April in my garden

Plan

I'm thinking about where I'll find a nice patch of sun for my little tomato and pepper seedlings.

Prep

I mounded up my potato plants. I deadheaded lavender and spreading calendula from ripe seed heads. I'll be clearing mulch from the chicken yard and adding to to my hugel mounds for the cool-season crops. I'm adding support structures to all my tomatoes and twine for grapevines.

I've got to empty out my freezer to make room for this year's crop.  I'll be bringing last year's remaining mulberries to my favorite local restaurant, Tribute Pizza, so they can work their magic and make them into lovely desserts or drinks.

I'm so happy carefully caring for my tiny tomato seedlings!  They all sprouted and are doing well. I credit keeping them (and the water bottle I often spritz them with) right on the kitchen counter in front of a window so I'm looking right at them all day: tomatoes - Brad's Atomic Grape, Dark Galaxy, Green Zebra & Cherokee Purple from a 2016 seed exchange, Black Vernissage from last year's Earth Day seed swap, seeds saved from a brown & green paste tomato from a grocery store last year, and small red cherry seeds I've had a while from who knows where - and chiles/peppers.

Seed Saving

As I focus more on growing from seed, I'm also focusing on saving seeds. This month: calendula

Weed

I'm diligently pulling them up as they sprout, mostly while I'm in the garden watering or hanging out, a few here or there when I see them. But I'm also thinking about leaving some dandelions for their permaculture contributions.

Plant

My little tomato and chile seedlings aren't quite big enough to plant yet.
Also good to plant this month: radish, beets, carrots, corn, cucumber, lettuce, bush beans, melon, eggplant, winter & summer squash, okra, warm-season flowers (cosmos, marigold, sunflower), ginger, herbs

Feed

Fertilize citrus, avo, tomato, rose & orchids in waning moon

Water

We've had cloudy days and I'm still hoping for rain. Water deep in the morning every 10-14 days if it doesn't rain, more often for new seedlings.

Pests

Pick off any caterpillars, slugs and snails. Blast off ants, aphids, white fly & scale.

Prune

All my tomato plants are doing so well! I've trimmed any leaves that are touching the ground, all growth in the 4-6 inches and any suckers.

Here's what I'm harvesting...

mulberries! artichokes, sugar snap peas, roses, calla lilies, guavas, cilantro, eggs, arugula, tangerines, eureka lemons, nasturtiums, calendulas, parsley, thyme, oregano, chives, lavender, lemon grass, rose geranium, lemon verbena, elderberry flowers, white sage