April Jobs

Garden Maintenance

April is a really busy time in the garden if your not sowing seeds, you are pricking out and potting on. More and more bulbs start appearing and putting on a show, flower buds are slowly developing and soon we will have blossom, it’s all very exciting.

And whilst it is busy for the plants it’s also busy for the gardener, so here is your snapshot of what you can be doing this month...

Flower Power

There are so many seeds you can still be sowing undercover, such as;

• Amaranthus

• Cosmos

• Delphinium

• Echinacea

And there are plenty more that you can start sowing direct, like;

• Larkspur

• Nasturtium

• Poppy

• Sweet William

Veg Plot

Busy time for your greenhouses and window ledges this month, veggies you can sow now are;

• French and Runner Beans

• Broccoli

• Cabbages

• Celery

• Courgettes

• Squashes & Pumpkins

• Sweetcorn

You can also start sowing direct;

• Broad Beans

• Lettuce

• Peas

• Radish

• Spring Onions

• Spinach

If you were early to sow your chillies and tomatoes they should now have developed their true leaves and can be pricked out and potted on, making sure you plant them deeply, right up to the seed leaves.

If you haven’t already planted your first early potatoes, now is a good time. 

Herbs

April is a good time to start sowing herbs outside;

• Borage

• Chives

• Dill

• Fennel

• Mint

• Rosemary

Pruning 

This is the last chance to prune your fig but other than that not much more to prune in the garden now. So take this small window as an opportunity to take a closer look at some of your shrubs that are just starting to produce their flower buds, such as;

• Apple

• Cherry

• Black Current

• Peach

• Blueberry

Nature

Birds will be looking for nesting material, so make sure you gather up all your old scraps of twine and push them into a bird feeder that you can hang up for them to help themselves. And with a new brood on the way, make sure you keep the bird table and feeders topped up with lots of goodness, they’re going to need it.

If you are planning on sieving compost this month, empty your heap slowly, being mindful that there maybe overwintering hedgehogs or frogs still hibernating.