Time to begin planting spring garden

Warm air and soil temperatures make April an ideal time to plant summer vegetables and flowers, say experts at Agromin, a Camarillo-based manufacturer of soil products.

•Plant vegetables: Coastal area residents still have time to plant cool-season vegetables such as lettuce, carrots and radishes. For the rest of the county, it's time for warmseason vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, squash, cucumber, melon, peppers, potatoes, sunflowers and zucchini.

•Start an herb garden: Basil, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, chives, dill and tarragon are just a few of the favorite easy-to-grow herbs that can be planted now.

•Cut back spring blooms: Spring blooms typically only last several weeks. Once flowering stops, trim blooms and plants. Flowers in this category include acacia, forsythia, philadelphus, lilac and viburnum.

•Revive/replant the lawn: Reseed bare patches or the entire lawn. Kentucky bluegrass and fascue will all do well from seed or as sod. When using seed to cover bare patches, make sure the lawn is mowed closely before applying grass seed. Cover with a thin layer of topper mix and water twice a day for two weeks. New growth will begin in about three weeks.

•Reduce water usage: With the cost of water on the rise, mulch can be a significant water saver. Depending on weather, mulch can add an extra one or two days between watering. Till any remaining old mulch into the soil and replace with new mulch around plants to keep roots cool and moist. Plants, shrubs and trees should have about three inches of mulch around the base. Mulch also keeps weeds down.