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To do on your plot in May
Weather permitting the soil is warm and everything should be growing well. Unfortunately the weeds are growing well too so you need to keep on top of those. Watch out for a late frost!
Harvest
You may have some salad crops ready. Hardy lettuce and spring onions, fast growing radish may well be available.
Winter cauliflowers, spring cabbage, sprouting broccoli and kale should be ready now.
Sowing, Planting and Cultivating
Cultivation
Weeds are growing. Hoeing them off as small seedlings will make the job far easier than waiting for them to grow with a deeper root system.
The other cultivation job outdoors is to thin out carrots and parsnips.
Sowing
Sow sections of seeds every couple of weeks to give a succession of fresh vegetables rather than a glut. If the weather is dry, it is a good idea to soak your seed drill before sowing and then just water with a fine rose after.
- French Beans
- Runner Beans
- Beetroot
- Broccoli and Calabrese
- Cabbage and Cauliflowers
- Chicory
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Peas
- Turnips and Swedes
- Your salad crops should be sown in succession
- Lettuce and Leaves such as Rocket
- Radishes
- Spring Onions
Sowing under cover
- Sweetcorn
- Courgette
- Marrow
- Pumpkin
These really don’t like starting in the cold and you only grow a relatively few plants so starting off in pots is well worth the investment.
Planting Out
If your plants are large enough, you can plant out now:
- Brussels sprouts
- Summer cabbages
- Celery
- Celeriac
- Leeks.
In the greenhouse
The following are ready for replanting to a growbag or a large pot.
- Aubergine
- Peppers (Chilli and Sweet)
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
Fruit
Be aware of the birds and if possible use a fruit cage or netting to keep the birds away.
Strawberries planted this year will perform better in subsequent years if you remove the flowers so they don’t set fruit in the first year but concentrate on building their strength for next.
Pests
Slugs will be a big issue, and can work through whole rows of seedlings.
Ensure Carrots are covered with a fleece, and edges are buried to stop the carrot root fly from gaining entry to lay eggs by the carrots.
To do on your plot in April
Sowing, Planting and Cultivating
The weeds will now be springing into action, so keep the hoe going.
Things to Sow
- Beetroot
- Peas
- Broad Beans
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Chard
- Kohl Rabi
- Leeks
- Spinach
- Beet spinach
- Rocket
- Lettuce
- Radish
With your carrots, covering with a fleece and ensuring the edges are buried will stop the carrot root fly from gaining entry to lay eggs by your carrots.
Plant Outdoors
Globe and Jerusalem Artichokes
Onion & Shallot Sets
Asparagus.
Easter is also potato planting time.
Sow in Heat (Greenhouse or Windowsill)
- Aubergine
- Celery
- Outdoor Cucumbers
- Tomatoes (if you’ve not already done so).
Sow Outdoors Under Cloche
- French beans
- Lettuce
- Sweetcorn
Fruit
Strawberries can be planted out now, it’s best to remove flowers in the first year as you conserve strength for growth and gain larger crops in subsequent years. An easy way to gain strawberry plants is to plant the runners into pots and when rooted cut the runner. The plants don’t last forever so you need to rotate them ever three to five years.
Hand pollinate peaches and nectarines. Tickle the flowers with a small paint brush to spread the pollen. Cover if a cold spell threatens.
A good layer of compost around the base of fruit trees will ensure they have the nutrition to provide another good crop for you.
Pests
The carrot root fly. Slugs and snails are now coming out and active.