April is the month to start getting busy in the garden. Longer days and warmer air means that it is time to dust off your garden shoes and head down to the shed to check out your gardening tools and begin to plan your garden plot.
Start by cleaning up leaves, weeds and any other debris that may have gathered over the winter months. Dig under any cover crops, and turn the soil to aerate it and add some compost. Think about what you want to grow in your garden, changing your crops a little every year helps to maintain and nurture the soil. There are a lot of seeds that can be sown directly in the soil now. Try carrots, cabbage, parsnips, and spinach just to name a few. Salad greens are great, too, try planting a little each month for staggered harvests. You can also start to put out your transplants, if the ground is not too wet!
Check out our event page for upcoming workshops, plant sales and other gardening events around the Lower Mainland. Got a question? Just ask, maybe we can help! Or if you have any comments or articles that you want to share, add a comment anywhere on this site.
Happy digging!
Is it possible to visit your community garden? I am a backyard vegetable gardener (mostly organic, but not necessarily using certified organic varieties) here in the Fraser Heights area of Surrey,not to far from your site. I would be most interested to see how others approach gardening, particularly as it relates to growing vegetables.
-Doug McIntyre