The buds are swelling, sun shining, floods subsiding…

Time to get dirty —gardening!

It’s time to get those fingernails dirty and break out your gardening tools! After a long, cold winter, novice and expert gardenersalike are eager to get outside to start digging, planting and watching things grow. This April could be the start of an especially satisfying — or challenging — spring (gardening weather-watchers say is about three weeks late this year).

Whether you’re growing flowers, fruit or vegetables, focus on simple, easy to do tasks that use up all that eager energy you’ve bottled up through the winter.

Top Priority Garden tasks for April

Spray before buds break: This may seem silly to some – but early spring is the best time to rid your trees of any problematic issues from last year. Spray before their buds break - especially fruit trees. The most basic spray is a “dormant” or horticultural oil spray combined with a fungicide such as lime sulfur or copper. There are organic and non-organic options available at any nursery.

Pruning: Before trees go into “full on growth mode” – nip annoying branches that just don’t look right, or have been damaged or nibbled on by our native creatures. Trimming back fruit trees helps increase fruit production.

Preparing to plant for May

Soil preparation: Spring is the time to add much needed compost. Work it into your soil to get your gardens ready for planting once the ground has thawed.

Heavy clay soils? Gypsum (calcium and sulphur) loosens heavy soils and improves drainage. If you need to adjust the pH so soil is more acidic – especially to grow blueberry – do so now! Ammonium sulfate and sulfur-coated urea work nicely for this. If you have the opposite problem – and need raise the soil pH – lime works best (calcium carbonate). Don’t worry if you can’t remember the fancy chemical names. All nurseries carry products labeled for “acid” or “alkaline” enhancement.

Weed control: Whatever your method, attack those tricky suckers sooner than later. Your best defense is good defense, using products like Roundup, corn gluten, organic Weed Impede, or crabgrass preventer.

Mulch is your best friend: Spread it around plants to stop weeds before they put down roots. Besides keeping weed growth (and weed-pulling) to a minimum, mulch keeps soil moist in annual, perennial and vegetable beds.

Hardy herbs:  Did your hardy herbs survive winter? Trim dead foliage of sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and other cold-damaged herbs. Replant those that didn't make it.

Trees and shrubs:  If planting in the spring, make sure trees and shrubs get plenty of water during the first year of growth, especially as the weather gets warmer. Mulch around the roots and support fragile trunks.

When to plant in your hardiness zone

Bedding plants: Mid-May marks the official last-frost date in many parts of Canada and the USA.  It’s usually safe to set out warm-weather bedding plants and vegetable transplants after that, but keep an eye on the weather. After the long winter, this could be an unpredictable spring!

Frost free dates listed for all of Canada at http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-canada Also pay attention to what grows in your “garden zone”. There are 13 zones in the USA and 8 in Canada. http://www.almanac.com/content/plant-hardiness-zones

Herbs: Parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary can be planted early in the month. Basil and dill are more tender herbs, so wait a bit longer to be sure the weather is warm enough. Some advise nighttime temperatures above 50°C.

Flower seeds: Pay attention to the back of seed packets for when to plant and whether the seeds can be placed directly into your garden or started indoors. Planting seeds and bulbs at the right time guarantees a big display of flowers by summer. Consider zinnias, sunflowers, cleome, cosmos, nasturtium, gladiolus, day lilies, and other favorites.

Vegetables and the 100 mile diet

Many vegetables can be started in April. Check out Canadian seed suppliers like Stokes http://www.stokeseeds.com or West Coast Organic Seeds. In the USA, you can’t go wrong with Johnny’s Selected Seeds http://www.johnnyseeds.com

Go ahead and start your peppers now! They take so long to grow that they can be started early. Plus, they don’t get too leggy and overbearing such as other plants (squashes and tomatoes, not to name names!)

Cole crops grow in colder weather! These are all members of the mustard family (cruciferae) and include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale. They tolerate cooler temperatures and can be put outside sooner, especially if protected.

Potatoes, onions, garlic, asparagus roots and strawberry crowns. These can go in fairly early but with the amount of moisture still in our soil, I’m going to hold off for another week or two.

Growing your own vegetables can be fun and when people ask if you are following the 100-mile diet, you can reply, “I follow the no mile diet!”