Mid-Late April Garden To-Do List
How are we doing?! Have you caught up on sleep from the seemingly endless tornado warnings over night? The weather this month has been wild; one day is absolute spring perfection and the next is totally miserable. You know what’s pretty cool though? For the most part, our garden plants just roll with it and adjust and keep growing.
Now we’re rounding the corner into late April, and this is one of the most exciting and transitional times in the garden. It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for: the last frost date is nearly behind us, and warm-season crops are ready to take center stage. But take a breath—there’s no need to rush. Nights are still dipping into the 40s on the 10-day forecast, and your cool-season crops are probably still thriving. Here’s how to make the most of this in-between season:
Warm Season Planting Begins (Slowly!)
Yes, it’s go time for many summer crops—but early planting is not always better. Warm-loving plants need consistent soil warmth to thrive.
🌼 Start Planting:
Transplant: Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant (if lows stay above 50°F or you're prepared to cover)
Direct sow: Cucumbers, squash, zucchini, melons, and beans can go in toward the end of the month
🚨 Hold Off If Needed: If you’re short on space and your cool-season veggies are still producing, don’t feel pressured to rip them out. Most summer crops grow faster and stronger when planted into truly warm soil.
Cool Season Wrap-Up
🌱 Final Sowings:
Plant your last succession of radishes and lettuce before it gets too hot.
🥦 Harvesting:
Keep harvesting spinach, arugula, kale, radishes, and herbs.
Watch for bolting in lettuce and cilantro—harvest generously before they get bitter.
Watering: Stay Flexible
Spring rains can be a blessing (plants love rainwater!), but too much water can lead to soggy soil or root rot in sensitive crops.
🚰 Irrigation Tips:
If you get a good soaking rain, turn off or pause your irrigation system for a few days.
Check soil moisture by feel before watering.
Make sure your watering system reaches newly planted crops effectively.
Flower and Bulb Prep
🌸 Pre-Sprout Dahlias:
Wake up your dahlia tubers indoors in a shallow tray of damp soil to give them a head start. Plant outdoors once the soil warms.
🌺 Direct Sow Flowers:
Zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, gomphrena, and nasturtiums can all be seeded after our last frost. Colorful days are ahead!
Other Garden Tasks
👷 Weed Early – Stay ahead of weeds with regular, shallow cultivation. This is one of my favorite slow, early morning tasks.
🪚 Thinning Root Veggies – IDK about you, but I find it pretty impossible to space tiny carrot seeds when I’m planting them. That means that soon, I’ll need to thin them down to their final spacing. Same for radishes, turnips, and beets. If you planted heading lettuce close together, you can start harvesting smaller heads and leave others to mature into larger plants. Details on how to thin are in this video.
🫛 Support Climbing Plants – Install trellises for peas, beans, and cucumbers before they start sprawling. Read more on helping support peas here.
🐛 Pest Patrol: Aphids, Moths & Slugs, Oh My!
Aphids cluster on tender new growth. Blast them off with a strong stream of water or spray with insecticidal soap.
Cabbage moths are laying eggs on brassicas. Look for small yellow eggs and green caterpillars. Pick them off and spray affected plants with BT (Bacillus thuringiensis), an organic solution safe for humans.
Slugs love damp, leafy areas. Handpick in the early morning or evening, use beer traps to capture them. Organic slug bait can be applied after each rain.
Check under leaves and near the soil line for eggs or damage to plants. Early detection is key to staying ahead.
This is a magical time when the garden is bursting with both cool and warm season crops. Don’t rush the transition—ease into it. Let your lettuce and kale have their moment while your tomatoes wait patiently in the wings. Trust the soil, trust the weather (mostly), and enjoy the lush abundance of a garden in spring. Soon we’ll be wishing it was this cool and fresh in the mornings!
