Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead

• Although weather is warmer, continue to listen for forecasts of frost warnings and cover vulnerable plants at night. Delay planting out cold sensitive plants if frosts are forecast.
• Weed ‘defensively’; remove weeds before they flower to avoid seeding.
• Continue to keep grass paths manageable by regular cutting.
  Draw up soil around the base of peas and broad beans to support them and increase the rooting area.
• Clean greenhouse glass to improve light levels
  On sunny days ventilate the green house by morning opening and close late afternoon to conserve the heat.
• Earth up early potatoes when they have made 8” growth.
  Plan and prepare planting holes for squashes, adding well-rotted manure.
• Build frames for climbing beans.

Sowing and Growing

• Sow indoors or in the greenhouse Brussels sprouts, cabbage, early leeks, cucumbers, courgettes, peppers and sweet corn.  Sow tomatoes for outdoors.
• Sow herbs; dill, fennel, oregano and thyme, parsley from seed.
• At the end of the month sow tender vegetables indoors, such as runner beans, squash and pumpkins.
• Watch out for signs of damping off in seedlings which can be caused by sowing in cold, wet soil with poor drainage and air circulation and worsened by overwatering. A light covering of vermiculate reduces the problem.
• Direct sow broad beans and early peas.
• Make successional sowings of beetroot, Swiss chard, lettuce, radish, summer spinach, spring onions, lettuce, parsnips and turnips.
• Thin out germinated seedlings and hoe between rows.
• Direct sow early varieties of carrot when the ground has warmed up.  To avoid attack from carrot fly, either sow 18” above ground level or cover with insect mesh.
• Sow annuals to attract pollinating insects such as nigella, single flowered marigolds, comos, Californian poppies.
• Direct sow sweet peas.
• Second early and maincrop potatoes should be planted by the end of the month.
• Once tomatoes have their first true leaves, plant them deeply into individual pots
• Water crops regularly in dry weather.
• Plant out autumn-sown sweet peas.
• Finish planting shallots.
• Plant soft-neck garlic.
• Plant up new asparagus and globe artichoke beds.
• Cover radishes and turnips with horticultural fleece to protect against flea beetle.
• Use fleece to protect blossom of trees such as pears if frost is forecast.
• Net strawberries against bird attack.
• Watch out for early aphid attacks. Early action by manually removing these or hard- spraying with water can reduce likelihood of damaging infestations.
• Feed roses with rose feed.
• Feed soft fruit with a general purpose fertilizer.
• Pick and destroy yellowing leaves of brassicas infected with downy mildew.

Harvesting

• Harvest rhubarb by pulling a few stalks at a time. Put the leaves on the compost heap.
• The first cutting of asparagus is traditionally made after St George’s Day, 23^rd April and the last cutting on the longest day, 22^nd June.

Pruning

• Once leaf buds open, start formative pruning of stone fruit trees such as plum and cherry.
• Pinch out laterals on grape vines to leave one every 30cms and tie in selected shoots.
  

Gardening for wildlife

• Divide or cut back pond marginal plants.
• Prepare a fine tilth before sowing a wildflower meadow patch of cornfield annuals to attract pollinating insects.