April Vegetable Guide

Vegetable Gardens Start This Month!

April is a great month to start planting your vegetable garden. We have seeds, seedlings, and four-inch plants to help get you going. Once the danger of frost has passed you can set out tomatoes, eggplant and pepper starts.

As temperatures warm plant watermelon, cucumbers, pumpkins, beans, and more. Melons, cucumbers, basil are very cold sensitive. We have a great selection of tomato cages, organic snail and bug baits, and vegetable fertilizer along with tips for good growing. Stop by and see us soon!

Vegetable Plant Time Amount
Family of 4
Special Notes Plant Now
Artichoke Year ’round 3 – 4 plants Permanent, perennial. 4″ Pots
Beans, String April – May Then later again in July and August 15 – 25 ft. row Suitable for a small garden. Can be planted more than once/year for a continuous harvest. From Starts or Seeds
Beets February – April then later again in August 10 – 15 ft. row Suitable for a small garden. Can be planted more than once/year for a continuous harvest. From Seeds
Cantaloupes/Other melons April – June 5 – 10 hills Soil must be warm. From Starts or Seeds
Carrots Year ’round 20 – 30 ft. row Suitable for a small garden. Can be planted more than once/year for a continuous harvest. From Seeds
Chives Year ’round 1 clump Suitable for a small garden. From Starts or Seeds
Corn, sweet April – July 20 – 30 ft. row Can be planted more than once/year for a continuous harvest. Soil must be warm. From Starts or Seeds
Cucumbers April – July 6 plants N/A From Seeds or Starts
Eggplant April – June 4 – 6 plants Suitable for a small garden. Ok in morning sun From Starts
Parsley Year ’round 1 – 2 plants Suitable for a small garden. From Starts
Peppers April – July 5 – 10 plants Suitable for a small garden From Starts
Pumpkins April – June 1 – 3 plants N/A From Starts or seeds
Radishes Year ’round 4 ft. row Suitable for a small garden. Can be planted more than once/year for a continuous harvest. From Seed
Squash, summer April – July 2 – 4 plants Suitable for a small garden. From Starts or seeds
Squash, winter March – September 2 – 4 plants Known as winter Squash because it stores over winter but it grows in summer-fall. From Starts or seeds
Strawberries March – September 12+ plants Bare root in November – 6-Pack arriving in Feb. 6-Packs
Tomatoes March – July 6 – 10 plants Suitable for a small garden. Weather permitting, starting in March is possible. From Starts
Turnips February – August 10 – 15 ft. row Suitable for a small garden. From Seeds
Watermelons April – June 6 plants N/A From Starts or Seeds

Alden Lane Garden Rewards Program

We are so excited to offer our customers an incentive for shopping with us.

Purchases made during the months of April, May & October earn Garden Reward Points (formerly known as Bonus Dollars) which can be redeemed in the month of August or between Thanksgiving and December 24th.

During April/May and October, your purchases will accumulate points in our Garden Rewards program at the register. Make sure you identify yourself to the cashier! Your receipt will show a running total of your accumulated points.

When you shop in August or Thanksgiving through December 24th and have Garden Reward points available, our cashier will be alerted and let you know. You have the option to redeem the points for that purchase or save them for a future purchase.

New Garden Reward points will function just like old Bonus Dollars. Each point is worth one dollar. One point is earned for every 10 dollars spent from April 1st through May 31st and during the month of October.

Garden Reward points can be used for up to 50% of your purchases in August or between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. For example, if you have 10 Garden Reward points, you may use all 10 on a purchase of $20 or more, paying the balance with US Dollars. Garden Reward points do not expire.

Garden Reward points are more flexible than Bonus Dollars or Holiday Dollars as they can be redeemed either season, August or between Thanksgiving and December 24th.

You may convert your paper Bonus Dollars to Garden Reward points at any time. If you have a handful of Bonus Dollars and you want to tidy up your coupon box, bring them in, we’ll convert them for you. A balance will show on each of your receipts going forward.

Garden Reward points are not valid with other discounts or coupons. They are not valid on sod or sale items. Sales are limited to stock on hand, and they are not redeemable for cash. Garden Reward points cannot be redeemed outside of the redemption season.

4″ Vegetables as of 3-21-24

Here is a list of the vegetables that have come in on this week’s orders. There is no guarantee about specific availability when you visit. We have lots of fun varieties to try this year!

Eggplant

Black Egg

Cloud Nine

Fairy Tale

Ichiban

Millionaire

Nadia

Pintung Long

Rosa Bianca

Shikou

Garlic

Early Italian Purple

Spanish Roja

Pepper

Anaheim

Better Belle IV

Calabrian

Cascabella

Chicago Hot Dog

Chile de Arbol

Chipotle

Fresh Bites Orange

Fresno

Golden Cal Wonder

Habanero

Habanero Orange

Hatch Green Chile

Italian Roaster

Jalapeño

Jalapeño Purple

Jalapeño Sweet Popper

Jimmy Nardello

Manzano Orange

Marchant Italian Pickling

Mini Chocolate Bell

Mini Red Bell

Mini Yellow Bell

Orange Sun

Pablano/Ancho

Padron

Red Knight

Santa Fe Grande

Scorpion

Serrano

Shishito

Sriracha Hybrid

The Big Early

Yum Yum Mix

Pumpkin

Dill’s Atlantic Giant

Jack O’Lantern

Squash

Anton

Bush Baby

Gold Rush

Sunburst

Zucchini

Strawberry

Chandler

Fort Laramie

White Soul

Tomatillo

Cisneros

De Milpa

Purple

Verde Puebla

Beefmaster

Berkeley Tye Dye

Black Cherry

Black Zebra
Brad’s Atomic Grape

Brandywine Red

Brandywine Yellow

Carbon

Cherokee Purple

Chocolate Sprinkles
Copia Striped

Costoluto Genovese
Dr. Wyche’s Yellow

Early Girl

Grape

Green Zebra

Helix

Hybrid Cherokee Caron

Hybrid Genuwine

Hybrid Jersey Boy

Hybrid Marzinera

Hybrid Perfect Flame

Invincible

Jetsetter

Mortgage LifterPatio

Pear Red

Pear Yellow

Premio

Purple Zebra

San Francisco Fog

San Marzano Redorta

Snow White

Stellar

Stupice
Sugar Rush

Sun Gold

Super Fantastic

Sweet Baby Girl

Tazmanian Chocolate

Vintage Wine

Drift Roses

pch-drift-starColorful & Classy Groundcover
Drift Roses are prolific bloomers, disease resistant, low maintenance, drought tolerant, and best of all, attractive garden and landscape focal points in themselves. In addition to being an excellent choice for general “ground covers”, their size and versatility make them an ideal addition to smaller gardens, combination planters and even container gardens and hanging baskets where their attractive good looks provide dimensions of color and foliage probably unavailable through any other means.

Since the Drifts were specially created to be ground cover roses, they have a low growing characteristic 1½’ tall and 2′ wide. And beautiful colors including white, pink, peach, coral, red & soft yellow. We are currently well stocked with plants that are continuous bloomers from spring to early frost; they are naturally dwarf, with very dark glossy attractive foliage.

As ground covers, Drift roses kept the best of their parent pedigrees — they are a cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniatures. From the former they kept the toughness, vigor, disease resistance and winter hardiness. From the miniatures, they inherited their well-managed size and repeat-blooming nature. To top it off, Drift Roses are easy to establish and are low maintenance landscape plants.

With all these benefits and good looks too, it is no mystery that Drift Roses are becoming one of our Valley’s most popular flowering plant options. If you have been looking for a way to add a fresh new look to your to garden and landscape check out Drift Roses.

Prevent Wormy Apples – Controlling Codling Moths

coddling-apple
damage from codling moths and larva

If you have apple trees and want to monitor codling moths to determine the best time to spray, use our Codling Moth Traps.

Periodically looking into the trap in search of captured moths will alert you as to when the moths are present and therefore when to spray.

When codling moths first appear (usually when about 3/4 of the flower petals have fallen from the tree), wait one week and spray every 10 days with Captain Jack’s, (Spinosad) for 3 applications.

Replace traps monthly and repeat spray regime after additional generations of moths are trapped.

Check out the UC Cooperative Extension Service website for more detailed options.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7412.html.

Let Spring’s Floral Fireworks Begin

March brings our “Bud Break” Season. Spring bloomers are waking up from their winter rest and are ready to put on a SHOW! Here are some of our favorites.

Plums, almonds, pears, apples, peaches & nectarines lead the way when it comes to ornamental and fruit-bearing trees. Ranging from white to soft pink, blossoms light up the bare branches. As the petals release and flutter in the breeze, we enjoy our version of a soft snowfall.

Magnolias are real show stoppers. Their big fuzzy buds will give way to the tulip and daisy-shaped flowers. The architecture of the plant coupled with stunning lavender to white blossoms is a real eye-catcher. Find a garden spot that has a shade break in the heat of the afternoon and these plants will thrive for years. 

Forsythias are easy to grow and real knockouts. When you see lemon yellow flowers covering its branches, you know spring is around the corner. Plant in full to half day sun nestled into your evergreen border and it will surprise you each year with its sunny blooms.

Enjoy the Spring Garden Color Explosion!

March Garden Checklist

checkbox Formula 49 Feed! Feed! Feed! It’s time to refresh your garden plants. Fertilize all of your plants to support spring growth. For landscape shrubs and trees feed with Master’s Formula 49 All Purpose Plant Food. If you have citrus or avocado trees, use Master’s Citrus Food. Early March is an ideal time to start feeding fruit trees, grapes, and berries. We recommend Master’s Fruit Tree & Vine Food for the nutrition your plants need to produce the best crop ever! Your roses will appreciate a monthly feeding of Master’s Rose & Flower Food.

checkbox Prune azaleas and camellias into shape after their blooms have faded. Feed them with Master’s Camellia, Azalea and Gardenia Food and Iron Plus monthly through October.

checkbox Place Yellow Jacket traps out early this month to catch the queen before she starts her family. Prevention is the best cure!

checkbox Give your lawn “a meal – not a snack” with Master Green Lawn Food.

checkbox Control snails with organic Sluggo Plus and pet-safe Sluggo.

checkbox This is a good time to think about lawn renovation.

checkbox Add a lilac to your garden and enjoy its fragrant spring blossoms.

checkbox Remember to plant gladiolus bulbs (corms) every two weeks, and you’ll have armloads of cut flowers through the summer.

checkbox Remember to water plants under eaves and in containers. It’s important now to deep water trees and shrubs if it isn’t raining on a regular basis. Their root systems are starting to grow now.

checkbox Start annual morning glories from seed this month and establish them in the garden or a pot by summer! Morning glories are one of the most stunning of the old fashioned garden flowers. Flowers are huge – three to five inches across – and bright, colorful blue, purple or pink. Best of all, morning glories are easy!

checkbox Combat Citrus leafminer organically. Hang traps in your citrus to catch the flying adult, doing so will reduce damage to new growth of your lemons, oranges and other citrus plants.

pH Adjustment for Citrus

Citrus plants and other acid-loving plants often suffer from yellow leaves. Yellowing leaves are usually related to low fertility, alkaline soils, or low levels of available iron. Now is a good time for corrective measures.

Citrus food can address the fertility, Iron Sulfate or Soil Sulfur can improve the soil pH by steering alkaline soils toward acid, both make the existing iron in surrounding soil more available to the plant.  Iron Sulfate also adds additional iron for quicker nutrient uptake.

Our citrus grower recommends a little bit of citrus fertilizer each month of the year. We offer Master Nursery Citrus Food or EB Stone Citrus Food (the organic option).

We also recommend treating the soil with either Soil Sulfur or Iron Sulfate 3 to 4 times a year.  Now is an ideal time because remaining rains will carry these products down into the soil. The impending spring growth will benefit immediately from this nutrient blast. Iron products such as Iron Sulfate help prevent yellow leaves on citrus, blueberries, azaleas, camellias and also keep a lawn greener with less mowing.

Most products containing iron can stain paving. Take extra precautions to be sure you don’t stain your patio or driveway.  Iron Plus will not stain.

Plants take nutrients up from the soil most efficiently when soil pH is neutral or slightly acidic. pH Adjuster Plus gently acidifies the soil and allows nitrogen, iron and other essential nutrients and elements to be released for uptake by plant roots. Apply these granular products over the soil surface and let the rain water them in. The result is a healthier, more beautiful plant with brighter, greener foliage.

pH Adjuster Plus is a pelletized soil sulfur that is much easier to apply than more conventional soil sulfur (no annoying dust).

Almost all plants will appreciate 3 to 4 applications per year, but those plants that respond most dramatically to a pH adjustment include citrus, blueberries, camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, gardenias and other plants that develop a seasonal yellowing of the leaf related to iron deficiency. Most likely you can think of at least one plant you have around your home that suffers from leaf yellowing. Apply and then water or time your application to let winter rains do the watering for you.

Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts) has also shown to have a great greening effect.  A little bit goes a long way and should only be applied twice a year; once in early spring and again in early fall.