Gardening Tips for April for New Bern, NC
Southeast Region
- This month is good for tender vegetables, such as beans, sweet corn, squash, melons, and cucumbers. Plant two or more rows of corn for better pollination.
- Continue planting warm-season crops: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cabbage. Plant okra, too!
- Mulch your garden well to preserve moisture and keep down weeds.
- Ensure that your garden receives 1 inch of rain per week. Set out an empty tuna can to measure the amount of rainfall.
- Watch out for insects such as aphids and use an insecticidal soap spray if needed. See Almanac.com/Gardening for our Pests & Problems page.
- Plant an herb garden. Basil, parsley, oregano, chives, sage, rosemary, and thyme are good choices.
- Remove any weeds in your garden, as they compete with your plants for water and nutrients.
- Plant new annuals and bedding plants, such as coleus, geraniums, impatiens, marigolds, phlox, salvia, and zinnias.
- This is a great time to plant many bulbs such as: canna, caladium, blood dilly, and iris.
- Divide herbaceous perennials, clumps of bulbs, and ornamental grasses if the garden looks too crowded. Replant or give away!
- Remove any dead flowers from plants to encourage new growth.
- Apply new mulch around your plants, shrubs, and trees, if needed.
- This is a great month for planting shrubs and trees.
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they finish blooming. Fertilize azaleas, camellias, and any other shrubs that need fertilizer.
- Remove any leaves from your lawn, and then fertilize it with a slow-release fertilizer.
- Mow your lawn at recommended heights (St. Augustine and Bahia: 3 to 4 inches; Centipede: 1.5 to 2 inches; Dwarf St. Augustine: 2.5 inches).
- Ensure that your lawn is getting enough water (1 inch per week).
- Divide and repot houseplants. Fertilize if necessary.
