Sowing seeds in April yields summer garden harvests and beautiful gardens #GardenCuizine

Still Plant Seeds in April

Start planting seeds both indoors and out in March and April. Plants that can tolerate cooler growing temperatures can get planted outside, while frost sensitive plants are best getting their head start indoors. I've been planting seeds indoors under fluorescent lights since St. Patrick's Day and during National Nutrition Month.

Any seedlings started indoors under lights can then be planted outside Mother's Day or after, when the danger of frost has passed. Resist the temptation to plant plants directly outdoors now in this 80 degree early Spring weather. If you heard today's forecast - cooler air is on the way, which is more seasonal for early Spring.

Sowing seeds in April brings rewards later in the season. Rewards come in many forms, especially the personal gratification that comes from nurturing a plant from seed, and seeing the mature plants yield nutritious crops. Cooks know how wonderful it is to stoll outside for fresh veggies or a few snips of fresh herbs on demand. Growing and adding perennial and annual flowers make any yard and veggie garden look wonderful and inviting too. Inviting not just to you and your family and friends, but to wildlife, including butterflies and hummingbirds.

Below lists more plants that can be grown from seeds, followed by the number of days to germination, which will be updated as they germinate. You may notice that a few of the seeds are duplicates from previous posts. This could be because our cat(s) ate the first round of grass-like seedlings! Or, the seeds failed to germinate the first time around, which can happen if the seeds are old, or if they were exposed to too much light or air.

• Yvonne's Red Salvia: 10 days
• Italian Parsley
• Heirloom Tomato Berkeley tie-dye (beefsteak with metallic green stripes): 9 days
• Purple Majesty Millet
• Basil 'Green Bouquet': 5 days
• Hollyhock Peaches and Dreams
• Zinnia Queen Red Lime: 2 days
• Heirloom Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate (Polygonum orientale) a 6-9 foot annual

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