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What to Plant This Month- April
 
IN THE NURSERIES: This is a great time for planting all kinds of plants: summer annuals, perennials, summer bulbs, herbs, veggies, shrubs, vines and trees. It's a particularly good time for planting citrus since nurseries are well-stocked and since the trees will have time to get established before winter.
FLOWER SEEDS: Many summer annuals can be started in place from seed. Some seed packets will tell you to plant "after the last frost" or when the ground has reached a certain temperature (warm-season seeds need warm soil for good germination... makes sense). If you're not planning on investing in a soil thermometer, just know that the later in the month you wait, the more likely temps. will be amenable to planting and good germination.
BULBS: Plant summer-flowering bulbs (and tubers and rhizomes) like dahlias, canna, lilies, tuberous begonias, sparaxis, watsonia, gladiolus, ranunculus and allium, which should be well-stocked by most nurseries and mail order companies.
ANNUALS: Don't buy pansies. I repeat... Don't buy pansies. It's time to switch gears and plant heat-lovin' annuals like petunias, marigolds and zinnias. You'll still see the cool-season stuff in nurseries, but unless you need some temporary color for a party, stick with the warm-season annuals.
PERENNIALS: Plant 'em. If they're flowering, deadhead 'em to keep the flowers coming.

VEGETABLES: Plant snap beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, chard, sweet corn (repeat sow), cucumbers, eggplant, endive, leeks, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, radish, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, peppers, and watermelon. cover

Check your local nursery for already started seedlings or, in the case of easily-sprouted beans, corn, carrots, radishes, melons and squash, plant in place from seed.

In all cases, wait until your soil is warm enough to sit on comfortably before planting warm-season veggies! Sometimes that's not until mid- to late-April.

More Resources:
Yearly Vegetable Planting Calendar
UC VRIC Table 2: Vegetable Gardening at a Glance: How to Plant and Store (pdf file, requires Adobe  Reader)
Vegetable Gardening

LANDSCAPE TREES: While fall is the ideal time for planting most trees, spring runs a close second.Visit the Sacramento Tree Foundation's website for the lowdown on Sacramento area trees. Also see my picks and the City of Sacramento's Tree Planting Guide. If you're a SMUD customer, you may qualify for free shade trees! Click here to see what trees are being offered the Sacramento Shade Program and how to get them.

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