April
Growing your own Keep frost off early blossom
Drape fleece over flowering fruit trees, such as plums and apples, in the early evening if frost is forecast. Use wire ties or clothes pegs to hold it in place, attaching them to sturdy stems that won’t be crushed. Small or trained trees, such as fans, cordons and espaliers, can usually be covered completely, but taller trees are more tricky to protect. You may only be able to wrap the lower branches. If any soft fruit bushes, such as currants and gooseberries, come into flower this month, protect these from frost too. You can remove the fleece the following morning, once the temperature has risen above freezing. This gives flying insects access to the flowers to pollinate them. Frost can be deadly to delicate blossom, damaging the anthers and stamens, meaning that pollination can’t take place. The flowers may then fall and won’t set fruit.
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Position supports for herbaceous perennials to grow into so they won’t flop
Mulch fruit bushes Spread mulch around fruit trees and bushes. It will deter weeds from germinating, hold moisture in the soil and improve soil structure. First remove any weeds, then soak the soil with plenty of water. A thick layer of well-rotted manure is ideal. Alternatively, sprinkle general fertiliser over the soil then mulch with less nutritious garden compost or leafmould.
Check fruit cages and netting for holes that could allow pests in Give the lawn a boost with a high-nitrogen spring feed
QUICK & EASY
Sow courgettes
Prune out any frost-damaged shoots from your flowering shrubs.
Use sheets of newspaper to protect seedlings in greenhouses from scorching on sunny days
Courgettes dislike root disturbance, so sow just one seed per pot to avoid having to thin out the seedlings later. Seeds should germinate in a week or so.
Keep potting on seedlings to prevent a check in their growth
Give your containerised fruit trees a boost – scrape away and discard the top layer of compost, then replace this with fresh compost mixed with fertiliser. Water in well.
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Plant out autumn-sown hardy annuals
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Lift and divide perennials – use the new plants to fill gaps in borders or share them with friends
Sow seeds singly into 9cm pots, pushing them 2cm deep. Position them edge side down – if sown flat they are more likely to rot. After watering, place them in a heated propagator at 18°-25°C until shoots appear. Then move them into the more open environment of a warm greenhouse, until ready to plant out in early summer.
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AND DON’T FORGET TO...
Feed shrubs and hedges with bonemeal
Harvest rhubarb
Protect your brassicas Place collars around the stems of newly planted brassicas to keep cabbage root fly at bay. This prevents the female flies laying their eggs close to the base of young plants. Use purpose-made collars or make your own out of cardboard or thick weed-suppressing membrane. Make the disc-shaped collars at least 8cm in diameter.
gardenersworld.com • Gardening Planner
There’s a knack to picking rhubarb without leaving stubs of snapped stems. Pick from the outside of the clump, holding the stem low down, and twist it firmly away from the plant. You can continue to pick through the season but stems are most tender in spring. Leave some stems to give the plant energy, but remove the toughest old stems to keep new growth coming. Mulch around the plant with well-rotted manure to encourage leaf growth. Cut off emerging flower stems and apply a nitrogen-rich liquid feed to discourage any more.
Tie new shoots of climbers, such as honeysuckle and clematis, to their supports Plant potatoes in bags on the patio if you run out of space on the veg plot Water pots regularly as they can dry out quickly Mow the lawn every two weeks Keep greenhouses well ventilated on mild days
Gardening Planner • gardenersworld.com
