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April is upon us and there is nowhere to hide in the garden. There is simply not enough space to list all the jobs to be done...so don’t do them. Gardening is meant to be fun not stressful. If you managed to get all the preparation work done in March then you are off to a good start, if not, then now is the time.
Keep the blades high on your lawnmower until the end of the month and then do the first real cut. The lawn can do with a lot of maintenance this month. Scarify the dead thatch with a spring tine rake and aerate compacted soil with a garden fork. Sow bare patches with seed and if you have the time scratch the surface of the soil to loosen it which will allow the seed to get beneath the surface. Perform the first weed and feed using a high nitrogen fertiliser to get the grass greened up and kill off the weeds and moss. If required tidy up the edges with a half-moon cutter and cut the soil so that it slopes back slightly.
Plant lily bulbs in pots, ideally 3 in a 12” container and read up on lily beetle. This is a particularly charming little pest that will ruin the whole show. Picking off the adult beetles is the best approach before they produce grubs which cover themselves in excrement for protection. Divide primroses when they have finished flowering and I just can’t help collecting snow drops seeds when they separate from the stem and spreading them around. Mulch trees and shrubs with well rotted manure, evergreens can be transplanted at this time and apply slow release fertiliser to roses and fruit plants. Prune Forsythia as soon as it has finished flowering and ensure there is no more than three years growth on the main stem laterals. Without pruning, the plant becomes a tangled mass of sub-laterals with little flower...now you know why! Trim heathers so they do not become leggy and deadhead winter pansies to get a bit more out of them. Pots and containers will need watering as the temperatures increase.
On the vegetable patch you may be picking asparagus. Maincrop potatoes need to be planted up and the best place is in grow bags in compost. However, I am old fashioned and put mine in the ground. New potatoes are grown to be boiled or steamed but maincrop can be mashed, chipped, baked etc, so choose a variety that suits your taste. If it’s all too complicated go for the “allotment favourite” which is Cara, probably the best all round potato. Parsnip, cabbage, carrot and radish seed can go into the ground. Prepare the soil so that you have a fine raked tilth. Other seeds can go into pots or modular trays. Do not over water, the compost only needs to be moist, runner beans will rot in wet compost and other seedlings will be prone to fungus and “damp off”. Also watch out for the first hot day which will scorch tender seedlings. Plant out strawberry beds making sure to enrich the soil with plenty of well rotted manure and position cloches.
We are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.
If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk
Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society
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