April:

Be careful through April. there's still the potential for some chilly nights, heavy rain and strong winds, as well as lots of lovely sunshine. It's easy to get carried away and plant things out a little too early. We've certainly had a lot of rain recently, and just as the flooding on some of our plots is drying out, we have another few days of heavy rain.

Sow direct
Broad beans, carrots, radishes, beetroot, lettuces, spinach, parsnips, peas, turnips, Swiss chard and kale.

Prune
Stone fruit such as plums, cherries apricots and peaches can be pruned once flowers and leaves start to appear. Avoid pruning them when they are dormant.

Harvest Asparagus - cut through the stems just below the surface when they're about 12cm. Purple sprouting broccoli and rhubarb are all ready this month.

Earth up
Potatoes as emerging stems appear. Pulling the soil around the stems prevents tubers near the surface turning green and gives them more room to develop tubers.

Pests
Hang pheromone traps on apple and pear trees to protect them from Codling moth damage.

Force
Strawberries can be forced with a cloche for earlier fruiting plants.

Mulch
Mulch around fruit trees to keep the weeds down and retain moisture through the summer.

Check compost bins
Turn compost to let air in after all the rain and cold over winter. Be careful to check for wildlife such as hibernating hedgehogs, frogs, slow worms etc.

In the greenhouse or polytunnel

Sow indoors
Melons, cucumber, sweetcorn, fennel, courgettes, endives, runner beans, French beans, broad beans, Brussels sprouts; kale, cauliflower, cabbages, tomatoes, squash.

Ventilate
Make sure you ventilate your greenhouse to moderate the differences between day and night time temperatures. It will help reduce fungal disease that may impact your tender seedlings.

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