by Linda Carloni
April is plant sale month! Specifically, pop-up sales of veggie seedlings for spring and summer harvest. ABG’s annual spring plant sale is Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Alameda’s Spring Shindig.
Basics of planting those seedlings
- Prep your soil, be it in pots, in raised beds or the good old dirt in your garden.
- Plant in a level, sunny spot level spot with easy access to irrigation.
- Plant Soon! Waiting can make the roots outgrow their pots. Try for a cool overcast day, when both the soil and the seedlings have been well-watered and are moist but not wet.
- Be gentle. Don’t use the stem like a handle. Turn the seedling pot over, give it a tap and gently remove the roots. Lightly loosen the roots and place in the planting hole, replace soil, and pat firmly.
- Except for tomatoes and tomatillos, plant the seedling so the soil level is the same as it was in the pot. For tomatoes and tomatillos, bury the stem up to the point where the topmost cluster of leaves begins, removing the small leaves below that point.
- Water your new transplants to settle the soil around them.
- Birds and pests can attack the seedlings and decimate them when they are young, so consider protecting them with lightweight row covers to plastic gallon milk jugs around them (both top and bottom sliced off) or something similar. As the plants grow, be sure to remove the protection before it interferes with their growth.
Click here for more tips for beginning vegetable gardeners.
Watering
It will stop raining, probably soon, so check your irrigation system. Remember that your itty-bitty seedlings have small roots, and will need to be watered frequently until they get bigger.
Mulch
Mulch can help keep the moisture in the soil, as well as discouraging weeds. Mulch should be kept 2 -3 inches away from the stems of veggie plants.
Keep planting both seeds and starts! In our exceptionally moderate climate, in April you can plant:
- basil (best from starts)
- beans (best from seed),
- beets
- carrots (best from seed),
- chard
- cucumbers (difficult in foggy areas),
- green onion
- leeks
- lettuce, arugula and other salad greens
- potatoes (best from seed potatoes)
- spinach
- radishes
- turnips
Click here for planting time recommendations
Flowers
April’s also a great month to plant summer annuals, either by seed or seedling, and summer bulbs like callas, dahlias, and gladiolas.
Pests
As the weather warms, warm-weather pests become more numerous and problematic. Aphids are among the earliest. Many types of aphids cause the most damage when the temperatures are warm (at least 65 degrees F) but not hot (80 degrees F or higher.) So, check your plants for aphids regularly – at least twice a week when plants are growing rapidly. If you catch them early, it’s easier to knock or hose them off or prune them out. More aphid help.
More pests are likely to appear as the summer nears. The UC Integrated Pest Management site can help you manage them. Or contact the help desk of the UC Master Gardeners Program of Alameda County for questions on garden pests and issues.