April Gardening Checklist

By thewriteDuffy •  Updated: 02/02/25 •  7 min read

In some areas, April brings the first signs of winter’s end; in others, it’s the gateway to hot, summery weather. But in most climates, it’s the magical month when gardens start to come to life.

Remember to adjust gardening tips to fit your own growing season — but most important of all, wait until the last frost date to put tender plants in the ground.

Greenhouses

Here comes the sun, which means that greenhouses are starting to heat up. On warm days, be sure your greenhouse is well-ventilated. Give more regular care to greenhouse plants by stepping up your watering and fertilizing schedule. Also make sure to check your greenhouse thoroughly for pests.

Container Gardens

Even beginning gardeners can brighten up a terrace, patio, deck or windowsill with containers tumbling with flowers.

Watering

Don’t let your garden dry out before it even hits full stride. Get into the rhythm of watering regularly early in the season to ensure happy, healthy plants.

Weekend Projects

Carpenters and carpenter wannabes: Lots of garden projects are easy enough for beginners.

Try to devote one weekend of each spring month to building projects, and beautify your garden with simple or elaborate embellishments.

Lawn Care

Want the greenest lawn on the block? Well, start now or forever hold your peace with a less-than-lush lawn.

Planting Trees and Flowers

In some areas, the time has passed for transplanting large shrubs and trees, but in many climates you can still plant deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs, perennials, hardy annuals and rock-garden perennials such as yarrow, rock jasmine and small dianthus.

Vegetables

In most areas, April is the real start of the outdoor vegetable garden, especially perennials such as asparagus, although it’s probably still not warm enough to plant heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.

Shearing, Pruning and Grooming

From now until late spring, the time is ripe for shearing and pruning evergreens of all kinds.

Mulch and Compost

Don’t neglect the soil in which your garden grows. Mulch and compost add valuable nutrients, as well as protection from heat and drying out.

Pests

Don’t let pests enjoy the fruits — or vegetables for that matter — of your gardening labors. Take precautions early and throughout the growing season to keep your plants healthy and edible.

Houseplants

Give a little love to your houseplants, and they may give back to you. For example, did you know spider plants help to purify the air by removing carbon monoxide?

Almost May? Just Want to Keep Going?

Don’t worry, we’ve got a fresh checklist for you of May gardening tasks too, jump over to our May Gardening Checklist now!

thewriteDuffy

At home, April is a mom, wife, and DIY darling. Among other home projects, she helped her husband Dan renovate their 1986 bungalow and is currently designing and decorating the 2023 custom home they are building themselves. Professionally, April is a writer, author, and online marketer with 15 years of experience writing for newspapers and magazines, building online authority websites, and publishing books.