It’s getting warm enough to plant those cool veggies | The Compleat Home Gardener
Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, April 15, 2026
The third week of April is a good time to fertilize the lawn if you have not yet done so. Consider aerating the lawn before you fertilize.
This month you can also reseed on top of an old lawn or just fill in the bare spots on an established lawn.
The middle of April is the time to plant seeds of cool season vegetables such as lettuce, radish, kale and spinach. Sweet peas and garden peas can also go directly into the soil.
Q. When do I cut back the old stems of sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ that turned black and brown over the winter? I read about leaving the faded blooms over the winter for birds to eat. Now winter is over but the black stems and flowers are still hanging around. G.H., Enumclaw
A. April is a good time to clean up the old foliage from perennial plants such as sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ as well as old hosta leaves, the old stems of phlox and any other plants showing signs of new growth but still holding onto old foliage. Cut back old stems to the point where you see fresh green growth. Enjoy the instant gratification of a cleaned-up garden bed.
Q. When can I move my lilac bush that has not performed well? This lilac only produces a few blooms each year. I have been waiting for about ten years for it to become full of blooms like the lilacs I see all over my neighborhood. Ready to give up. T., Tacoma
A. Move it or lose it is the rule for any plant, tree or shrub that is disappointing you in the landscape. Lilacs flower best in full sun with lots of air circulation, so a common mistake is planting a lilac close to your house, Wait until your lilac is finished flowering then cut it back by one third or more, thin out any thin or dead branches and dig it up. Lilacs are forgiving about root disturbance in spring as long as you water it well after the transplant. A lilac that has been pruned hard and then moved may take several years to flower again. Give the lazy lilac one more chance in a new location then be ruthless and remove it. Plants are not your children. You do not owe them a lifetime commitment.
Q. My lavender plants survived the wet winter – yeah! But I never pruned them and now they are rather tall and getting ready to flower. Can I prune them into a tidy hedge now without messing up the bloom cycle? Email, Olympia
A. Just wait. Let your wild looking lavender plants flower and enjoy the show. Then once the blooms
Tip: Use scissors to prune lilacs and you will be less inclined to cut into thick, woody stems. Lavender plants will rebloom for a second show if they get a good haircut after flowering.
Q. When is the best time to plant tomato seeds indoors? Last year I planted seeds in March and the seedlings were leggy from spending too much time indoors waiting for the weather to warm up. I saved the seeds from my favorite varieties. P, Tumwater
A. Seeds of warm season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, marigolds and zinnias should not be started indoors until mid to late April. This way they will have 6 to 8 weeks of warm nights before hardening them off outdoors and then transplanting them into the ground in late May. To keep seedlings from getting weak and leggy, move them outdoors on mild days so they can experience wind and cooler weather. This “hardening off” stage creates tougher plants that will adapt more quickly to the outdoor garden.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.
