What Do We Sow and Plant During This Period?
This year's April weather brought plenty of April surprises. Warm sunny days as well as snowstorms and frosts. Let's hope that the current spring dominance will be final. The dreaded "Ice Saints" are still ahead of us, but the garden is already loudly calling for your care.
Vegetable Garden in April: Direct Sowing in Beds and Racing Against Weeds
Rising temperatures and lengthening days have truly magical effects on all plants in the garden. Everything buds, blooms and grows green at tremendous speed. And what grows the absolute fastest? Look around the garden and get straight to weeding... Weeds always grow faster than cultivated crops. If you decide to test your strength against them in spring, you'll be surprised by their exceptional fitness. Weed removal has the greatest effect right now in spring. Make an effort in April, and you'll have the upper hand over weeds for the rest of the year.
April vegetable sowings depend primarily on the weather. In warm years, it's possible to sow almost everything in April, but the usual frost strike in mid-May can easily ruin your work. However, with hardier vegetable varieties, there's nothing to fear anymore. Sow carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, salad beets, leeks, parsnips and more in your beds. Among herbs, don't forget chives, leaf parsley, dill or lovage. You can protect sowings by covering them with white non-woven fabric, which helps maintain the higher moisture needed for germination on sunny days while protecting young plants from night cold.
Check Out Pěstík's Seed Selection
Did spring catch you unprepared? You can still catch up on everything right now. If you haven't bought seeds yet, or just need to stock up, you'll definitely find what you need at Pěstík. For each vegetable, you'll find a detailed description to help you with growing. Basic information is also always included on the seed packet.
Planting Vegetable Seedlings or Potatoes
April is the right time for planting potatoes, which should be in the ground by the first of May, as the saying goes. You can also plant seedlings of early cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, or cauliflower in your beds - either pre-grown from early spring or purchased from a garden center. It's also a suitable time for planting onion sets.
Don't Rush With Heat-Loving Vegetables
Tomato and pepper seedlings can be planted in greenhouses or polytunnels as early as April. However, if you want to grow them freely in beds, it's better to wait until the second half of May due to the risk of frost.
Seedlings on the Windowsill
April is also a suitable time for pre-growing fast-growing vegetable seedlings such as zucchini, melons, or pumpkins. In warmer areas, you can grow them from direct sowing in May, but in higher elevations, pre-growing will be a safer bet. Seedlings of cucurbit vegetables will be ready for planting in beds approximately 3-4 weeks after sowing. It's important to choose quality substrate for sowing and propagation that will provide the seedlings with an optimal start in life. Check out Pěstík's wide range of growing substrates - you're sure to find what you need.
Plant New Fruit Trees in April
April is a suitable period for planting fruit trees - apricots, peaches, as well as grapevines. Don't forget sufficient watering after planting.
April and the Ornamental Garden
Spring is generally a favorable time for planting perennials and ornamental shrubs. In April, also take the opportunity to establish a new lawn or wildflower meadow. In flower beds and window boxes, you can start sowing a wide range of fast-growing annuals such as nasturtiums, daisies, calendulas, and more. In April, it's better to sow cold-sensitive species indoors or in a cold frame, including marigolds, China asters, and others, which you'll transplant outside in May. In the warmest areas, you can also plant gladiolus at the end of April. Definitely wait until May with dahlias, but in April you can let them sprout in a sheltered location in pots, which will ensure earlier blooming.