In April, we don’t shed a single thread of clothing, but we start thinking very seriously about the long, warm afternoons of summer, sitting in the sun on the balcony with a book and a Diet Coke…
It’s time to get the balconies and windowsills ready for summer, and April is the time to start sowing seeds. We plant the seeds in tiny pots with coconut fiber or very fertile soil to get them started before transplanting the little plants into the planters and pots that will go on the balcony.
What should you plant in April?
In April, we plant the very first seeds of the flowers and greenery that will grow outdoors. We plant;
- fresh herbs and aromatics for summer salads (and to naturally repel mosquitoes, plant rosemary or lemongrass, which also smell wonderful)
- the tomatoes
- cabbages (if you have large planters)
- peppers and chili peppers in pots
And for the flowers, according to the Espace pour la Vie sowing calendar, we plant;
- carnations
- verbena
- sage
- zinnia
Planters, eggshells, and indoor gardening
For gardening newbies, those who don’t have much space, and those who want to green up their balcony or windowsill, there’s no shame in asking for help.
You can wander around RONA looking a bit lost, try to catch the florists’ attention in the indoor markets to ask them a million questions, or go online… We recommend stopping by the experts at the local garden center, who have all the information and equipment you need to start a real garden right in your living room.
To help our plants grow well, there are a few tips we can share right away;
- mixing eggshells with the soil to recycle our breakfast into fertilizer
- place the seedlings next to the window so they can grow with natural light
- Add clay pellets or small stones to the bottom of flower boxes and planters so the soil stays well-drained
- Moisten the seedling soil with a water spray rather than a watering can
- wait until a plant has two large leaves before replanting the seedlings in the planters and pots
- wait until there’s no more frost at night before putting our little plants on the balcony—for now, everything stays inside on the windowsill
