Middle South
April, 2004
Regional Report
Gather Greens
Water as often as needed to keep lettuce, spinach, and other greens growing fast. Pick them in the morning when they are pumped up with water and chilled from a night of rest.
Feed Spring-Flowering Shrubs
Feed azaleas with a fertilizer intended for use on plants that like acid soil, and do the same for camellias and rhododendrons. Use a balanced, timed-release plant food to fertilize forsythias, bridal wreath, and other spring bloomers that have shed their blossoms.
Repair Hoses
It's been a dry spring, so don't count on steady rain like we had last summer. Repair old hoses that have gone leaky, or use an ice pick to pepper them with holes and put them to work as drip hoses. Get sprinklers ready for duty, too.
Plant Squash
Whether you prefer crooknecks, zucchini, pattypans, spaghettis or buttercups, squash planting season is here. I like to keep plantings small, with no more than six plants per plot. I sow new plots a month apart to insure a long yet manageable harvest of perfect summer and winter squash.
Adopt Annuals
Shop early for bedding plants, which are often rootbound by the time they get to stores. Begin feeding annual flowers as soon as you get them home, and set them out or pot them up at the earliest possible time.
