in the vegetable patch
April showers bring May flowers....
The weather is finally starting to warm up, and early spring flowers are in bloom! The last frost date in this area is April 15-24, so gardeners, plan accordingly!
Sowing indoors: Members of the squash family, including cucumbers, zucchini, winter squashes. Plant out in early-mid May when weather warms up. Basil can also be started, but wait till mid May to plant out.
Sowing outdoors: Most half hardy/cool season vegetables can now be sown directly in the ground:carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, spinach, lettuce and Asian greens and peas. If you haven't planted your seed potatoes in late March, you can still put them in this month. Refer to the back of seed packets for sowing recommendations.
For a detailed planting calendar, please refer to
- Seattle Tilth's The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide;
- PDF from Oregon Tilth https://tilth.org/app/uploads/2015/02/OT_PHCalendar_Archive.pdf
- Oregon extension service https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/monthly-garden-calendars
- Washington State University extension service https://extension.wsu.edu/snohomish/fall-and-winter-vegetable-gardens-for-western-washington
garden Borders and beyond
Most annuals can be started from seed this month. Check seed packets for recommended sowing times. For dahlia lovers, you can get an early start to dahlia growing by starting them indoors in pots and waiting till last frost before planting out. April continues to be a good month to divide your perennials.