JOBS TO DO IN THE GARDEN IN APRIL
Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of
compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and
warmer in preparation for planting.
Dig out couch grass, ground elder, bindweed and other problem weeds.
In your general beds, dig in a 5cm (or more) layer of compost or well-rotted
manure to prepare for the growing season. You can also work in a general
purpose fertiliser such as pelleted chicken manure or fish, blood and bone.
Apply a layer of mulch around your perennials, trees and shrubs before the hot
weather arrives. Use organic matter such as well rotted manure.
Feed trees, shrubs and hedges with a balanced, slow-release fertiliser by lightly
forking it into the soil surface. Roses are greedy plants and will greatly benefit
from feeding as they come into growth.
Plant your chitted potatoes outside in the ground. Planting times are largely
dependent on weather, soil conditions and regional variations but the table
below is a general guide on when to plant potatoes. Dig a trench to a depth of
about 10cm (4″) and place the seed potatoes into the trench with the rose end
facing upwards. Fill the trench with soil to cover the potatoes. An application
of potato fertiliser can be scattered along the top of the trench if required.
If you already have your carrots growing then you can thin out the seedlings to
achieve good-size carrots – do this in the evening when fewer carrot flies are
around.
Sow seeds of hardy annual flowers directly into beds where you would like
them to bloom.
Attract wildlife to the garden is one of the best ways of combating many pest
and disease problems. Encourage creatures into your plot by providing places
for them to hibernate, live and multiply.
Sow some easy to grow ‘attractant’ plants that will attract and feed beneficial
insects that help control pests. Try pot Marigolds, Candytuft, Coriander,
Chervil, Buckwheat and Phacelia for a start.