IN THE GARDEN

What to plant in April

April weather facts

Average high temperature: 25°C Average low temperature: 20°C Average rainfall days: 12 days

April is a joyous month for gardeners as we carefully transition into springtime parting with the frigid cold. Tread this season with a newfound gratitude for life as the steadily increasing temperatures continue to bloom the fruits in our gardens.

Begin with digging into the soil and sowing the last seeds of your cool-season vegetables, such as Mustard and cress, Chinese spinach, French beans, cucumber, lettuce, sweet corn, Chinese long beans and brinjal. Tend to your garden beds with a lot of love and generous watering.

Don't forget to plant out your seedlings of cucumber and lettuce from last month. Those you raised in the past mustn’t leave one’s memory. While you’re at it, heed this advice, it will save grief in the long run. Witness their growth after you successfully transfer them from your domestic pot to a homely vegetable bed.

Smaller plants such as canavalias, cucumbers, and long beans, will require a garden stake to hold themselves up. Support them with reliable materials and strength to grow.

Use a Dutch hoe to maintain the condition of your soil. A hard baked surface will not allow your plants to thrive as the earth is but a womb for your babies to flourish.

Leave all your past grudges behind and cultivate your best relationships. Care for your garden as you would your lover and continue to grow alongside it.

By William James Tutcher

F.L.S. (1867-1920)

Superintendent of Hong Kong Botanical Gardens. Paraphrased from his seminal 1906 work Gardening for Hong Kong.