Courtesy of the RHS, here are a few things that we should be getting on with this month. There is always something to be done in the garden!
Fruit
- Liquid feed fruit trees in pots with a balanced feed every fortnight.
- Where possible, protect plum and pear flowers from frost but allow insects access for pollination.
- Damp down or mist citrus plants regularly when flowering begins. Maintain a min temperature of 14°C (57°F).
- Deblossom strawberries planted after September in their first year to help establishment.
- Pick forced strawberries under heated glass.
- Ventilate strawberries under cloches and mulch with straw or mats.
- Avoid using insecticides on crops in flower.
Vegetables
- Support pea plants with sticks, twigs, green support mesh, or wire netting.
- Thin out rows of seedlings as soon as they are large enough to be handled.
- Protect early outdoor sowings with fleece and polythene.
- Continue to force witloof chicory and seakale.
- Dig up selected chicory roots, pot them up, and position them in a dark warm place (10-13°C; 50-55°F), with an upturned pot over them.
- Prepare runner bean supports for sowing (in May) or planting out (in June).
Flowers & Shrubs
- Keep weeds under control
- Tie in climbing and rambling roses
- Sow hardy annuals, herbs and wild flower seed outdoors
- Increase the water given to houseplants
- Feed hungry shrubs and roses
- Sow new lawns or repair bare patches
- Divide bamboos and waterlilies