Austin Kitchen Garden: What to Plant in April
This blog post was updated on April 1, 2023
Dwarf Tom Thumb Peas growing in The Seed Sage Spring Garden
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Can you hear that….The sounds of life are finally emerging! The winter can feel so quiet and filled with solitude that I enthusiastically welcome the spring with open arms! April is a time of new beginnings in the garden here in Austin, Texas. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing my fig tree come back to life and numerous beautiful flowers greeting the sun. It’s even a nice surprise to see what plants reseeded themselves last gardening season— hello, marigolds!
Figuring out what to plant, when, can feel daunting but there is still time to get those seeds and plants in the ground now in April. If you’ve been following the blog then you know March was the perfect time to prep and amend your soil. April is the perfect time to add color and native pollinator plants to accompany and strengthen the success of your spring garden.
Austin spring COMPANION PLANTING
If you are worried about deer, I recommend the following:
Marigolds, zinnias, borage, yarrow, lantana, butterfly bush, daisy, salvias
Other ideas for flowers, but are tasty to deer are Cosmos, Sunflowers
Herbs that do well as pest control and are deer resistant are thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, lavender, catnip, lemon balm, lemon verbena, basil
Orlaya grandiflora, White Lace Flower growing in The Seed Sage spring garden.
Low maintenance companion plant for attracting pollinators to your spring garden and deer resistant.
Pro Tip: Because we are moving into more of a wet season be cautious NOT to work in wet soil conditions. This can spread disease.
SPRING VEGETABLES TO GROW IN AUSTIN, TEXAS
Early April:
Tomatoes, Squash, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Spinach (Malabar), peppers, mustard greens
Late april:
Tomatillos, Sweet Potatoes (start from slips during winter months), pumpkins (for a fall harvest) and melons.
Central Texas Spring Pests + Disease
Keep an eye out for seasonal pests, but also educate yourself on the lifecycle of beneficial insects in the garden. Spider mites and aphids will start to make themselves known, as well as other hard bodied pests such as stink bugs. I had a crazy invasion last year!
Stink Bug Babies…ugh!
organic solutions to have on-hand
BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) for caterpillars and tomato hornworms
Copper Fungicide or Baking Soda for powdery mildews and fungi
Neem Oil and Dr. Bronners
Garden Tasks for Spring in Zone 8b and 9
MAIN GARDEN TASKS FOR APRIL
Amend Your Raised Garden Beds with Compost- Add a top layer (3-4") of compost to each bed and
growing potPlant Warm Season Nursery Transplants- There is still time to plant things like amaranth, beans, corn, cucumber, eggplant, malabar spinach, melons, okra, peppers, pumpkin, squash (summer), squash (winter), strawberries (spring bearing), tomatillos, tomatoes
Start Hot Season Seeds Indoors for second round of planting later in summer
Plant Sweet Potato Slips in there own space
Harvest Short Day Onions if planted in cool months and begin the curing process.
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