Things to do in April
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
With spring theoretically well under way (let’s pretend for a moment that a substantial proportion of Britons are not looking out of their window and seeing snow) it’s a busy time in the garden. Obviously the priorities at the moment are going to be keeping the tender plants wrapped up and the greenhouse heated - but here’s a few tips for when the weather improves:
- Apply organic material to revive the soil - you can do this in the form of mulch and deal with the inevitable spring weed crop before it gets a chance to sprout. If it’s too late, get the hoe out (and dispose of the results in a way that stops them reoccupying our garden).
- Love your lawn - give it a feed, if this is the kind of thing you usually do, or take a look at this BBC Gardening guide to creating an organic lawn. Cut it back as soon as the grass is dry enough, neaten up your edges and give it a good going over with the scarifier. Remember that the compost heap loves grass cuttings but doesn’t want to be swamped with them - combine them with kitchen waste or even torn-up cardboard for a better balance.
- Plant any summer-flowering bulbs that you have in mind as soon as the soil is dry enough. Dead-head and tidy up any spring-flowering bulbs that need it - a liquid feed before they die down will boost them for next year, try soaking a little home-made compost in a bucket for a few days and using the resulting liquid for this purpose.
- Take out any winter and spring bedding that is past its prime and start preparing your beds for summer planting. But beware of the frost! Do no more than prepare…
- Take the opportunity to clean up your paths and patios - it’s a chore, we know, but you’ll be very glad in a month or two that you did it now.
- Check your vegetable planting schedule. This is the time of year when many perennials such as asparagus and rhubarb like to go in.
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Tags: April, lawn care, Seasonal to-dos, spring gardening