Knowing what to take care of for success each month can be overwhelming. Here at The Ample Garden we want to help take the guess work out of success. Our hope is that this zone 7b April garden tasks will be useful to you when planning out your itinerary for each month.
These tips are meant to be helpful and in no way have to all be accomplished. Rather, they are suggestions to help get you on your way to enjoying a healthy and abundant garden this gardening season.
Helpful Items for Zone 7b Gardening Calendar
Planning for Zone 7b April Garden Tasks
- Use a garden journal to keep track of important to do list items throughout the growing season.
- Prepare soil in beds by amending with compost, composted manure, or other organic materials that will help prepare plants for the growing season ahead. A soil test kit is helpful here to determine what you need.
- Prepare raised beds by amending with compost. Incorporate at least 2″ of compost or organic materials to the soil.
- Use our 7b planting calendar to direct sow plants that can be planted outside. Cool weather vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and kohlrabi can all be directly sown at this time.
Maintenance and Cleanup for Zone 7b April Garden Tasks
- Rake up old leaves, prune dead parts of plants, and prune any spent flower growth from the season before.
- Mow the lawn. At the end of the month, or around the forsythia blooming, is the best time to lay down the first application of pre-emergent as well as fertilizer.
- Continue sowing cool weather vegetable seeds.
- Continue monitoring indoor seedlings such as tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers and up-pot as necessary.
- This is a good time to fertilize raspberries and blueberries. As soon as new growth is seen but before any buds open up.
Planting and Propagation for Zone 7b April Garden Tasks
- Plant dahlia tubers, gladioli, calla lily, etc if weather permits. Usually around the end of April is the optimal time.
- This is a fantastic time to get your cold weather crops seeded. Plant peas, lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower.All of these grow great in containers such as fabric bags.
- If you winter sowed seedlings, this is the time to start planting them as well.
Pest Monitoring and Management for Zone 7b April Garden Tasks
- Monitor fruit trees and spray with copper fungicide and neem oil before buds show any signs of color.
- Clean up any areas that would be good hiding spots of snails and slugs. Rake up dead leaves or any old plant vegetation. Use Garden Safe if necessary. Follow label instructions.
- Monitor strawberries for pests. An insecticidal soap works well as a spray. Follow label instructions.
The month of April offers many opportunities for the home gardener to get outside and prepare for the upcoming season. Our hopes is this task guide can help lead the way and take the guess work out of what needs to be done. Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions! Happy Gardening.
