April Gardening Tips

Although strange urges do take one at this time of year: accepted practise is that you wait until you can feel the earth radiating heat until you sow seed directly outside. 

Last year I sowed directly outside on 27th March and it was bitterly cold and I had quite a nice crop off my sowings.  So this year I sowed a *little* (ahem! - read whole three ninety foot beds) seed outside in the sunshine while the long tailed tits built a nest in the Common Farm Flowers shed and the second batch of compost tea bubbled happily in the greenhouse.  We’ll see if I’ve been precipitate.  Certainly the larkspur and Bells of Ireland won’t mind a few cold nights to help it germinate. 

I’ve also started the seedling rearrangement waltz - starting to bring trays of babies out to harden off in the shelter of the cold frames by the poly tunnel, making room for more sowings in the warmest of the greenhouses and moving tenderish babies into the cooler greenhouse. 

At this time of year I feel as though I go round and round in circles just rearranging, long before I actually plant anything!