April Notes
Sow parsley - according to tradition this is best done on Good Friday - germination is speeded by soaking seeds overnight in warm water - this is also the day to plant main-crop potatoes - plant deep to reduce earthing up
Sow/plant hardy vegetables & flowers outside - don’t forget pot marigolds & poached egg plants for those aphid-eating hoverflies.
Seed beds will benefit from a soak the day before sowing
In the greenhouse sow tender vegetables such as french & runner beans in deep modules ready to plant out after the risk of frost has passed - also tomatoes, cucumbers etc
Apply pelleted poultry manure to greedy feeders like beetroot, potatoes & larger brassicas
Start mulching if the soil is warm; try newspaper then a layer of leaf mould or compost - elsewhere hoe & weed regularly - ‘catch them young’
Cut the lawn when necessary & continue until autumn - leave mowings on whenever possible - give a seaweed meal feed if required
Check plants regularly for pests & diseases - even when protected with barriers - fleece & mats for brassicas, fleece on early carrots, bottle cloches for lettuces - look for sawfly eggs under leaves in the centre of gooseberry & currant bushes
April can be dry so water plantings if necessary & if a frost threatens be ready with fleece & earth-up potatoes
Plant aquatic plants & remove any early signs of blanket weed
Prune spring flowering shrubs like kerria japonica & flowering currants as soon as flowering is over.
Look out for bird nests when hedge clipping
Pot up dahlia tubers inside greenhouse
Add diluted Marmite to worm bins as this sends them into reproductive frenzy
Thin out seedlings sown previously - transplant - hold seedlings by their leaves to minimize damage to stem and roots
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