WAHGA Jobs for April

The spring bulbs continue to look fabulous, the fruit tree blossom has been putting on a good show - fingers crossed for a bumper fruit harvest again this year.  Now is the time for seed sowing and planting.   Make the most of any dry spells and be ready to protect any young  seedlings, and wait to plant out your runner beans and courgettes! 

Remember the WAHGA Seed, Seedling and Plant Swap / Giveaway on Saturday 25th April 10:00 - noon.   A great opportunity to share information over a cuppa and piece of cake!

PREPARATION

• Remove any perennial weeds by digging out the roots.  Hoe any annual weeds before they set to seed.  

• Layer on plenty of organic matter to enrich the soil, improve the water holding properties and increase aeration.  

• Create seed beeds now, raking to a level, even surface. This ensures that water settles evenly and that seeds don’t wash away or dry out.

SOWING AND PLANTING

• Early and Second early potatoes can be planted now, the main crop should be planted by the end of April.  ‘Earth up’ any emerging shoots with soil if a frost is forecast.   Potatoes can also be grown very successfully in containers.  

• Plant onion/shallot sets & garlic bulbs; choose a sunny site with good drainage so that they don’t get drowned in the rain.

• Plant asparagus crowns in prepared beds.  You’ll be able to harvest in 2 years, well worth the wait! 

• Soft fruit plants such as raspberry canes, currant bushes and gooseberries can still be planted now for a crop this year. 

  
  

Direct sow outside

• Carrots, radish, spring onions, beetroots, turnips - sow successionally to allow harvesting of young crops through the season.  

• Carrots need protection from carrot fly, use horticultural fleece to cover the crop.  Alternatively grow them in a tall container filled with sieved soil as carrot flies will not be able to reach the plants.  

• Parsnips can be sown now, though they can be slow to germinate, it’s best to warm the soil first by covering with a black compost bag or similar, or just to wait a couple more weeks.  Allow 3-4 weeks before you give up and sow a second time.  Use fresh seed every year, unlike many other seeds, they do not store well.  

• Sow maincrop peas and make the last sowing of summer broad beans. 

• Towards the middle of the month start sowing, every two weeks, mange tout, lettuce and other salad leaves. 

• If a heavy frost is forecast cover your seedlings if you can.

  
  

Sow Indoors/undercover 

Most crops that you’ll be planting out in May can be sown now indoors. Some that do well on the allotment are:

• Sweetcorn

• Courgette

• Squash/pumpkin

• Tender beans such as runner and French

• Barlotti beans

• Peas, mange tout

• Chard 

• Tomatoes 

• Aubergine

• Pepper

They can all be sown now under cover and kept in either a greenhouse or sunny windowsill before planting out in May, when risk of frost is over.  If you don’t have all round light, make sure you turn the seed trays regularly so they grow upright.  

Unless you have space and time, only transplant and pot on the strongest seedlings.  This can be done when two true leaves have formed.   Hold seedlings gently by a leaf and pot on/transplant straight away. 

Sowing herbs, flowering annuals and herbaceous perennials can also save money.  The easiest are also rewarding, such as sweet peas, cosmos and poppies.  You can just scatter poppy seeds in the garden - they really are as simple to grow as that.

HARVEST

You may be lucky to still have some broccoli, kale and chard, but the plant of the month is rhubarb!  Pull (don’t cut) the ripe stalks, compost the leaves.  Don't forget to cut any flower stalks off as rhubarb flowers rob the plant of energy and you’ll get a poorer crop.   

Asparagus is already coming. Make sure you cut the early spears to encourage more to grow and to stop the overwintering asparagus beetle from laying eggs.  The fewer larvae to eat the spears the better!

MANAGE PESTS AND DISEASES

• Protect any early strawberries from birds with netting that is wide enough to allow pollinators in. 

• Check broad beans for the first broods of aphids; prick out the tips of tall plants as the aphid hatchlings can only eat new growth.  But look out for ladybirds as they are coming out of hibernation and laying broods of hungry aphid ‘eating’ larvae.    Don’t be tempted to use insecticides as this will kill beneficial insects and bugs as well.  Aphids are also the perfect food for many bird hatchlings so encourage nesting birds with bird boxes and safe nesting spots.

• Get rid of slug hidey-holes with a good tidy up of “stuff” - pots, old compost bags. This helps to limit numbers as they have nowhere to hide.  Try a beer trap, and another option is using nematodes - have a look on-line.  Nematodes work particularly well in an enclosed  garden.  There are some beneficial slugs, such as the leopard slug, which only eat dead matter, these are essential in nature for helping the composting process. 

WILDLIFE

• Hedgehogs are coming out of hibernation and will be on the hunt for nutritious food to put back the body weight lost over winter.  They may still be sleeping in your compost heap so take care when moving any compost or piles of leaves.   They will still go back to the hibernating spot on colder days and at night.   They can eat tinned cat food and kitten pellets but don’t leave milk as they are lactose intolerant, so just leave a shallow dish of water.  If you do leave food, just a small amount and ideally in a location where other animals, like foxes, can’t reach it.

• We are well into nesting season so watch out for activity in trees and hedges near you and don’t disturb.   If you are cutting hedges and trees please remember that it’s illegal to cut anything down where there is evidence of a bird nesting, or nesting activity - and that includes pigeons!

• Wildlife Aid is a charity in Leatherhead which provides a rescue and treatment service for wildlife.  They will give advice on any wildlife in distress, so do seek their help if needed.  Their number is 01372 360404 and website https://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/

• Leave water dishes out for the bees and the birds, any bird baths should be cleaned regularly to avoid the spread of disease. 

• Recent RSPB advice is to stop feeding birds in May to prevent the spread of disease.  They no longer recommend flat bird feeders.  Minimal feeding of suet balls and meal worms is ok.   

• Sow a few wild flowers in a section on your plot or garden to encourage pollinators. Try planting asters, camomile, marigolds, oregano, sage, sunflowers, thyme, yarrow and zinnias. The entire Compositae or “daisy” family will attract a number of beneficials including ladybirds.

IN THE GARDEN

• If you haven’t done so, find a dry day to do the first cut of your lawn, on a high cut.    Feed the lawn, and sow bare patches with seed.  

• Beds and borders will benefit from a feed, any slow-release multi-purpose feed will do.  And mulching now will help suppress weeds and retain moisture later in the year.

• Cut back any herbaceous plants - you should see new growth coming through, and ornamental grasses.   It’s also the perfect time to divide herbaceous plants, giving spares away to friends.  If you don’t divide the herbaceous plants they eventually spread out from their original spot dying from the middle.  It’s the last chance to prune hydrangea.

  
  

COMPOSTING

Compost all green matter, add foliage, leaves and annual weeds to your compost pile, turn the pile to help activate it by adding air, and make sure it doesn’t dry out.  Freshly mown grass is a great way to heat up a compost heap.  Use in layers between drier, woodier matter.   Harvest your compost, check your heap and you might be surprised what you can use, watching out for hedgehogs, slow worms and hibernating insects as you go!