April Garden Journal

Cisco planting in our hoop house

Warm days tempt us outside, coaxing us to dig, plant, and dream big. But as every seasoned gardener knows, April in North Carolina is a month of mixed signals. One minute we’re basking in spring sunshine; the next, we're throwing old bedsheets over tender plants to guard against a surprise frost.

It’s the season of patience and preparation—what we like to call the “hurry up and wait” of gardening.

This month, the soil is waking up, seeds are eager to sprout, and our hands are itching to get dirty. But the cool nights remind us to take a breath. Not everything is ready to go in the ground just yet.

At SEEDS, we’re using this time to start seeds indoors, prep garden beds, and teach our volunteers and program participants the art of timing—how to read the soil, the sky, and the rhythm of the season. We’re planning for abundance, even while we wait.

So if you're feeling that springtime rush to plant everything all at once—pause. Take a cue from the garden itself. Some things are worth waiting for.