The early spring vegetables that we planted are up and growing with the exception of the potatoes. The onions look great, the radishes are about an inch high and the carrots and lettuce are just emerging.
Our cabbage crop under the row cover is looking good too.
The world is slowly turning green again. Each day I see more shades of green on the mountain ridge across from the house.
Dogwoods are blooming and trees are beginning to unfurl their tender leaves everywhere you look.
Our area is dry! A good soaking rain would bring out the new green of spring for sure.
I hope to plant some flowers in April, but I’m not sure we’ll plant any other vegetables. Although I’ve noticed Farmer Tim down the road is planting and the early planting of squash and zucchini I did last year worked out really well so maybe we will plant some 🙂
Here’s the best planting days for April 2026.
Taurus: good for all root crops and above ground crops 17, 18
Cancer: best for planting above ground and root crops 21, 22
Scorpio: best for flowers and above ground crops 3, 4, 30
Pisces: good for planting and transplanting above ground crops, trees and shrubbery 13, 14
Last night’s video: March in Appalachia.
Tipper
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Thank you for the dates, I got my seeds started this year during Cancer, before the sign change. Here in Nova Scotia, we can’t plant out until June. Cherokee Purple among other things. 🙂
Hi Yall. I had a busy day with my kidney doctor. Praise report; He lowered my dose of fluid pill and my BP medicine. I’ve lost 8 pounds since January. Another Praise Report It is fixing to pour the rain here and should rain heavily for at least an hour. I’m praying it moves over the mountain and into NC. There is lightening but I think it is cloud to cloud. It sounds good beating down on the trailer. We love Squash and zucchini and eat it halved lengthwise and steamed every day. I want to try the new bush type this year. I’m planting lots of red bell peppers, German Pink tomatoes, onions and yellow pear tomatoes to make Tippers roasted pear soup. The mower guy came today and mowed down my garlic but, Praise the LORD he missed my Early June Apple tree for once. Today was Passover and we ate air fried cube steak and gravy (I forgot to thaw the lamb chops) , boiled then air fried sweet potato, Steamed yellow Squash, sliced cucumber with Tzatziki, Triscuits with hummus and Tabouleh, and steamed Zucchini. Gods Feast of Unleavened Bread starts tonight at sundown and goes for 7 days. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. I love y’all.
Great news!!
Should be cover the container with an old glass window or window pane.
I have the best planting days circled on my calendar! We are in an extreme drought and have a terrible wildfire burning about 10 miles from us. God bless all the firefighters who continue to work to get it under control and kept away from homes. Our community churches are open and folks are bringing food, drinks, and water for the firefighters. With the exception of the NC Forest Service, all of the firefighters are our local volunteers.
On a lighter note, I can agree with Randy 100% about Rick Bragg. I would recommend anything Rick Bragg writes. He is one of my top five current authors. I love him.
Lynn, For any of us raised out in the country of the south around or in a cotton mill family and workers, we know that Rick knows what he writes about. Btw, I had the name of the book wrong, it should be “The Speckled Beauty.”
Morning everyone. I keep hearing how dry everyone is. Most of Arkansas is under a fire ban. Figures, this year I swore to use that smoker I bought. Our ground is wet like always. Our Forsythia/yellow bells, Redbud, And Weeping Willow started going crazy a month ago. Our white Dogwood is blooming, the red one is all leafed out but no flowers. Our Myrtle bush looked totally dead, I was already planning what to plant in it’s place. Leaves are growing. The Hostas are finally looking out. Some things are growing quicker, others too slow. I did finally see a rabbit by the vegetable garden. I should be seeing many rabbits. I have to say something is different with the weather. I say this every year and people tell me “welcome to Arkansas”. One thing that does point to drier weather. We haven’t got any flood warnings. The Mississippi river overflows North and South of us. It doesn’t reach us but they warn us. Those 2 areas are elbows or bends. All that wet goodness accumulates during the year and then overflows. That’s why the Delta part of Arkansas is so fertile. Put a stick in the ground, tomorrow will be a tree growing. My son does it all the time. He has weeping willows and a River Birch in pots. They say we will be getting some rain. So maybe help is on the way. Anna from Arkansas.
I had Tipper Beans and cornbread for supper last night again. Those are the best beans I think I have ever eaten. The seeds are white when they went into the jars but every one of them turned brown during the cooking process. They are only one shade lighter than the mature dried seeds are. I am going to concentrate on them this year. I hope to grow enough to can for my own use and dry the rest to cook are soup beans.
Your site loaded quickly this morning and so if this shows up the 403 will be gone.
Just wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed all your posts Tipper, and Paul’s, and the Pressley Girls too. Absolutely loved the harmony with Katie, Corie and their Uncle Paul.
Didn’t have time to comment on Monday’s but always enjoy that one too and I must say Tipper, Matt is such a good humble man, if he wants a little fishing boat you make sure he gets one. I can tell you cause we raised two boys and my husband was a fantastic fisherman teaching the boys how to fish from little on up. My daddy was a hunter and he taught them how to be safe with hunting guns and took them out with hunting dogs. But when my Parents retired and moved back south they made sure they had a pond for the boys to fish in and my daddy had a fishing boat for my husband and the boys to use when they came on vacation. Believe me my husband was as excited to get down there and do fishing with the boys in that boat as the boys were. Our boys are grown now but they still have that love of fishing and they do know how to hunt too:)
My dogwood is just about ready to burst out in bloom, as the daffodils are blooming . I planted 3 little rows of lettuce in my above ground planters and they have come up and are doing well. I covered them last week when they said it was to get below freezing one night and they are fine. God bless y’all and I’m praying for you Norman and your brother.
It’s to get up in the 70’s today in SC PA but get cool again after next week.
I’ve had plant seed on warming mats for about a month now and some are not doing well. They’re leggy, tall and then creeping over. It gave me an excuse to buy MORE seed. I got Armenian cucumbers that are supposed to get up to 36 inches long and curly on 96 inch vines. I hope it happens for me so I can have a real GANDER of allure and wonderment for all to see if they make it. I got overly enthusiastic and since I started seed in the basement it’s way different than a portable hot house that blew its cover off every time there was wind and we get a lot of wind if nothing else (including sunshine which is now an allotment daily-smh of nefarious powers in control- “no sun or pollinators for you!!!” Every time I want to plant, I can’t cause my fence isn’t up and it’s still frost time til about May 5 or so here in VA. I’m stuck like Chuck apparently til it gets done and I’m supposed to have hired help today to get my garden fence and coup fences up. If you don’t have fences, the coyotes and whatever else will tote off my chickens and deer and ground hogs will be in the garden-not to mention it feels like a mugging when you go out and see your plants ett up!!! At first you’re thinking something ain’t right here and then it hits you a boogar took my stuff! Have a great day yall and get out there! “Get busy living or get busy dying!” is what my friend Chad used to say… RIP, friend.
Randy, these “hothouse” mass-produced plants are too delicate in my mind. They are babied with controlled temperature, lots of water, no wind, etc then stuck out onto shelves in bright sun, watered sporadically (if at all) then set out in hard dry ground and expected to grow. They need to be babied more or they need a less sudden and drastic introduction to “the real world” (As a friend says, “That’ll preach.”) Can’t say I have a definite memory of seeing shelter branches but it is a useful gardening trick. The drying of the leaves would taper off the amount of protection making for a gradual transition which is just what is needed.
Ron, I have got 5 of these “hot house” tomatoes I have not yet out. I have been gradually leaving the out more and more in the Sun and keeping them water. I feel like this will “toughen” them up before I set them out. I think some of the old ways are better and hard to beat even with a stick!
Hi would you be so kind to post some pictures of your dogwood, laurel and redbud tree. In Canada we don’t see them. Thankyou
We are dry here as well. The snow we got this winter was also very dry when it fell, what the skiers would call champagne powder, and there wasn’t a lot of it. We have had a few small showers, but we really need a multiday soaking rain.
Hi Tippper! My daughter learned a new word and wondered if it’s one that was used in Appalachia. I told her I’d ask. The word is brackish: (of water) slightly briny or salty.
Is this something you’re familiar with?
My 10 yr old was snickering all night writing a list of April Fools’ Day jokes to play on me. 🙂 It’s going to be a long day, LOL. Hope you all have a very blessed day.
Brackish water is rare the the Appalachians. Brackish water is commonly found near the coast where fresh water mixes with ocean water.
There are places in the mountains where salt and brine deposits are near enough the surface that it leaches into underground streams and turns fresh water into salty water. I don’t know whether it is called brackish though.
Allie, I am very familiar with with this word and have heard it all,of my life.
Allie, I don’t think it is at least not in my area 🙂
I intend this in a humorous way, for many of the older generations you had to plant your beans and a lot of the rest of your garden on Good Friday, I don’t know what the ones that planted by the “signs” did if the sign was not “right.” I noticed my favorite sign of spring have started blooming-it is the dogwood trees.
Gardening is in our blood. When my brother and I were in our early teens we had the opportunity to work on a farm. The owner wad a man who had immigrated from Greece and started a farm where he raised crops to sell at his stand along side the road and also to the local grocery stores. It was hard work. My brother and I worked six days a week with Sunday off for .25/ hour. So for a 48 hour week we took home $12. It was a lot back in the late 1950s. But the best part was the fresh corn, cucumbers, peas, string beans and tomatoes he gave us. We planted and weeded and picked six days a week from June through August. What I learned from this wonderful man I still use today. Watching you and Matt get your garden in brings back memories of my youth. At almost 81 I’m still doing a little gardening here in Murphy by planting potatoes, cabbage, onions, garlic, tomatoes. At best we only get about 6 hours of sunlight on our raised beds and porches so our crops are small but they are wonderful. Thank you for another great post. Have a blessed day.
Loved that sentence “What I learned from that wonderful man I still use today.” Still reaping a harvest these many years later and, in addition, he himself is a blessed memory. I would long and hope to be as that man was to somebody. Thank you.
no dog wood here,
no dog was here, I wish I could see some, thank you for praying for my brother please continue, please pray for me I’m trying to get to the doctor tomorrow, thank you and God bless you
I hope you can see the doctor. I’m praying for you and your brother.
Nothing to do with planting by signs. I mentioned a few days back about not even trying to have a garden this year because of the last few years of hot dry weather, deer and not being able to work it because of my arthritis. It was no longer worth it. Yesterday, it was reported that Upstate SC is now considered to be in an extreme drought, this is just the beginning of he growing season, what will it be like by the hot summer months. I am only going to set out about 5 tomato plants of different varieties to have for sandwiches this year. I want to ask a question, when I was growing up, my mother along with my grandparents would “shade” any new plants they set out. They would break small limbs off trees/bushes that had leaves on them and stick them in the ground in such a way by the plant to cover it from the hot sun. Has anyone else seen anyone do this?
I’ve never seen it done but here’s a post about it: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/using-laurel-branches-to-shade-garden/
Tipper, I had forgotten about this post, I even commented about my folks doing something similar. Kathy Patterson, I read about your dog in this post, you would probably enjoy reading one of Rick Bragg’s books titled Speck, it is about a stray dog he took in. You can buy a used copy from eBay for 5-10 dollars and that includes shipping.
Randy my Mama & grandma would on occasion shade a plant here and there. If I remember correctly, the woman that helped Mama at times would suggest it but they would agree not to shade a lot as it would end up more of a tangled mess than not , lol. As far as I remember the garden always turned out generally good. Your area is where it was. Hoping the arthritis eases up for you.
People around there used to put gallon plastic milk jugs, with the bottom cut out, over their plants. I don’t do that but I can see how it would protect them from too much sun and wind (and rabbits and deer).
I set my seedlings out near the house where they can “harden off” (get used to being out in the elements) before planting them in the ground. Hardening off makes them ready to start growing roots and sucking up sunshine.
Ammons this was before plastic milk jugs was ever heard of or thought about. No one had any type of greenhouse. My people along with many others would sow seed in a rusty washtub or other container after the weather got warm enough to sprout and cover the glass with an old window or window pane. These plants would be bareroot when planted. My father in law did this until 2013 when he passed away. For the last few years he did this, he used an old ice chest. I think Tipper posted awhile back about using a plastic milk jug for a miniature greenhouse. Besides using tree limbs people would also make “tents” from sheets of newspaper and only leave any on this on the plant until it began to “catch hold.”
Around here, not around there.