Verdant View – April 2022

spring

Spring has sprung! Signs of spring are everywhere throughout the month of April. Like the birds that are darting this way and that while prepping their spring nests, gardeners are busy preparing their yards and gardens for new life. It’s a busy month for gardeners, as spring signals the gateway to the warmer gardening season!

Don’t forget to notice all the new buds and life starting in your garden.

Remember Easter 2022 is on Sunday, April 17.

The actual name of “Easter” comes from a pagan holiday celebrating the goddess “Eostre,” who represented spring and fertility.

Finally, a little about the history of the Easter Egg. The following comes from Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, James Bonwick, pp. 211-212: “Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls attention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, hatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and Europe. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and celestial.

What to plant in April

The weather turns hotter and drier from now through the middle of June when the rainy season begins. The viveros now will have lantana, portulaca, and baby’s breath. Don’t forget Aztec lily, agapanthus, and daylilies, which are things that also do well all year ‘round. Start forget-me-nots, nemesia for borders and containers, and Osteospermum (Star of the Veldt), with its long blooming and colorful daisy-like flowers. Time to start eggplant, pepper, and tomato seeds in flats or pots for later transplanting, as well as to put lettuce seeds into the garden. Remember that you have to protect your young seedlings from the intense heat and sun and to water them faithfully until the rains begin. Digging compost and animal manure into your garden soil will help to improve the texture and ability to hold water, as well as furnish valuable nutrients. Good soil looks and feels like chocolate cake crumbs. Deadhead and water regularly. Pruning is an on-going process here and encourages new growth. New growth will begin with the rains. It’s a good time to consider cacti and succulents.  Don’t forget to mulch.

You can plant beets, beans, peas, celery, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, watermelon, and melons.

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”– Robin Williams (1951–2014)

April 2022 Issue

El Ojo del Lago – Home Page

For more information about Lake Chapala visit: www.chapala.com


For more information about Lake Chapala visit: www.chapala.com


Francisco Nava
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