Below is a selection of gardening jobs for the year. For more advice come along to the store in Station Road allotments any Saturday morning 10-12 noon, March through to October.
MARCH
SOWING:
*After a very wet winter, any soil that is otherwise ready for planting should be regularly raked or forked over to allow it to dry and warm up.
*Sow broad beans (not Aquadulce)
*Sow peppers indoors
*Sow lettuce and early hearting cabbage indoors. Transplant into pots and move into greenhouse (if available) or sheltered area.
*Sow sweet peas in pots.
*Sow tomatoes indoors at end of March.
*Plant onion sets and shallots in a tray of compost to shoot before planting out.
FEEDING:
*Most established plants, shrubs, trees etc. can now be fed with Growmore/Blood Fish and Bone.
*Feed soft fruit bushes with Growmore
*Feed Strawberries very sparingly with Potash.
OTHER:
*Lift and divide herbaceous plants.
*Scrape soil from around large pot plants. Replenish with fresh compost and feed with Bonemeal (a slow acting fertiliser) or blood fish and bone.
*Prune Dogwood almost to ground level.
*Prune Hydrangea to Strong Bud.
*Prune large flowered early summer blooming Clematis to strong bud.
APRIL
Do not rush to sow seeds in the ground; or indoors where plants need to be transplanted out in May. Frost on the last days of May is not unusual. A few years ago a frost on 5th June killed potatoes, runner beans etc. on the Station Road allotments.
SOWING:
*Plant early potatoes in early April, and plant main crop potatoes in late April.
*Sow beetroot in late April.
*Sow Tomatoes indoors early April for planting out in greenhouses or late April/early May if plants can be held indoors and planted outside in June.
*Sow, carrots, parsnips and leeks.
*Continue sowing a few lettuce at two week intervals in pots for transplanting to give a succession.
GENERAL:
*Pick dead flowers with seed pods from daffodils, tulips etc. and allow foliage to die naturally.
MAY
Always be aware of the possibility of late May frosts when planting/sowing tender plants into the garden. Have garden fleece available.
SOWING:
*Sow runner beans mid/late May (make bean canes very secure against later winds).
*Sow courgettes in pots indoors mid May.
*Sow purple sprouting/white sprouting broccoli mid May.
Continue sowing a few lettuce in pots for transplanting for succession.
GENERAL:
*Apply potash to soft fruit bushes and trees.
*Treat lawns with weed/feed/moss killer.
*If weather dry, hoe available ground. The fine top soil helps prevent water evaporation and kills weeds as they dry off in the sun.
JUNE
SOWING:
*There is still time for sowings of Beetroot, Lettuce, Courgette and Dwarf (French) Beans for succession crops. NOTE: Lettuce seed does not germinate well when temperatures are above 70ºf. Sow several small pots with 2 or 3 seeds in each and place in the coolest spot in the garden – north wall of the house perhaps. Thin to one seedling after germination.
Continue hoeing to kill weeds and produce a fine dry tilth to help prevent evaporation of soil.
PRUNING:
*Spring flowering shrubs such as Weigela, Spirea, Kerria (Sailors Button) should be pruned after flowers have died. Cut back stems which have flowered to a strong shoot of this year’s growth and which will bear flowers next year.
*After the severe winter we can now see new growth on evergreens. Cut back any frost damaged wood to these new growths.
FRUIT:
*Spray Apples with Bug Clear to control Codling Moth (the grubs of this moth produce the maggoty core and brown exit hole in the skin). Spray mid June and three weeks later. For those who do not like spraying, Pheromone traps can be bought at Garden Centres. These emit a scent which convinces the male moth that the trap is full of females. He cannot resist and comes to a sticky end. Aaaah.
*Keep a close watch on Gooseberries for Sawfly damage. The caterpillars of this fly eat into the leaves from the edges. A severe infestation can defoliate a complete bush, spray with Bug Clear. For those who do not like spraying, a pair of rubber gloves is 100% effective on each caterpillar.
WINTER
*Top up bird baths with fresh water daily and melt ice with warm water on frosty days.
*Finish clearing fallen leaves
*Turn off the mains water supply to outside taps and wrap with insulation to prevent freezing
*Water pots of spring bulbs
*Give pots/seed trays a thorough scrubbing ready for the start of the sowing season
*Sow onion seed under cover, and keep warm until germinated
*Check overwintering plants for signs of greenfly/other pests, and treat if necessary
*Bring potted strawberries under cover
*Dig up clumps of rhubarb to force into growth in darkness under large pots or bins
*Water plants sparingly taking care not to splash water around
*Wash glazing inside and out to let in the maximum amount of light
*Insulate greenhouses by fixing bubble polythene to the glazing bars
*Keep harvesting root vegetables as they mature, including parsnips and leeks
*Stretch netting over brassicas to protect them from pigeons
*Cover clumps of rhubarb with buckets or terracotta pots to force early stems
*Prune red and white currants, shortening side shoots to a single bud
*Pot up strawberries to grow under cover for an early crop
*Check fruit and vegetables in store, removing any showing signs of deterioration
*Pick off yellowing leaves from the stems of Brussels sprouts and keep harvesting early varieties
*Cut down canes of autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil level
*Clear borders and rake up leaves before bulbs start poking through
*Dig over gaps in the borders, taking time to pick out roots of perennial weeds
*Spread a layer of compost around shrubs and along the base of hedges
*Plant new roses and shrubs
*Thin out the top growth on standard roses to prevent damage from weather/wind rock
*Be ready to knock snow from shrubs bending under the weight
*Collect and sow seed from garden shrubs and trees with berries
Please remember to recycle your Christmas tree by using the local council's shredding service.
The RHS also has a very useful advice section - see https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice
MARCH
SOWING:
*After a very wet winter, any soil that is otherwise ready for planting should be regularly raked or forked over to allow it to dry and warm up.
*Sow broad beans (not Aquadulce)
*Sow peppers indoors
*Sow lettuce and early hearting cabbage indoors. Transplant into pots and move into greenhouse (if available) or sheltered area.
*Sow sweet peas in pots.
*Sow tomatoes indoors at end of March.
*Plant onion sets and shallots in a tray of compost to shoot before planting out.
FEEDING:
*Most established plants, shrubs, trees etc. can now be fed with Growmore/Blood Fish and Bone.
*Feed soft fruit bushes with Growmore
*Feed Strawberries very sparingly with Potash.
OTHER:
*Lift and divide herbaceous plants.
*Scrape soil from around large pot plants. Replenish with fresh compost and feed with Bonemeal (a slow acting fertiliser) or blood fish and bone.
*Prune Dogwood almost to ground level.
*Prune Hydrangea to Strong Bud.
*Prune large flowered early summer blooming Clematis to strong bud.
APRIL
Do not rush to sow seeds in the ground; or indoors where plants need to be transplanted out in May. Frost on the last days of May is not unusual. A few years ago a frost on 5th June killed potatoes, runner beans etc. on the Station Road allotments.
SOWING:
*Plant early potatoes in early April, and plant main crop potatoes in late April.
*Sow beetroot in late April.
*Sow Tomatoes indoors early April for planting out in greenhouses or late April/early May if plants can be held indoors and planted outside in June.
*Sow, carrots, parsnips and leeks.
*Continue sowing a few lettuce at two week intervals in pots for transplanting to give a succession.
GENERAL:
*Pick dead flowers with seed pods from daffodils, tulips etc. and allow foliage to die naturally.
MAY
Always be aware of the possibility of late May frosts when planting/sowing tender plants into the garden. Have garden fleece available.
SOWING:
*Sow runner beans mid/late May (make bean canes very secure against later winds).
*Sow courgettes in pots indoors mid May.
*Sow purple sprouting/white sprouting broccoli mid May.
Continue sowing a few lettuce in pots for transplanting for succession.
GENERAL:
*Apply potash to soft fruit bushes and trees.
*Treat lawns with weed/feed/moss killer.
*If weather dry, hoe available ground. The fine top soil helps prevent water evaporation and kills weeds as they dry off in the sun.
JUNE
SOWING:
*There is still time for sowings of Beetroot, Lettuce, Courgette and Dwarf (French) Beans for succession crops. NOTE: Lettuce seed does not germinate well when temperatures are above 70ºf. Sow several small pots with 2 or 3 seeds in each and place in the coolest spot in the garden – north wall of the house perhaps. Thin to one seedling after germination.
Continue hoeing to kill weeds and produce a fine dry tilth to help prevent evaporation of soil.
PRUNING:
*Spring flowering shrubs such as Weigela, Spirea, Kerria (Sailors Button) should be pruned after flowers have died. Cut back stems which have flowered to a strong shoot of this year’s growth and which will bear flowers next year.
*After the severe winter we can now see new growth on evergreens. Cut back any frost damaged wood to these new growths.
FRUIT:
*Spray Apples with Bug Clear to control Codling Moth (the grubs of this moth produce the maggoty core and brown exit hole in the skin). Spray mid June and three weeks later. For those who do not like spraying, Pheromone traps can be bought at Garden Centres. These emit a scent which convinces the male moth that the trap is full of females. He cannot resist and comes to a sticky end. Aaaah.
*Keep a close watch on Gooseberries for Sawfly damage. The caterpillars of this fly eat into the leaves from the edges. A severe infestation can defoliate a complete bush, spray with Bug Clear. For those who do not like spraying, a pair of rubber gloves is 100% effective on each caterpillar.
WINTER
*Top up bird baths with fresh water daily and melt ice with warm water on frosty days.
*Finish clearing fallen leaves
*Turn off the mains water supply to outside taps and wrap with insulation to prevent freezing
*Water pots of spring bulbs
*Give pots/seed trays a thorough scrubbing ready for the start of the sowing season
*Sow onion seed under cover, and keep warm until germinated
*Check overwintering plants for signs of greenfly/other pests, and treat if necessary
*Bring potted strawberries under cover
*Dig up clumps of rhubarb to force into growth in darkness under large pots or bins
*Water plants sparingly taking care not to splash water around
*Wash glazing inside and out to let in the maximum amount of light
*Insulate greenhouses by fixing bubble polythene to the glazing bars
*Keep harvesting root vegetables as they mature, including parsnips and leeks
*Stretch netting over brassicas to protect them from pigeons
*Cover clumps of rhubarb with buckets or terracotta pots to force early stems
*Prune red and white currants, shortening side shoots to a single bud
*Pot up strawberries to grow under cover for an early crop
*Check fruit and vegetables in store, removing any showing signs of deterioration
*Pick off yellowing leaves from the stems of Brussels sprouts and keep harvesting early varieties
*Cut down canes of autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil level
*Clear borders and rake up leaves before bulbs start poking through
*Dig over gaps in the borders, taking time to pick out roots of perennial weeds
*Spread a layer of compost around shrubs and along the base of hedges
*Plant new roses and shrubs
*Thin out the top growth on standard roses to prevent damage from weather/wind rock
*Be ready to knock snow from shrubs bending under the weight
*Collect and sow seed from garden shrubs and trees with berries
Please remember to recycle your Christmas tree by using the local council's shredding service.
The RHS also has a very useful advice section - see https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice
