WHAT TO DO THIS MONTH?

April is a busy month, Spring has well and truly sprung, the change in weather from the start of the month to end of the month can be incredible. The days are getting longer, the soil is warming up and it’s a time when most gardens get their first real attention. Here is our guide to some of the things you can be doing.

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General Maintenance

1. Weeding!! With the warmer weather comes the weeds. Make sure your flower & vegetable beds are clear of weeds. If you haven’t already done so dig in garden compost or well-rotted farmyard manure. This will improve the soil structure and help retain moisture levels in the summer.

2. Lawns will start to be growing with the warmer temperatures. Use a garden fork to aerate compacted areas and feed the whole lawn with a high nitrogen feed. It’s also a good time to sow grass seed or lay new turf.

3. Put in plant supports for tall perennials and climbers so that plants can be trained through the supports as they grow. It’s much easier than trying to fit them in once the plants have grown to full size and are flopping everywhere and reduces the risk of damage.

4. Check fruit cages and netting for holes that will allow any pests in.

5. Check for aphids, early infestations can quickly get out of control. Squash by hand and encourage natural predators like hoverflies, ladybirds and wild birds to feast on the sap suckers.

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Flowers & Shrubs

1. As roses and shrubs start to put on new growth it’s time to help the plants by scattering a slow release general purpose fertiliser, such as Growmore, around the base. Rake in and cover with well-rotted farmyard manure or compost.

2. Plant summer flowering tubers, corms, bulbs and dahlia tubers outdoors.

3. Prune back lavender and penstemon to fresh new shoots once the frosts have passed. Avoid cutting into the old wood of lavender.

4. Lift and divide large clumps of perennials such as Hosta and daylilies and plant new perennials and shrubs to fill in gaps.

5. Pinch out the growing tips of fuchsia and sweet pea seedlings to encourage bushy plants.

6. As the spring bulbs go over dead head them but leave the foliage to die back naturally.

7. It’s time to sow hardy annuals like Poppies, Cornflower and Nigella outdoors.

8. Towards the end of the month start planting up your hanging baskets with all your favourites. Calibrachoa, petunias, bacopa, helichrysum, fuchsia, geranium, lobelia , nemesia and verbena to name a few.

 

Fruit & Vegetables

1. If you haven’t done so already April is the time to get potatoes in the ground whether they are chitted or not. Dig a trench deep enough to cover your tubers with 5cm (2 inches) of soil. Plant earlies 30cm (12 inches) apart and Mains 40cm (16 inches) apart. Cover and firm down slightly lower than ground level. This will help direct water to the new potatoes. Once leaves start to show rake up the soil to protect from late frosts.

2. Sow broad beans, beetroot, carrot and parsnips in the vegetable garden. When sowing carrots space out carefully to avoid too much pricking out or moving later as this will attract the carrot fly.

3. Sow cool season crops outdoors such as peas, lettuces, radishes and spring onions.

4. Sow tomato, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, runner beans and French beans indoors and place on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse.

5. Later on in the month you can start to harden off the crops grown in the greenhouse such as courgette, cucumber and tomato.

  

Whether it’s seeds, plants, tools or pots you need or whatever you plan to do in your garden this April why not come and see us at Thorp Perrow Garden Centre and see how we can help. We look forward to seeing you at the Garden Centre.