MARTHA'S VINEYARD GARDEN CLUB
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    • Blooming Art 2025
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  • Looking Back on Events of 2024
    • Floral Design Creativity
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    • Member Garden Walkabouts
    • 2024 Edgartown Garden Stroll
    • Centennial Garden Party
    • At the Ag Fair
    • Our 100th Birthday Party!
  • Resources
    • Gardening Resources 1 - Reference, Docs, Books, Websites, Apps and More!
    • Gardening ​Resources 2 - Virtual Presentations, Podcasts, More Websites & Garden Tours
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    • Regional Horticultural Organizations
  • Conservation
    • No Mow May!
    • Conservation Related Resources
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Horticultural Hints for April


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Tread softly...
The soil around your home and garden is just coming out of its winter hibernation of alternate freezing and thawing. Right now, the top few inches of soil is exceptionally airy, and when you walk over it, you compress some of the air out. By the end of April, the soil should be ready for gardening but, for right now, avoid doing damage to your soil by walking on it too much.

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Strawberries!
Start your strawberry bed as soon as the soil can be worked. For new plants, start a new raised bed by creating one at least eight inches deep using a mixture of good soil and aged manure or compost. Because strawberries prefer to grow in a somewhat acidic environment, test the soil for pH and, if it is greater than 6, amend the soil as needed. Create a small mound of soil in the center of a hole. Fan the roots over the mound so they are spread throughout the hole. Becertainthe crown of the strawberry is placed so that it is half under the level of the bed and half above when the soil has been firmed in place. This way it will not be likely to rot or be smothered. Water thoroughly and mulch. Heat treated shredded straw or pine needles make an excellent weed-free mulch that will also keep developing berries clean.
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What, and what not to prune.
Everyone likes to prune in April, but follow these guidelines: Prune spring blooming trees and shrubs only after the flowers are finished. Don’t be in a hurry to prune off brown areas on evergreens. They often will regrow the needles that have suffered winter kill. A light scratch with your fingernail on the branch will show green if the wood there is still alive. If you have fall-flowering shrubs, this is your last call to prune them.

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Resist the temptation to apply
​mulch now.
 

If mulch is applied too early...
(and April is too early in Massachusetts), the mulch will slow down your garden by acting as a blanket and will prevent warming and keeping the soil colder
​than the air.
Later on, those 2 to 3 inches of mulch will help to keep down weeds and dress your garden.
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In the flower garden...
Any remaining perennial tops from last year should be cut off and removed before new growth begins. A thin top dressing of compost around perennials prior to this year’s bloom will enrich the soil.

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Spray dormant oil now... 
to control aphids and other insects on trees and shrubs. Commercial sprays add an emulsifier to allow the oil to mix with water. Spraying now, before buds break and leaves appear, will kill eggs and insects while not harming foliage, birds or mammals.

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Horticultural Hints are written and created by Betty Sanders. For more horticultural suggestions throughout the year, please visit www.BettyOnGardening.com

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Martha's Vineyard Garden Club
PO Box 5061
Vineyard Haven MA 02568

  • WELCOME
  • 2025 Programs & Events
    • Plant Sale 2025
  • JOIN the Club, RENEW OR DONATE!
  • About Us
    • Club History >
      • 100 Years
      • Historical Archives
      • The OLD MILL Yesterday
      • The OLD MILL Today
      • Garden Club Seale
    • Who we are
    • Leadership
    • Committees
    • Newsletter Archives
    • Directions to the WAKEMAN CENTER
    • Directions to the OLD MILL
    • From OFF ISLAND - Getting to The Old Mill!
    • Bylaws (Aug. 2013)
    • Policies & Procedures (Jan. 2014)
  • Giving Back
    • Charitable Projects
    • Rose Styron Garden
    • Harbor Homes
    • Woodside Community Garden
    • Mytoi Gardens on Chappy!
    • Floral Arrangements for Hospice Soiree!
  • 2025 Event Wrap Ups
    • 2025 Educational Progamming Materials
    • Valentines Workshop 2025
  • Blooming Art
    • Blooming Art 2025
    • 2024 Wrap up and Acknowledgements
    • Works of Art and Floral Designs
  • Looking Back on Events of 2024
    • Floral Design Creativity
    • Springtime Daffodil Walk 2024
    • Member Garden Walkabouts
    • 2024 Edgartown Garden Stroll
    • Centennial Garden Party
    • At the Ag Fair
    • Our 100th Birthday Party!
  • Resources
    • Gardening Resources 1 - Reference, Docs, Books, Websites, Apps and More!
    • Gardening ​Resources 2 - Virtual Presentations, Podcasts, More Websites & Garden Tours
    • Allied Organizations on MV
    • Regional Horticultural Organizations
  • Conservation
    • No Mow May!
    • Conservation Related Resources
  • Members Only
    • 2025 Calendar
  • Blooming Art 2025