The days are now longer, the weather is starting to pick up, and we’re starting to see warmer temperatures. Spring bulbs bring a range of fabulous colours to borders and pots, and the vegetable garden begins to fill up with new plantings.
There is a lot to do right now to get your garden ready for the summer. Take a look at Fiona’s guide below for more info on what you need to do now in your garden:
Garden Maintenance Jobs to Complete Now
Clean Your Patio
The weather is getting warmer and the sunnier days are upon us. This is perfect for spending time in the garden with your family and friends. Make sure you’re ready for entertaining by cleaning your patio. The best way to do this is by using a stiff broom to get rid of all of the loose dirt and debris and then going over the patio slabs with a pressure washer.
At the same time, it’s a good idea to give your garden furniture a good scrub to remove any accumulated dirt, moss, or spider webs. If you have wooden furniture, you can treat this with wood stain or oil ready for the season ahead.
Cut Your Lawn
By now, you should have completed the first cut of the season but, if you haven’t, now is the time to get that out of the way. The grass will now be growing again, so will need to be cut regularly until the end of the mowing season towards the end of autumn.
Put your mower blades on the highest setting so that you don’t scalp the turf for the first cut. Then, you can gradually lower the blade setting over the coming weeks. If the ground is wet, postpone cutting the grass until it is dry to prevent potential damage to the lawn and mower.
Weeding
You may notice that weeds begin to emerge during this time. It’s best to deal with these as soon as possible before they grow and spread. If possible, remove them by hand and ensure you get rid of all of the roots to prevent them from coming back. If this isn’t possible, you can use a weed-killing product or boiling water to kill off the weeds. Just make sure you don’t get any of the product or boiling water on surrounding plants or grass.
Vegetable Garden Jobs to Complete Now
Plant Potatoes
All types of potatoes can be planted in April, and it’s quite simple. Place the tubers roughly 40cm apart in rows that are roughly 60 – 75cm apart. You’ll need to plant them at about 15 – 25cm in depth. When the shoots emerge, cover them with soil to protect the foliage from frost and to prevent light from reaching the tubers where they grow. Too much light on the tubers during this stage will turn them green.
Cover Up Newly Planted Vegetables
If you have planted any new vegetables, get them off to a great start by covering them with a fleece or cloche. This will help prevent cold winds from affecting the crops and will trap the warm air inside to help the crops with their early growth. If you choose to use a fleece, make sure you choose a heavyweight one, as this will be much less likely to rip. You can hold the cover down by placing large stones or bricks around the edges.
Sow Tender Vegetables
At this time, you should also sow several tender vegetables indoors. This will ensure that they are ready in time for when it’s safe to plant them outdoors. Tomatoes, sweetcorn, courgette, basil, squash, and cucumbers can all be sown indoors now. If you are planning on sowing beans, save these until May for optimum results.
Flower and Plant Jobs to Complete Now
Start Off Your Summer Bedding Plants
Now is a good time to start off your half-hardy annuals, such as marigolds, cosmos, and zinnias. You can start these now from seeds ready for some wonderful, vibrant colours in the summer. Alternatively, you can purchase plug plants and pot them in a suitable compost for raising young plants.
Take Dahlia Cuttings
If you potted up some dahlia tubers previously, these should have now started to grow little shoots. If you haven’t already planted them, you can purchase potted dahlias from a local garden centre or other plant shop. Use a few of these and make basal cuttings to create new plants. You should leave around five shoots on the tuber so that it still makes a good plant for growth in the garden. Remove all of the bottom leaves before placing them in a pot with compost suitable for helping young plants grow.
Plant Sweet Peas
Sweet peas that have been sown this spring or purchased as a potted plant can now be planted in the garden. You should place the sweet peas in a sunny part of the garden and give them a support to help them grow upwards. Tie the plant to the support to being with to help them get on the right track. After several weeks they will attach themselves to the support with their tendrils.
Plant Summer-Flowering Bulbs
You can now plant summer-flowering bulbs. Galtonia and gladioli are some great options for helping to add a little extra colour to your garden this spring.
Stake Perennials
As your perennials begin to grow, put in some stakes to prevent the stems from becoming damaged. You can purchase ready-made plant supports, or you can create your own if you have suitable materials lying around. Keep tying your plants to the stake as they continue to grow.
Tend to Camellias
Now is the time for caring for camellias. Use an ericaceous feed and gently hoe this into the surface of the soil. If you are growing these plants in containers, remove the top few centimetres of compost and replace this with fresh ericaceous compost with controlled-release feed for ericaceous plants.
If there are any weeds surrounding the plant, remove these and cover any bare patches of soil with mulch. Garden compost or well-rotted manure will work best. This will help to conserve the moisture within the soil.
Most varieties of camellias only require a light pruning after flowering in order to keep them in good shape. Overgrown plants can be cut back if required. They will send new shoots up from the base. Cutting them back hard may mean that you’ll miss flowering for a few years. However, they will recover.
Wildlife Garden Jobs to Complete Now
Leave Caterpillars For Birds
Now is a good time to leave caterpillars for birds. Try to avoid taking caterpillars from plants, if possible, as these are an essential food source for nesting birds, such as great tits and blue tits. These birds feed caterpillars to their babies. Also, don’t forget to top up your bird feeders regularly this month.
Empty Your Compost Bin
You should empty your compost bin now, as all of the wildlife that may have been hibernating in there will have emerged by now. However, make sure you check your compost bin carefully before emptying it, just in case. Avoid plunging a fork into the heap in case there are any hedgehogs or frogs sheltering inside.
Sow Cornfield Annuals
If you have any gaps in your borders, fill them by scattering seeds of cornfield annuals such as corn cockle, field poppies, or cornflower. These will grow and flower quickly for an instant burst of vibrant colour while also increasing the availability of nectar and pollen for pollinators.
Feed Hedgehogs
You may start to notice hedgehogs visiting your garden. Leave out some water and meat-based dog or cat food for the hedgehogs. Kitten biscuits are also great for hedgehogs. This will help to fatten up the hedgehogs so that they are in peak condition and ready for their breeding month.
Create a Bee hotel
Bee hotels are perfect for solitary bees such as mason bees. Solitary bees lay individual eggs in cells made in old, hollow plant cells and wood cavities.
Final Thoughts
There are many things that you can do during April to help ensure that your garden thrives. By completing these above jobs, you can make sure that your garden is vibrant as quickly as possible and ready to enjoy as the warmer months roll in.
Be sure to keep on top of garden maintenance over the coming months to ensure your garden is thriving throughout all of spring and summer.