Growing cauliflower and broccoli means planting early as these cool weather crops will not produce when the summer temperature begin in late spring. In extreme southern locations, March to mid- April is planting time for these vegetables and by early April it’s time to put in peas, radishes, carrots, potatoes, corn and squash. Till your garden area as early as possible so it is ready for planting when the weather permits. Get cool season vegetables into the ground early and the seed will sprout as the ground warms.
In the Lower South, pepper plants and herbs are readily available as transplants and it’s time to plant beans and cucumbers, too. Heavy spring rains are normal in April so tilling to a depth of 8-10 inches and providing good drainage yields the best results in vegetable gardens.
When the danger of frost has passed, tomatoes can be transplanted into the garden. For those gardeners in areas with heavy clay soil or very sandy soil, tomatoes are often grown in large pots. It’s a good solution for those growing only enough vegetables to provide fresh food for their family and avoids the necessity of amending a large area of heavy, root-suffocating clay soil or trying to slow the instant drainage of soils with high sand content.
Late April is planting time for melons and okra. The soil has warmed and southern gardeners often replace spent cool weather crops with hills of melons. Melons are planted in hills and the widely spreading vines require a large garden area. Black-eyed and Crowder peas are also planted now. Unlike the English peas, these varieties are tolerant of heat.
If you have bare patches in your lawn, now is a good time to begin adding plugs and it’s not too late to sow grass seed on bare spots. If you plan to add grass sod to an area of your property, schedule that now so the grass can become established before the dry, hot summer begins.
If you have any heavy lifting planned in your landscape this summer, try to do any digging or clearing by the end of April to avoid discomfort as the temperature begins to rise quickly in May.
