Slowly, slowly, the season begins to get into gear as you set about tidying borders and sowing the first seeds ready for the coming year. Here’s your list of jobs in the garden this month:
General tasks:
- Get new borders ready for planting during any sunny, dry spells, clearing away turf and weeds and adding lots of organic soil improver.
- Give paths and patios a good clean hosing off winter detritus and scrubbing away algae and dirt to leave them sparkling clean ready for warmer weather to come.
Ornamental gardens
- Trim back deciduous grasses removing dead leaves and old flowerheads to expose the fresh new green shoots.
- Pinch out sweet pea seedlings once they reach about 10cm tall, removing just the growing tips to encourage bushy growth and more flowers.
- Fill containers with summer-flowering bulbs like lilies, alliums and Galtonia candicans for spectacular displays later this year.
Kitchen garden:
- Plant shallot sets into well-prepared soil, sinking them into the ground so just their noses are showing.
- Put cloches in place over the soil before sowing to warm the soil and help seeds germinate faster.
- Sprinkle slow-release fertiliser around fruit bushes and other established perennial veg like globe artichokes.