April Musings 2026
April greetings fellow gardeners and nature enthusiasts,
Certainly, April is turning out to be a month of extremes–one minute frying and the next toe-numbing. This morning, on this month’s 20th day, I was out frantically watering my peas before the sun hit them. They look like frozen statues. Thank goodness the one hose next to the house wasn’t frozen stiff. Tonight will be even colder, they say. Time will tell if I can save them.
Right on schedule, those peas were in the ground April 10th. Started a tad too early, they were lanky, but I refused to transplant them. So I prepared the rows with 3” of my own compost, 2” of Coast of Maine Castine blend, and a generous sprinkling of Espoma Bulb-Tone before turning that under. Up went the 16’ trellis panels, and in they went, come hell or high water. I did snuggle them in with straw for support and protection, so I’m hoping that has helped. Turns out a deep freeze at 26 degrees wasn’t top on my mind!
Daffodil delight in my “wild” area
The onion and shallot plants have been in the ground for the better part of 2 weeks and are getting a foothold. The garlic has shot up to about a foot in height due to some of that warm weather (I’m having a hard time remembering that at the moment). But in the next few days after temperatures settle down, I will apply the first round of Neptune’s Harvest Hydrolized Fish Fertilizer to give garlic the natural nitrogen needed to develop large, wide, strong leaves that translate into big bulbs with big cloves. I will wait on the onions and shallots until they show a good spurt of growth before applying the same routine.
I distinctly recall on the 13th that I was ready to tackle some of the hard work around here. Wouldn’t you know that was the exact day the black flies descended in force. I decked myself out in long pants, knee-high rubber boots, long-sleeved shirt, hat, and gloves. No blackflies or ticks will get to me! (Alert! Do a complete body check daily if you are out and about). I take rake and shovel in hand, and begin. But it’s mega hot, and within a minute I plain give up. I’m just gonna go look at my daffodils. Did I mention earlier that it was shaping up to be a good year for them? Well, it’s a glorious one!
my bright scarlet praestans “Fusilire” tulips.
At first approach, scarlet petticoats with sunshine over-skirts meet the eye, others sport lemon trumpets with halos of white, and others just pure gold. My wait to see one clump open is over. Large creamy petals scallop around long frilly yellow trumpets tipped in snow? Yes, the actual variety is named “Snowtipped” and couldn’t be more fitting. I can’t help but smile. Also worth mentioning are my bright scarlet praestans “Fusilire” tulips. They are my earliest bloomers and so welcome.
Primrose with bragging rights
Back to the salt mines. We recently had several humongous trees taken down, as they were threatening the house and outbuildings. This required a 50-ton crane, 2 huge logging trucks, a “Nifty” cherry picker, a “2124 Precision” grabber/claw machine, a chipper, and a 6-member crew of very talented men. It all went very well considering the tight, tough conditions. It was quite a breathtaking sight to see a huge tree lifted directly over the house! On the downside, I am left with about 75 ft. of 12” deep ruts, plus more of lesser depth. Debris was forced 6+ inches deep into the soil where I had dug up and temporarily relocated daylilies from a 500 sq. ft. daylily bed. That was time well spent! Will buckled edges on part of a 250’ asphalt driveway, along with cracks in multiple other spots mean a new paving job down the line? Probably. Now 6 yards of topsoil sit at the top of the driveway waiting for my shovel and wheelbarrow. Have fun, kid!
Fauna around here these days, you ask? The goings-on and disruption around here have kept most creatures on the leery side. Tom turkeys are loudly gobbling, but keep their distance so far, mostly due to human threats. I did see one rabbit and one woodchuck a few days ago, but have not witnessed them since. I have seen signs that coyote, fox, and bobcat have frequented the Knoll, and I’m fine with that as long as they leave the chickens alone. Yesterday, a deer in our woods got a sore butt from Gene, and hopefully will stay away.
The house sparrows continue to dominate the bluebird house. The bluebirds lack backbone, putting up little fight and then just sitting back and watching. Judy removes the sparrow nest, opens the door, and waits for the bluebirds to show interest again. Judy does a lot of removing and waiting. Bluebirds will win later in the summer.
We think we have seen the last of the juncos, but anxiously await the arrival of orioles and hummingbirds. Gene just saw the first tree swallows soaring this morning, so soon we’ll see the aerial acrobatics of barn and tree swallows zooming the main garden. Yay!
For now, I’ll be starting warm-weather seeds inside- but soon to be transferred outside in trays to grow on and harden off along the foundation…Then into the garden they go.
I’ve been contemplating growing less this year to give myself a break, but I’m changing my mind. The debacle in the Middle East is of great concern. Fuel and fertilizer are in short supply for our farmers. I fear that later this summer and fall that demand will be high, supply will be low, and the price of fruits and vegetables will skyrocket. I’ll keep the canning pot handy.
That’s it for now.
Judy, the plucky farmer