This is a guest post written by my buddy Heather from Massachusetts. I thought it would be fun this year to post Monthly Garden Chores from both the West Coast and East Coast. You can see my April garden plans for my Seattle, Washington garden HERE.
Springtime in New England means about six weeks of rain, which I always think of a ‘waking up nature’. Today alone it must have rained six inches! Soon all the trees and bushes will start to bud, have you ever noticed that buds are different colors depending on the trees and the leaf color?
Seeds I’m Starting Indoors this Month
April 1st begins the 7-week count-down to planting day {May 20th around these parts}. So this month I’ll begin the seeds, that I haven’t already started to get the garden started come planting day.
~Garlic & Onions were planted last fall and beginning to come up with little green sprouts
~Tomatoes were started in February, and already about 6” tall {I added soil last month to the stems to deepen the root system}
~Brussels Sprouts, Swiss Chard, Kale, Eggplant, Jalapenos & Broccoli were started in March and are now little seedlings happily growing under my grow lights
~Beets, Beans, Carrots, Corn & Peas I’ll start in a hoop-greenhouse this month because they don’t transplant well. Note to self: build three hoop greenhouses.
~Start Basil, Pumpkins, Cilantro, Dill, Thyme, Oregano and Echinacea under the grow lights.
What I Plan to Transplant Outside this Month
Can I get an aaaaah-men! It’s rainy and windy which means it’s officially spring! In fact, my teenager wore shorts and a t-shirt to school today because “mom, *eye roll* it’s warmer than 40*, and we have the ‘40* rule”. It’s true; I had to put a cut-off temperature on the shorts! Essentially, it’s now shorts-weather here in New England, so although we can’t transplant anything this month I will spend the month sighing longingly at the garden.
Plants and/or Bulbs I Plan to Purchase this Month
Ya know how you pop into the feed store with the kids for some pine shavings for your flock and bring home two Barred Rock chicks? HA! Just Kidding! We actually had a plan. Because we have a small coop and only want a few chickens {and there is a 6 chick minimum purchase law in MA} we all agreed to get two Barred Rocks and coordinated with a few friends to make a 6-chick order. Now we have two Black Sex-links, two Rode Island Reds and two Barred Rocks – a whopping 6 chicken flock J All these breeds are cold hardy and heavy layers, so perfect for our area and needs. These two-week-old chicks are super energetic and are constantly running around and JUMPING in their brooder-box.
What I plan to Harvest This Month
Although I could clip some lettuce for a salad, I think I need to transplant them to larger pots or move them out to the greenhouses {I have yet to build} and let them get a little larger before I make a nice big, fat salad.
Houseplants and Indoor Bulbs
Good News! The oil and soap solution reader Mari suggested in the comments of my March post worked like a charm on the scale infestation my lemon tree had gotten. The scale infestation was really, really bad. I mean dis-gus-ting. The scales were multiplying, hanging off the leaves and branches, sticky stuff all over the plant and floor, and there were little bugs flying all over. {In full 80’s fashion} it was totally groady.
Mari suggested mixing 1 tsp ordinary liquid kitchen soap plus 1 tsp {any} cooking oil plus 1-quart water. Then shake and spray the entire plant. Make sure to spray the stem, top and bottom of the leaves and the soil at least every two-three days to eradicate all the various stages of the bugs. The best part? It’s homemade, and safe for plants, including veggies and is perfectly safe to use around pets and chickens.
Every day it has been above 30* I’ve wheeled my lemon out to the south-facing front steps and hosed it down with the mixture. I’m happy to report I’ve seen a drastic difference and I’ve even got a half-dozen or so lemon buds growing. Thanks Mari!!
Weed and Pest Control
The chicken tractor is a huge hit! I can’t help but wonder what the heck they’re eating so greedily in my perfectly normal looking yard, but I’m lovin’ it.
Lawn Care Projects
I have a confession to make. There is a giant pile of rubber mulch from when my garden was the site of a kid’s play set. I’ve donated the majority to a pre-school and have the rest to bag up for sale, but it’s a mammoth labor-heavy job.
Anyone else have an ugly, you-don’t-want-to-do job waiting for you in the yard this spring?
~ Heather
**These garden chores are based on my Zone 5b Southeast/Boston MA location. Find your garden zone HERE.
Trish says
I’m in MA too and my yard is still so wet it’s hard to do much. I still have a patch of snow out by the driveway. I’m jealous of your chickens. Those chicks look so cute. I’d love to have chickens someday especially since they eat so many bugs.
My ugly job is clearing out the area out front that got overgrown with weeds and brush. I need to really clear it out and replant it to get it looking nice and I’m dreading it. It’s going to be a lot of work.
Susan says
I love these updates (since I’m also in MA, but on the North Shore). It’s reassuring and helpful to read what others in a similar climate are dealing with and doing. Thanks very much!
Hilary says
Heather, what do you do about the deer in the area? It doesn’t look like your garden is fenced in in the photos so what other methods do you employ? Thank you!
sarah says
We did get 6 inches of rain in one day… well almost. it was 5.xx last weekend and 2 inches ended up in my built in garage. 🙁 I’m a zone warmer so I got some of my cold stuff in this past weekend, FINALLY!!! My hubby is clearing out some of “wooded” land of stumps so we can relocate and rebuild our garden in a new spot next year. My bulbs are coming up. we have little crocuses in my boxes and even the lawn(thanks squirrels)
Heather in MA says
Trish – take a look the book Keeping Chickens by Ashley English. I poured over this book before I made up my mind on whether I could/wanted to really keep chickens. Good luck with those weeds and brush – remember to wear jeans, poison ivy is always active! (I got poison ivy on my ankles which was transferred to my UPPER legs because I wore shorts – it was ugly!)
Heather in MA says
Thanks Susan! Glad you like my posts 🙂
Heather in MA says
Hilary – deer, pesky deer. We live next to a wooded area with lots of coyotes so I think the coyotes keep them in check (and the rabbits and the occasional household cat)!
But also – HAIR. Deer don’t like the human smell. Every spring I’d host a Mohawk party for my son’s LaCrosse team, collect the hair (I know, gross) and sprinkle it around the border of the garden. This has worked well for 3 years. Now that my teenager cares what he looks like he probably won’t want another Mohawk party so I’m planning on being that “weird lady” that asked for a bag of hair from the local hair place 😉
Hilary says
Thanks Heather. I’m going to need to try the hair thing. We border Wompatuck so have many coyotes (along with other predators that I’m currently proofing my chicken run against) but the deer still wander through all the time. We just got a new dog who loves patrolling the yard so I’m hoping she’ll help keep them away. I’m so excited for my first garden in the new house.
Heather in MA says
Sarah – aren’t those HH’s handy? I’ve got a big plan for mine this spring that involves manual labor that he agreed to already – now I just have to activate the plan muah-hahahaha