Jobs for the Month

  • April 2025

    Vegetables

    • Draw up soil around the base of peas and broad beans to support them and increase the rooting area.
    • Plant early potatoes when chits are 2cms long.
    • Earth up early potatoes when they have made 8” growth.
    • Second early and maincrop potatoes should be sown by the end of the month.
    • Plant out indoor-sown peas
    • Sow broad beans and peas.
    • Make direct successional sowings of beetroot, Swiss chard, lettuce, radish, summer spinach, spring onions, parsnips and turnips.
    • Sow early varieties of carrot when the ground has warmed up.
    • Sow indoors or in polytunnel Brussels sprouts, cabbage, early leeks, cucumbers, courgettes and peppers and sweet corn for later transplanting.
    • Sow indoors or in polytunnel climbing or dwarf beans for later transplanting.
    • Sow indoors or in polytunnel tender vegetables such as runner beans, squash and pumpkins.
    • Finish planting onions and shallots.
    • Plant up new asparagus and globe artichoke beds.
    • Cut asparagus late in the month (if ready!)
    • Sow herbs – oregano, thyme, dill, fennel and parsley from seed.
    • Cover radishes and turnips with horticultural fleece to protect against flea beetle.

    Fruit

    • Harvest rhubarb by pulling a few stalks at a time. Put the leaves on the compost heap.
    • Once leaf buds open, start formative pruning of plum and cherry trees.
    • Use fleece to protect blossom of trees such as pears if frost is forecast.

    General

    Keep ground covered with fleece to warm up prior to planting seeds or transplanting.

    • Remove weeds before they flower to avoid seeding.
    • Keep grass paths manageable by regular cutting.

    Flowers

    • Plant out indoor-sown sweet peas or direct sow outdoors.
    • Sow annuals to attract pollinating insects such as Nigella, marigolds, Cosmos, poppies.

    Gardening for wildlife

    • Keep some wild patches (e.g. rotting wood,  nettles, etc.) around your allotment plot for wildlife to feed on and to hide in
    • Plant a wildflower mix to encourage bees and other pollinating insects
    • Try not to use inorganic fertilisers and pesticides