Care guides › Melbourne › April
April in the Melbourne garden
Mid autumn in Melbourne. Cool temperate: frosty winters and warm, dry summers. Here is what needs doing this month, with the essentials first.
- What to plant 15
- What to harvest 22
- Feeding 1
- Pruning and deadheading 7
- Watering 1
- Seasol and tonics 1
- Pests and diseases to watch for 1
- Tidying up 3
What to plant in April
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Kale, Broccoli and Cabbage
Plant seedlings in late summer to autumn
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Parsley and Silverbeet
Sow or plant seedlings
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Lettuce
Sow or plant every few weeks for a steady supply
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Broad Bean
Sow seed direct
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Pea
Sow seed beside a trellis
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Spinach
Sow in cool weather; it bolts in heat
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Garlic
Plant cloves pointy end up
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Allium
Plant bulbs in autumn
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Foxglove
Plant in autumn for spring spires
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Sweet Pea
Sow seed around St Patrick's Day (mid March)
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Coriander
Sow in cooler months; it bolts in heat
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Daffodil
Plant bulbs twice their own depth
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Strawberry
Plant runners in autumn
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Paper Daisy
Sow seed or plant seedlings in autumn or early spring
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Pink Everlasting
Sow seed direct in autumn, where it is to flower
What to harvest in April
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Tomato
Pick as fruit colours; it finishes ripening indoors
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Lettuce
Pick outer leaves or whole heads
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Carrot
Pull from about 12 weeks after sowing
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Capsicum
Pick green, or leave to colour fully
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Leek
Lift as needed through winter
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Eggplant
Pick while the skin is still glossy
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Apple Tree
Pick when the fruit twists off easily
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Pear Tree
Pick firm and ripen indoors
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Basil
Pick often; take the lot before the first frost
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Passionfruit
Collect fruit as it drops; wrinkled is ripe
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Olive Tree
Pick for curing as fruit turns from green to purple
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Feijoa
Gather fruit as it drops
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Silverbeet
Pick outer leaves as needed
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Finger Lime
Pick when the fruit comes away with a gentle tug
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Warrigal Greens
Pick the soft tips often; blanch before eating
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Lemon Myrtle
Pick leaves as you need them; they dry well
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Rosemary If you have time
Snip sprigs as needed; it keeps it bushy
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Thyme If you have time
Snip sprigs as needed
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Mint If you have time
Pick often to keep it leafy
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Sage If you have time
Pick leaves as needed; best before it flowers
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Chives If you have time
Snip leaves to 5 cm; the flowers are edible too
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Parsley If you have time
Pick outer stems first
Feeding
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Cool-season vegetables If you have time
Liquid feed every 2-3 weeks while growing
Pruning and deadheading
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Raspberry Cane
Cut canes that fruited to the ground; tie in new ones
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Bower Vine
Prune after flowering to keep it in bounds
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Pampas Grass
Remove plumes before they seed: pampas is a weed in much of Australia
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Dwarf Pampas
Remove plumes before they seed
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Rose If you have time
Cut spent blooms back to a leaf to keep flowers coming
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Dahlia If you have time
Deadhead to keep flowers coming
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Geranium If you have time
Snap off spent flower heads
Watering
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Cool-season vegetables If you have time
Keep evenly moist; water when the top few cm are dry
Seasol and tonics
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Natives, shrubs and perennials, azaleas, camellias and other acid-lovers, citrus and fruit If you have time
Seaweed tonic (e.g. Seasol) in spring and autumn, and after a heatwave
Pests and diseases to watch for
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Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage If you have time
Cabbage white caterpillars: check under the leaves, squash eggs and grubs, or net the crop
Tidying up
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Fountain Grass If you have time
Pull out seedlings: some forms spread into bushland
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Jasmine If you have time
Pull out runners that root where they touch the ground
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Watsonia If you have time
Pull off old dead leaves
Not listed: Lime Tree, Sturt's Desert Pea, Cooktown Orchid, Illawarra Flame Tree and Tuckeroo, which don't suit Melbourne's climate.