What to Plant in April

By April 17, 2019Blog Post
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What to Plant in April in Colorado 

By Jodi Torpey

Timing is everything when it comes to spring planting in our region. It pays to wait until nighttime temperatures are consistently in the 50s before planting warm-season favorites like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

But there are plenty of other ways to get your vegetable garden going while the weather is still unsettled. Cool-season vegetables prefer chillier temperatures and can handle a little frost without any problems.

Here are some tips for what to plant in your Colorado garden in April:

Start planting leafy greens like kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach and arugula. Greens can be planted in vegetable gardens, raised gardens or patio containers. Be sure to keep seeds moist.

Plant herbs like parsley and chives. Sprinkle seeds densely because these plants can grow closely together without the need for thinning.

Start planting root vegetables. Radishes, beets, carrots and turnips can also be planted about 4 weeks before the date of the average last spring frost.

Buy transplants of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Let transplants spend a little time outside and in the sun each day to acclimate to outside conditions before planting.

Purchase and plant certified seed potatoes. For a quicker harvest, buy the potato varieties with early and mid-season maturing dates. As an alternative, harvest “new” potatoes while the vines are still green.

Plant peas at the same time as potatoes to make the special spring dish of creamed peas with new potatoes.

Try your hand at growing onions. There are three ways you can plant onions in your garden: seeds, onion sets or onion transplants. Look for long-day varieties and plant when the soil is workable. Plan to thin onions to allow for larger bulbs.

Plant bluegrass, rye and fescue as soon as nighttime temperatures are consistently above freezing.

Begin planting perennial flower seeds like columbines, delphiniums, hollyhocks and daisies in the garden. April showers will help speed germination.

More on Growing Vegetables Here

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