April jobs in the garden
Last weekend, Jill and I along with friends Jonathan Moseley and Paula Routledge were working at the RHS Harlow Carr Gardening Weekend giving talks and demonstrations. We all had a lovely three days, although it was a little on the cool side! The gardens were looking wonderful and it was great to catch up with some of the specialist plant nurseries that we work with over the summer, but one of the main highlights for us was the warm response from the audiences over the weekend. Many Garden club, WI and U3A members came along to say hello which is something we always appreciate. Hopefully we’ll see more of you at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show in a few weeks time or at other shows over the coming months.
At home in Lincolnshire, we’ve been busy. Jill mainly on painting and decorating duty in the house, which she is very good at, and I’ve been trying to get as much done in the garden as possible. All those little jobs that need finishing are on my list and I’m gradually working my way through them. Hopefully, all the planting will be done by May, but I do need to replace a fence along a boundary before I can prepare and plant the border.
It’s also been very dry with us and according to Paul Hudson on Look North, we’ve only had around 10% on the average March rainfall. In fact, where I planted under some trees last year, I’ve already had to get the hose pipe out to water because the shrubs and perennials were starting to look a little stressed.
We’ve also been sorting out some woody plants that have been in pots for several years. One was an olive tree that’s over 20-years old which is now planted in the border by the patio and the other is a South American fruit tree called a Feijoa or pineapple guava that was completely pot bound. It originates from South America but is fairly tough and has survived being outside for over 6 years. In a larger pot with fresh compost, it should be fine, although I doubt we’ll ever get fruit.
Jobs for April
If the weather stays dry make sure that plants growing outside in containers are watered regularly as they soon dry out, especially in breezy weather.
Finish the spring clean of borders to make sure they are weed free and tidy and as new seedling weeds appear, chop them off with a hoe. It’s also a good time to mulch around shrubs and perennials to improve the soil with garden compost, manure or bought in mulch. This year I’m using some organic mulch from PlantGrow. https://plantgrow.co.uk/
Thee is still time to apply lawn sand thinly and evenly over the lawn to help control areas of moss. The moss will blacken and can then be raked out. The iron in the lawn sand will also help to green up the lawn.
As early daffodils start to fade, remove the old heads and add to the compost heap. Don’t cut down the leaves though for another six weeks to allow nutrients back into the bulbs.
Hardy annuals such as larkspur, nigella, cornflower, calendula and cosmos can be sown directly into prepared soil where you want them to flower in summer or in cell trays.
Have some garden fleece handy to cover over plants with lush foliage or delicate blooms that might be damaged in frosty weather.
Early potatoes can be planted into the garden. Plant the tubers around 10cm (4in) deep and 30-35cm (12-14in) apart in a row. Alternatively plant a couple of tubers in a large pot of compost.
Plant onion sets 10-15cm (4-6in) apart in rows and sow carrots, parsnips, beetroot, lettuce, chard, summer cabbage, leeks and spring onions directly into prepared ground in shallow drills around 1.5cm (1/2in) deep.
Plant pot grown strawberries into the garden and keep them watered until the roots establish. If you have a greenhouse, you could plant a few strawberry plants in large pots for an early crop.
Prick out seedlings of tomatoes and peppers sown last month individually into small pots of compost and grow on in a light frost-free place.
Kings Seeds from Essex are once again offering followers of Pots & Trowels (videos & podcast) a 10% discount on seeds purchased form the website www.kingsseeds.com by quoting the code PT2025. It’s valid until the end of 2025. (T&Cs apply)
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Happy gardening