After a couple of weeks of Mother Nature suppling additional moisture to the landscape, the temperatures are going to warm up nicely and we will be anxious to scratch that itch called Spring Fever! No matter how warm the daytime temps get, no matter how nice if feels to be outside soaking up the glorious Colorado sunshine, don’t be fooled. April is still the cool, early season for Rocky Mountain gardening. What does that mean?
April is the perfect month for cleaning up and preparing the garden for the upcoming season. The perfect time to prepare new garden beds by removing weeds and adding compost to the soil. Perfect time to build new raised beds for vegetable gardening or installing edging to keep new or existing beds within their confines. Then we can do some planting! But stick with the plants that are best suited for cool, early season April growing conditions.
Perennials, shrubs and trees should be planted in April. The cool conditions will provide less environmental stress upon the plant allowing it to establish new roots in the soil more easily. All Creek Side perennials, shrubs and trees have been hardened-off or conditioned for the cool April planting season.
Pansies are the most popular cool season annual for planting in April. Their cheery, colorful blooms are easily recognizable and actually appreciate the bright, cool growing conditions that April offers. Don’t forget about other cool season annuals like snapdragons, dianthus and sweet alyssum.
The most popular vegetable for April gardening is to sow lettuce seeds and other leafy greens directly into the soil. Keep the seeds moist until germinated and then water regularly. Apply a low strength fertilizer to keep the plants healthy and strong. Other vegetable seeds to sow include carrots, radishes, beets and peas. Planting starter plants for broccoli, Brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower and kale will result in an earlier harvest. Creek Side grows these starter plants for you in our own greenhouses. Stop by to check them out!
Creek Side Gardens is ready! The Creek Side Green Team continues to plant away in the greenhouses. In addition to planting more pots and hanging baskets, plant maintenance is taking place to keep everything looking beautiful. Pots are spaced apart from one another so that the plants develop evenly around all sides. Flowers are developing at this time, so it is exciting to see all the new varieties and color combinations we have planned for this year. Watering and fertilizing of the plants in the greenhouse increases as the temperatures warm up as well, so here we go!
