By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Now its time to get out there and shake off the winter doldroms and get busy in the garden. You have perused all those seed catalogues and hopefully ordered your vegetable seeds, made up your bean poles and got your tomatoe cages ready. It’s planting time!
(See below).

A word about early lawn spring fertilization: If you fertilize in early spring, you can expect rapid growth as the soil warms. You can also expect to MOW, MOW, MOW your lawn because of all the extra top growth you are going to generate, possibly at the expense of good root growth! Yes, you’ll be greedy green BUT in addition to fouling the normal pattern of root growth you’ll have enhanced disease in some instances. If your turf is REALLY thin and skimpy you might see a little improvement in density and competition with weeds though, but the fertilizer may be more easily washed through and into the ground water. Remember Memorial Day is best for Spring Lawn Fertilization.

Tips for April:

1) Plant trees, shrubs and new roses
2) Reseed the lawn as long as the soil is not muddy. Control lawn weeds now through late May. Crabgrass can be controlled by alternatives containing vinegar and lemon. (Contact Cornell Diagnostic Labs).
3) Renew mulch on beds and around trees to 3-4” depth for weed control. Consider landscape fabric underneath.
4) Sow annual seeds outdoors: cornflowers, cosmos, larkspur, poppies, sunflower and zinnias.
5) Sow seeds of garden peas, sweet peas and radishes in your vegetable garden.