Gardening tasks for April:
- Sharpen mowers and hand tools.
- To help keep shovels, spades & digging forks sharp and rust free, store them plunged into a 5 gallon bucket of sand mixed with a quart of motor oil.
- Move indoor plants outside. Put them in shade for a few days to harden them off. Give them a thorough washing and water well.
- Move seedlings outside and harden them off before planting.
- Thin out lettuce, beets, carrots and radishes.
- Pull up those pecan, walnut and elm seedlings before they have a chance to grow a HUGE taproot that you have to dig out.
- Clean up all garden debris and mulch well.
- Direct sow annual seeds such as celosia, marigold, cosmos, zinnia, gomphrena, alyssum, and portulaca.
- Watch for insect pests, especially aphids and take appropriate steps to get rid of them.
- Prune early spring bloomers like forsythia, quince and wisteria after they have bloomed.
- Plant hanging baskets.
- Weed, weed, weed!!
- Rejuvenate compost bins to get them cooking again.
- Plant okra, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, caladium and gladiola.
- And always be on the alert for freezing weather.