Vegetables

• Enjoy herbs in pots in a windowsill. Plant them outside in May.
• Remove any spent vines and corn stalks from garden spot if not completed last fall.
• Add Soil Enhancer or compost as well as sulfur, and rototil into soil to prepare seed bed.
• Cool weather crops (lettuce, spinach, peas, broccoli, root crops) can be planted in late April.
• Tomatoes may be planted in late April in a hoop house or in insulated plant protectors.
• Place a floating row cover over your crops so your seeds will germinate quicker, and the birds won’t make a meal of them. Floating row covers also eliminate cabbage worms and root maggots on cabbage and root crops.

Fruit

• Prune and thin raspberry plants to clean up last year’s dead canes.
• Apply manure and soil sulfur to berry patches if not done last fall.
• Apply Casoron granules to raspberries before new canes emerge to prevent weeds.
• Plant bare root or potted raspberries, strawberries, and fruit trees.
• Spray mature fruit trees with Dormant Spray to kill overwintering insects and eggs.
• Spray pear and apple trees with Fertilome Fire Blight Spray twice during blossom period.

Lawns

• Rake matted grass as snow recedes to prevent snow mold from damaging your lawn.
• Turn on sprinkler system and make repairs as needed.
• Apply T&C Humates (Step-1) to your lawn to help decompose lawn thatch and green up your lawn. This can be done anytime in March or April.
• Ask about our 4-Step Lawn Program for the greenest, healthiest lawn in the neighborhood.
• Seed new lawns using our Premium Lawn Seed. Apply T&C Seed & Sod Starter at time of planting. Ask for our free Lawn Planting Guide for complete details.
• Spray dandelions with Fertilome Weed Free Zone before they bloom.

Roses

• Remove winter protection from roses when new shoots are just beginning to emerge.
• Prune canes to 8” on hybrid teas. Remove dead canes.
• Plant dormant roses. They love getting started in the cooler weather.
• Apply Fertilome Rose Food w/Systemic to feed and protect roses from insect damage.

Flowers

• Plant Sweet Pea seed and wildflower seed now.
• Plant perennial flowers (the ones that come back each year). Frost won’t bother them.
• Hardy annuals such as pansies, petunias, alyssum, snapdragons can be planted in late April.
• Plant summer bulbs like gladiolas, lilies, and dahlias for beautiful summer color.
• Plant up your porch pots with cold hardy flowers. Ask for our tip sheet on hardy annuals.
• Prune back dead stalks on perennial flowers and ornamental grasses to the ground.
• Transplant, divide, and relocate perennials as needed. Share some with a neighbor.
• Fertilize established bulbs and perennials with T&C Fruit & Flower Food.

Trees & Shrubs

• Plant potted and bare root trees and shrubs. Use Root Stimulator and Soil Enhancer.
• Prune most trees now. Skip maples and birches until summer to avoid excessive bleeding.
• Cut back butterfly bushes, blue mist spirea, Russian sage, potentilla, spirea, and other summer-blooming shrubs now.
• Fertilize trees and shrubs with Save-A-Tree or T&C Tree & Shrub Food.
• Apply Fertilome Systemic Insect Drench or Acecap Systemic Implants to prevent insect damage to your trees and shrubs for the entire growing season.
• Spray dormant trees with Dormant Spray to kill overwintering insects and eggs.
• Spray quaking aspen with Fertilome Systemic Fungicide to prevent fungal leaf spot.
• Examine staked trees and loosen or remove ties around trees if necessary to prevent injury.
• Check for evidence of borers in your aspen, ash, and other trees. Small holes, possibly with leaking sap and/or sawdust are signs of problems. See our Garden Advisor for solutions.

Birds and Wildlife

• Clean and fill your bird baths for arriving robins and songbirds.
• Clean your bird houses before the new birds arrive.
• Continue to feed birds with suet, black oil sunflower, and high quality wild bird seed.
• Plant shrubs and flowers to attract, feed, and provide cover for birds and hummingbirds.

Always read and follow label directions when using any garden chemical or fertilizer.