Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead

• Deep-dig out perennial weeds such as invasive bindweed and couch grass. Keep weeding to prevent weeds seeding.
• Begin to add well rotted manure to bare areas.
• Empty the compost bin by bagging up compost from the bottom of the bin or heap. Store it ready for use next spring and start a new mix.
• Cut bean and pea plants away at ground level when they have finished cropping. Leave the roots to slowly release nitrogen back into the soil.
• Empty the compost bin by bagging up compost from the bottom of the bin or heap and store ready for use next spring.
• In the greenhouse, rake off the top centimetre of soil to clear out any pests near the surface and replace with grit. Next spring remove the grit and replace with clean potting compost.

Sowing and growing

• Spinach, coriander, rocket and parsley can all be sown until the middle of the month.
• Sow fast-growing Oriental greens such as pak choi and mizuna.
• Sow winter greens such as land cress, corn salad and hardy lettuce cultivars (including ‘Arctic King’ and ‘Valdor’) for spring picking. Sow kale for early spring harvesting and rocket for autumn harvesting.
• Sow hardy annuals such as calendula officianalis in shallow drills for late spring flowering next year.
• Sow green manures in vegetable beds that are to be left fallow for the winter. When dug in they conserve nutrients and improve soil texture.
• Sow broad bean varieties such as Aquadulce, de Monica or Masterpiece Green Longpod in late September for harvesting in late May, early June.
• Pot up strawberry runners to make new plants for next summer or plant out new strawberries.
• Plant out spring cabbage.
• Plant overwintering onion sets.
• Plant daffodil bulbs for early spring flowering.
• Start planting trees at the end of the month while the soil is still warm.
• Harvest maincrop potatoes. Check each tuber for disease or damage and do not store damaged tubers. Store in a cool, dry place. Let the tubers dry off before storing in jute, hessian or paper bags in a dark frost-free place.
• Protect leafy vegetable crops with bird netting.
• Cut out the fruited canes of summer raspberries, blackberries, loganberries and tayberries. Leave the new green canes as these will crop next year. Prune blackcurrants. After picking autumn-fruiting raspberries, do not prune. Wait until late winter/ early spring to cut all the canes down to ground level.
• Continue to feed and water tomatoes. Pinch out the tips of cordon tomatoes to concentrate the plants energy into fruiting. Cropping can continue well into the autumn.
• In the greenhouse sow herbs, salad leaves such as pea shoots, beetroot and chard for winter leaves.
• Apply grease bands to fruit trees at the end of the month to deter winter moth.
• Keep leeks protected with insect mesh against leek mining fly and leek moth.
• Do not compost blight-affected foliage or tubers of potatoes and tomato plants or rose leaves affected with black spot.

Harvesting

• Store onions that have been dried in nets in well-ventilated conditions.
• Continue to harvest sweetcorn.
• Cut herbs for drying and use throughout the winter.
• Continue picking autumn raspberries and blackberries.
• Ensure carrots are protected with insect mesh as carrot flies are most damaging in late summer and autumn.
• Water plants in the morning to help prevent fungal diseases.
• Continue harvesting apples and pears. Store in a cool, well-ventilated place. Black, scabby blotches, distortion and cracking on apples and pears indicates scab disease. Affected fruit will not store well but can be eaten now.
• Leave autumn squashes to ripen on the plant as long as possible and remove the leaves to maximise sunlight. Place fruit on a wooden board or tile to prevent soiling. Fruits are ready when richly coloured and ring hollow when tapped.

Gardening for wildlife

• While tidying up the plot, be sure to leave some seeded flower heads to provide winter food for birds. Leave some areas of dead vegetation for insect life over winter.
• Birds now start to look for food for the winter months so keep bird feeders topped up.
• In ponds, thin out oxygenating and floating plants. Leave debris at the side of the pond overnight so creatures can return to the water. If the pond is near deciduous trees, scoop out the leaves before they sink to the bottom.

Check what produce you may have to enter in the Autumn Show or donate to the produce stall.

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.

Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead

• Continue soil preparation by hoeing to suppress early weeds and cover with black landscape fabric/ weed suppressant or a thick layer of composted stable manure to warm the soil. Top- dress overwintering vegetables with a general fertilizer.
• Control early weed growth by regular hoeing.
• Nutrient-rich mulches such as composted manure should be spread when the soil is moist and warm, from mid to late spring, just before the main growing season.
• Apply a balanced fertilizer such as growmore or fish, blood and bone around fruit trees and bushes.
• Apply a general fertilizer to all areas required for early crops. Fish, blood and bone or pelleted poultry manure are slow-release so apply now for summer growing.
• To lessen the impact of brassica club root, raise the soil pH by adding lime or calcified seaweed to brassica beds. Some club root resistant varieties are available e.g. Brussels sprouts Crispus, Cabbage Kilaton.
• Cut down autumn-sown green manures and now sow green manures such Buckwheat, Crimson Clover, Fenugreek, Mustard, Phacelia, Trefoil or Winter Tares. These will improve the soil until it is needed for planting.
• Ventilate the green house on sunny days and close up by mid afternoon.
• Clean greenhouse panes to maximise light levels.
• If the soil is not too wet start strimming, clipping or mowing grass paths to maintain good paths between plots.

Sowing and growing

• Sow outdoors early cultivars of beetroot, broad beans, peas, early cultivars of lettuce, radish, early spinach, parsnips and turnips. Towards the end of the month early varieties of carrot can be sown.
• Protect young seedlings with fleece or cloches on cold nights, removing the covers in the day.
• Sow indoors or in the greenhouse Brussels sprouts, cabbage, summer cauliflower, celery, celeriac, early leeks and tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, peppers and chillies.
• Germinate aubergines, cucumbers, peppers and chillies in a heated propagator if available.
• Start herbs from seed. Sow dill, fennel, parsley and sorrel in plots to transplant later.
• Annual flower seeds such as cosmos, sweet peas, marigolds, nasturtiums and candytuft can be sown directly as the soil warms.
• 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 plant shallots and onion sets, just deep enough that the bulb tips are visible above the soil.
• By the end of March, if the weather is warming, plant first early potatoes when the shoots are 2cms long.
• Plant asparagus crowns.
• Prepare trenches for runner beans with well-rotted manure and shredded paper at the base.

Harvesting

• Broccoli, kale and leeks can be harvested now.

Pruning

• Prune blueberries. Promote new fruiting wood by removing up to a third of the old stems at ground level.
• Complete pruning Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses.

Gardening for wildlife

• Convert an empty flower bed into an annual meadow to attract pollinators to your plot.
• Place bundles of hollow-stems horizontally in sheltered areas for to provide places for beneficial insects to lay their eggs.