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What to do in the Garden – First week of April

The Flower Garden

  • Fill gaps in flower beds with primulas and polyanthus
  • Prune forsythia and flowering currants as soon as flowers have faded
  • Leave daffodil foliage intact for at least six weeks after flowering to regenerate bulbs, so they’ll bloom again next year
  • Plant out groups of gladioli in borders
  • Sow sweet peas directly outside at the base of obelisks or supports

The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

  • Sow seeds of dwarf and climbing beans in deep pots or cardboard toilet roll tubes filled with compost
  • Plant new asparagus beds
  • Continue planting potatoes, shallots and onion sets
  • Feed spring cabbage with a high-nitrogen fertiliser
  • Remove forcing jars from rhubarb plants and let them grow uncovered
  • Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas and mangetout, lettuce and Swiss chard

In The Greenhouse

  • Protect pots of seedlings from the cold by making mini-cloches from empty plastic bottles
  • Prick out seedlings once they have developed their first true leaves
  • Open doors and greenhouse vents on warm days to improve ventilation
  • Sow herbs into pots or trays, including basil, chives, parsley, fennel and coriander
  • Plant up pots with the summer-flowering bulbs tiger flower (Tigridia), gloriosa and eucomis
  • Start feeding houseplants weekly with a liquid feed
  • Pinch out shoot tips on fuchsias to encourage bushier plants
  • Pot up canna tubers in multi-purpose compost in a warm greenhouse

Generally

  • Spread a compost mulch around border plants to suppress weeds*
  • Put pond pumps and fountains back into pools, thoroughly cleaning filters first
  • Lay turf or sow new lawns from seed*
  • Clean out bird baths and top up with fresh water
  • Check tree ties are not too tight or cutting into bark, and loosen if necessary
  • Cut back any overgrown ivy

*Do remember that all these jobs depend on the weather and I would perhaps delay the sowing of lawns untill it is a bit warmer! Also don’t mulch on frozen ground!

Don’t for get to tune in every week to www.phoenixfm.com on a Sunday 10am till noon for all your gardening questions answered!

 

What to do in the Garden – First week of April

The Flower Garden

  • Fill gaps in flower beds with primulas and polyanthus
  • Prune forsythia and flowering currants as soon as flowers have faded
  • Leave daffodil foliage intact for at least six weeks after flowering to regenerate bulbs, so they’ll bloom again next year
  • Plant out groups of gladioli in borders
  • Sow sweet peas directly outside at the base of obelisks or supports

The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

  • Sow seeds of dwarf and climbing beans in deep pots or cardboard toilet roll tubes filled with compost
  • Plant new asparagus beds
  • Continue planting potatoes, shallots and onion sets
  • Feed spring cabbage with a high-nitrogen fertiliser
  • Remove forcing jars from rhubarb plants and let them grow uncovered
  • Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas and mangetout, lettuce and Swiss chard

In The Greenhouse

  • Protect pots of seedlings from the cold by making mini-cloches from empty plastic bottles
  • Prick out seedlings once they have developed their first true leaves
  • Open doors and greenhouse vents on warm days to improve ventilation
  • Sow herbs into pots or trays, including basil, chives, parsley, fennel and coriander
  • Plant up pots with the summer-flowering bulbs tiger flower (Tigridia), gloriosa and eucomis
  • Start feeding houseplants weekly with a liquid feed
  • Pinch out shoot tips on fuchsias to encourage bushier plants
  • Pot up canna tubers in multi-purpose compost in a warm greenhouse

Generally

  • Spread a compost mulch around border plants to suppress weeds*
  • Put pond pumps and fountains back into pools, thoroughly cleaning filters first
  • Lay turf or sow new lawns from seed*
  • Clean out bird baths and top up with fresh water
  • Check tree ties are not too tight or cutting into bark, and loosen if necessary
  • Cut back any overgrown ivy

*Do remember that all these jobs depend on the weather and I would perhaps delay the sowing of lawns untill it is a bit warmer! Also don’t mulch on frozen ground!

Don’t for get to tune in every week to www.phoenixfm.com on a Sunday 10am till noon for all your gardening questions answered!

 

What to do in the Garden – First week of April

The Flower Garden

  • Fill gaps in flower beds with primulas and polyanthus
  • Prune forsythia and flowering currants as soon as flowers have faded
  • Leave daffodil foliage intact for at least six weeks after flowering to regenerate bulbs, so they’ll bloom again next year
  • Plant out groups of gladioli in borders
  • Sow sweet peas directly outside at the base of obelisks or supports

The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

  • Sow seeds of dwarf and climbing beans in deep pots or cardboard toilet roll tubes filled with compost
  • Plant new asparagus beds
  • Continue planting potatoes, shallots and onion sets
  • Feed spring cabbage with a high-nitrogen fertiliser
  • Remove forcing jars from rhubarb plants and let them grow uncovered
  • Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas and mangetout, lettuce and Swiss chard

In The Greenhouse

  • Protect pots of seedlings from the cold by making mini-cloches from empty plastic bottles
  • Prick out seedlings once they have developed their first true leaves
  • Open doors and greenhouse vents on warm days to improve ventilation
  • Sow herbs into pots or trays, including basil, chives, parsley, fennel and coriander
  • Plant up pots with the summer-flowering bulbs tiger flower (Tigridia), gloriosa and eucomis
  • Start feeding houseplants weekly with a liquid feed
  • Pinch out shoot tips on fuchsias to encourage bushier plants
  • Pot up canna tubers in multi-purpose compost in a warm greenhouse

Generally

  • Spread a compost mulch around border plants to suppress weeds*
  • Put pond pumps and fountains back into pools, thoroughly cleaning filters first
  • Lay turf or sow new lawns from seed*
  • Clean out bird baths and top up with fresh water
  • Check tree ties are not too tight or cutting into bark, and loosen if necessary
  • Cut back any overgrown ivy

*Do remember that all these jobs depend on the weather and I would perhaps delay the sowing of lawns untill it is a bit warmer! Also don’t mulch on frozen ground!

Don’t for get to tune in every week to www.phoenixfm.com on a Sunday 10am till noon for all your gardening questions answered!

 

What to do in the Garden – First week of April

The Flower Garden

  • Fill gaps in flower beds with primulas and polyanthus
  • Prune forsythia and flowering currants as soon as flowers have faded
  • Leave daffodil foliage intact for at least six weeks after flowering to regenerate bulbs, so they’ll bloom again next year
  • Plant out groups of gladioli in borders
  • Sow sweet peas directly outside at the base of obelisks or supports

The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

  • Sow seeds of dwarf and climbing beans in deep pots or cardboard toilet roll tubes filled with compost
  • Plant new asparagus beds
  • Continue planting potatoes, shallots and onion sets
  • Feed spring cabbage with a high-nitrogen fertiliser
  • Remove forcing jars from rhubarb plants and let them grow uncovered
  • Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas and mangetout, lettuce and Swiss chard

In The Greenhouse

  • Protect pots of seedlings from the cold by making mini-cloches from empty plastic bottles
  • Prick out seedlings once they have developed their first true leaves
  • Open doors and greenhouse vents on warm days to improve ventilation
  • Sow herbs into pots or trays, including basil, chives, parsley, fennel and coriander
  • Plant up pots with the summer-flowering bulbs tiger flower (Tigridia), gloriosa and eucomis
  • Start feeding houseplants weekly with a liquid feed
  • Pinch out shoot tips on fuchsias to encourage bushier plants
  • Pot up canna tubers in multi-purpose compost in a warm greenhouse

Generally

  • Spread a compost mulch around border plants to suppress weeds*
  • Put pond pumps and fountains back into pools, thoroughly cleaning filters first
  • Lay turf or sow new lawns from seed*
  • Clean out bird baths and top up with fresh water
  • Check tree ties are not too tight or cutting into bark, and loosen if necessary
  • Cut back any overgrown ivy

*Do remember that all these jobs depend on the weather and I would perhaps delay the sowing of lawns untill it is a bit warmer! Also don’t mulch on frozen ground!

Don’t for get to tune in every week to www.phoenixfm.com on a Sunday 10am till noon for all your gardening questions answered!

 

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