the month of april in the garden
Now is the time to get planting and sowing outside once the last of the frost is over and the weather is set fair.
Raddish, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, beetroot, asparagus, broad beans, leeks and more can be sown now. Hardy crops can be sown directly outside in a prepared bed, like peas and carrots, but sow more tender veg such as sweetcorn and courgettes under cover. Grow on a windowsill or in a greenhouse until you have some fairly strong seedlings.
Alternatively, a brilliant cost-effective way to start growing veg is to buy small pots or packs of vegetables for the best start.
Remember to mix in Marigold and Nasturtium seeds to keep bugs away from your vegetable plants. Mix vegetables into flower borders too. Alliums, Artichokes, Verbena and Agapanthus look lovely.
Flowers make a garden beautiful and attract wildlife. An organic, sustainable garden has no need for chemicals, Eco-systems co-exist naturally and plants thrive. Perennials can be planted now and existing established plants can be divided to make more.
April is the month to add annual flower seeds also, a perfect way to bring more colour to your garden.
Many annuals self-seed if happy, so will return time and time again. Californian poppies, Nigella and Cornflowers are easy to grow, just scatter seeds wherever you want them to grow.
If you have a bare patch of ground with rubbish soil where grass never grows try sprinkling poppy seeds or a wild flower mix for a mini meadow. Otherwise creeping thyme has a scented purple flowers and makes a lovely lawn alternative.
Lots to do in the garden in April, if you need some help or advice come and talk to me in the Garden Centre.
Melanie