Gardeners are ready to plant as soon as there are a few warm days in spring. Cool temperatures seem to hang on during some years and soil temperatures remain cooler than normal.
April is a fine time to plant cool season plants that are not sensitive to frost. Cool season plants include pansies, parsley, cilantro, lettuce and cabbage.
Perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage also can be planted outside in the ground. Crops like potatoes, broccoli, onions and garden peas may not produce well if hot weather sets in quickly after planting. March is a better time to plant these longer season crops.
Preparing your soil with the right amount of lime, needed nutrients and organic matter is very important. Free soil analysis is available through the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension. Cooperative Extension has detailed information on soil samples.
This spring, make your own backyard compost by recycling organic materials. Start with brown materials like dry leaves, paper, cardboard, small twigs and straw. Add green material like fresh grass clippings, green leaves, vegetable and fruit scraps, as well as coffee grounds and tea bags. Compost is great for your soil and reduces the need to dispose of waste materials.
Choose plant varieties that best meet your needs. Pest and diseases can kill or reduce the productivity of numerous plants. Many plants are available that have disease resistance. Choose several different varieties if you are unsure of the diseases in your soil. This is especially true with tomatoes.
Harden or condition tender plants grown in the protection of a greenhouse before planting outdoors. The surface of the plant needs to become thicker and tougher to tolerate wind and the hot sun. Slowly allowing the plant to become conditioned to the outdoor environment will ease the transition from a comfortable warm humid greenhouse to the harsh outdoor environment.
Gradually increase the temperature differential and decrease the moisture levels by moving transplants outdoors during the day and into a more protected environment in the evening. Plan to slowly increase the exposure to the sun and allow plants to dry out before watering.
Gradually increase exposure to outdoor conditions. Plant injury, reduced yields and death can occur if the plants are not hardened off gradually.
In your small piece of nature, understand that pests have their place. Often, nature provides its own control in the form of birds or other insects that feed on the pest insects.
Remember that butterflies lay eggs on plants in the spring. The caterpillars hatch from the eggs and eat with tremendous appetites while growing quickly. The cycle is completed when butterflies emerge from the chrysalis.
Peg Godwin is horticulture agent, Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Center. Reach her at Peg_Godwin@ncsu.edu or 252-527-2191.