April Gardening Hints

Where is the warmer weather? This season everything is a couple of weeks behind owing to the continuing cold weather. Don’t be tempted to sow your seeds too early because the ground is still very cold, wait for a few warm days and the ground to warm up a touch. Or use polythene cloches to speed up the warming.

Now is an excellent time to chit your potatoes ready for planting.

If you have a greenhouse, bright shed or windowsill, you can sow courgettes, marrows, cucumbers, French beans, melons, peas, peppers, runner beans, sweet corn and tomatoes.

Now is also a good time to start weeding and feeding the lawn after the first cut. Raise your blades on the mower so the first cut is not too short, then gradually lower them over the next 2 or 3 cuts.

Winter pansies should now start to flower, again give them a feed to encourage a really good show until the end of May.
The large DIY stores will now start selling tender bedding plants, such as Geraniums and Impatiens (Bizzie Lizzies). Please do not be tempted to plant these outside, they will be killed by the cold. These types of plants should never be planted outside until mid-late May at the earliest.

Take a drink of your choice and get out in the garden and just marvel at the nature beginning to burst into life, daffodils, crocus, new buds and shoots will be appearing all over the garden, dream of warmer days and smile, it makes you feel better! Honest!