the birdhouses once a year is all it takes! Ideally, give them a good clean and make a few repairs at the end of winter or very beginning of spring. If you haven’t already done so, install your nesting boxes before the end of April. They will provide a natural clean-up of harmful insects in the garden all summer long!
2. Continue to feed birds: As long as the ground is still covered with snow and natural food is limited, it is a good idea to provide them with sunflower seeds, tallow (if it is still cold) and dried fruit for the fruit-eaters;
3. Install a water point: As soon as temperatures remain above zero during the day, you can install a shallow bird bath to provide water for winged visitors. Be sure to change the water regularly to keep it clean. If cold nights are still expected, a small heating bath may be useful.

Other

1. Check your stored bulbs and tubers: Inspect stored bulbs (such as dahlias or gladioli) and tubers for signs of rot or drying out;
2. Clean eavestrough clogged with leaves or debris;
3. Prepare your rainwater collectors: Clean them and put them in place before the first heavy spring rains;
4. Repair your stakes, fences and trellises: It’s better to repair them now than when they’re covered in plants!