April is a busy month in the garden on the Central Coast. It’s critical to pay attention to your particular microclimate. Our inland gardeners may be able to plant warm season vegetables a bit earlier than our coastal ones. Use our planting calendar and tips as a guide and adjust based on current conditions and your microclimate, always!
Food Gardening
- If you are interested in starting your vegetables from seed, use this spring seed starting presentation.
- Technically, warm weather vegetables can be planted in April, but monitor your local weather conditions. If the nighttime temperatures warm up later in the month, transplant plant warm season vegetables such as beans, squash and cucumbers, particularly if you live inland. Otherwise, consider waiting until May.
- Plant cool season, early veggies such as greens, Swiss chard, lettuce, and brassicas (including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale).
- Root crops, such as beets, radishes, turnips and carrots, can be planted from seed directly into beds.
- Plant cool-season herbs such as fennel and dill. Cilantro can be planted from seed.
- Transplant a first set of basil later this month. Plan on succession planting for a continuous harvest.
- Plant potatoes. Look for healthy "seed potatoes" at the nursery, which are certified disease-free and sold specifically to produce more potatoes. Read the label to find out if they are an early, second early or main potato, and remember to label your planting area with the variety.
Fruit Trees
- Refer to the fruit tree maintenance schedule above for spring bloom spraying to manage tree disease, particularly for our recent wet weather.
- Prune suckers (branches growing vertically from base of fruit trees).
- Fertilize citrus just prior to bloom. Citrus trees in pots may require less fertilization.
- When mulching around trees, keep mulch 6" away from the trunk and mulch to the drip line of the tree. The drip line is a circle that may be drawn on the ground around a tree where rain would drip off the outermost leaves.
California Natives, Flowers and Ornamentals
- Spring is the second best time to transplant California native plants, but they will need supplemental watering the first year to get established.
- Transplant California wildflowers and poppies on a cool day to reduce transplant shock.
- Transplant annual flowering plants, such as dahlias, gladiolus and lilies.
- Plant early summer blooming annual bulbs, such as gladiolus and canna lilies.
- Prune roses now through early spring. Pruning dead, diseased or damaged canes is always a good idea, but pruning roses regularly contributes to the overall health of the plant and supports blooms.
- Perennials such as daylilies, chrysanthemums, douglas iris and yarrows can be divided in early spring. Use clean, sharp tools.
- Watch for petal blight of azalea, rhododendron, and camelias. Remove and discard old flowers. Apply fresh organic mulch beneath plants.
Miscellaneous
- Pruning diseased, dead or damaged branches can be done anytime. Exception: If you suspect frost damage, wait until warmer weather to assess how to proceed. Frost damaged tips can actually protect the rest of the tree from further damage.
- Managing pests: We encourage Integrated Pest Management, ongoing strategies to manage pest damage. Direct, regular observation is a good practice.
Evergreen Tips
- Sterilize planting containers before reusing. Wash with mild soap and water to clean. Disinfect planting containers with a 10% bleach solution, meaning 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.
- Clean and disinfect gardening tools regularly to avoid spreading disease.
- Irrigation: Make seasonal adjustments. Check for damage or leaks.
- Remove diseased plant material to keep your garden as disease free as possible. Do not add diseased plant material to your home compost or leave them in your garden beds. Some pests and diseases can and do overwinter. Home compost systems do not generally get hot enough to destroy pathogens.