April week 1

Chionodoxa

This time of year is always so busy but so exciting; the flowers of May just around the corner and the promise of the summer to come.

In the garden the Sowing continues, this week Runner Beans, Parsley, carrots and basil, to name a few.

We have finished the mulching and edging of our vegetable beds, all ready for planting into once our seedlings are big enough!

The rest of the garden continues into the full rhythm of Spring now, the daffodils are all out, the fruit trees are starting to open bud and the blackcurrant bushes are very nearly fully open.

Flowers

Primula denticulata

Now is a good time to take cuttings of herbacous plants, this means cutting the new shoots of things like Lupins and delphinums, just below soil level then put into sandy light compost inside a propagator for rooting.

Continue sowing indoors.

Hardy annuals can be sown outdoors about now, things like pot marigolds (Calendula) Candytuft (Iberis) Cornflowers (Centaurea) and nasturtiums (Tropaeolum) but just remember the adage:

“One for the pigeon, One for the crow, one to rot and one to grow”.

Lawn cutting season starts in the next week or two, or possibly earlier if you’re an impatient sort but leave areas where daffodils/spring bulbs are growing in lawn for another month or so yet, wait for them to start die back before mowing.

Now is also a good time to start a lawn from seed.

Lettuce, Rocket and Radish seedlings.

                                                     

Vegetables

Keep seed sowing!

Start the squashes and cucumber seeds, (Which will require some bottom heat to start growth)

The first of the potatoes can be planted now. A few weeks prior chitting helps give a good start, and before planting remove some of the shoots on the tuber to just 2 or 3 of the strongest.

Get the beds where the vegetables are to be grown ready for planting, good manure or fertilizer and keep weed free.

Houseplants

Still time to re-pot the house plants if you haven’t yet!

Now the light levels are better indoors, now is a good time to sow some herb seeds for indoor growing. Basil, Parsley, Coriander etc. Perfect for the kitchen windowsill.

Squash seedlings

This time of year is always so amazing, the changes that happen almost before our eyes. Within the next few weeks the trees will be opening their canopies and the spring flowering will have gone so make the most of the next few weeks while they are here!