MT Gardening

As we move towards the end of March and the start of April, take care as it is forecast to be frosty first thing. Any young plants going outside need to be properly hardened off, or more likely brought back in to protect them from any form of damage to young growth. Alternatively, have horticultural fleece to hand and bring planted containers to a wall for additional insulation from the cold. This is even more crucial for veg and fruit growers. If you have early flowering fruit such as cherries and nectarines, their flowers will need protecting from frosts to ensure a good crop later in the year. During the day, the covers must be raised to enable access for pollinators.

The other day I was cleaning and removing weeds, followed by a good depth of well rotted organic matter as a mulch - this year, I have used leaf mould, the latest batch of which I have been developing for around 2 years. Leaf mould, as the name suggests, is composed of leaves from deciduous trees and shrub species. In addition, I have also been adding thin layers of grass clippings to give me to ultimately give me a bulky material which is:

• Open fibrous structure, aesthetically pleasing.

• Variable pH, usually acidic but may be alkaline in some cases.

• Pleasant to handle.

• Low nutrient levels.

• Suitable for improving soil structure and mulching.

Organic mulches give us gardeners the added bonus of:

• Conserving soil moisture by cutting down the amount of water lost by evaporation from the soil surface.

• Suppression of weed growth: Many annual and seedling perennial weeds can be prevented from growing and weed seeds are less likely to germinate if covered with a thick layer of mulch - a depth of around 5cm to 7cm is optimum.

• Even-out the soil temperature fluctuations, helping soil to remain cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

• Protection of soil structure from capping, acting as a physical barrier preventing damage by heavy rain or coarse sprinklers.

Leaf mould is relatively easy to develop. I created a bay using 4 old tree posts creating a large square. Around 3 sides I then stapled chicken wire leaving the front open. I then piled in leaves from autumn and early spring and added any grass clippings. It wasn’t turned or covered - just left to decompose. Using this material rather than general garden composts means I have fairly low numbers of weed seeds germinating once added to beds and borders.

Other suitable materials could be chipped or shredded bark, spent mushroom compost (if you can find it locally), composted straw, composted green waste, green manure waste and as a last resort garden compost.

Lastly, for the rest of March consider looking at the following tasks: If you haven’t started to mow, best get out and take a look at that lawn of yours - I bet the grass has become a little longer over the last week. To avoid any damage to your mower, it is incredibly important to only mow your lawn during dryer spells. This will also encourage grasses to become bushy and thereby create a lush heathy looking sward. It will also help to eliminate unwanted weeds.

• Aim to mow regularly, so you only need to remove a small amount each time - never take off more than one-third of the grass height.

• As a general rule, aim to keep the grass at the following heights: 13–25mm (½–1in) in summer, and up to 40mm (1½in) in spring and autumn for ordinary domestic lawns, and 6–13mm (¼–½in) for fine lawns.

• In addition to mowing, green up your lawn with a suitable high nitrogen based feed. Follow the instructions carefully in terms of rates per m².

• Tidy up alpines as they start to flower, removing dead foliage, then mulch with grit to keep the foliage off damp soil.

• Continue to prune out any wind-damaged branches on trees and shrubs.

Here’s a sneak preview for next month www.rhs.org.uk/advice/inmonth/APRIL.

Happy gardening

For any gardening tips please contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RR or send an email to, tom.cole@capel.ac.uk.