{"id":135,"date":"2016-04-09T09:43:32","date_gmt":"2016-04-09T09:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.growseed.co.uk\/blog\/?p=135"},"modified":"2016-04-09T16:58:43","modified_gmt":"2016-04-09T16:58:43","slug":"what-to-do-in-the-april-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.growseed.co.uk\/blog\/what-to-do-in-the-april-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do In the April Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although you wouldn\u2019t really know it where we live, spring is beginning to settle upon us. The days are longer, the fruit trees are blossoming, and even with all the wind, cold, super late frosts, the earth is beginning to shrug off its long slumber.<\/p>\n

Around the Garden<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep warming up that soil!<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re like us, you\u2019re probably still holding off from planting some crops, as the soil is still not warm enough. We\u2019ve been using plastic to warm up our soil, but it\u2019s still quite ready. Still, if you haven\u2019t been using cloches or plastic and your soil is still too cold for planting, it\u2019s not too late to get on it. Even a week under a cloche or plastic can help dry out the soil and raise its temperature. Also, remember to remove winter mulch from the tops of your beds to allow the sun to directly warm the soil. (And if you haven\u2019t yet bought a soil thermometer, years like this one where the cold lingers should be enough to get you down to your local garden store. Remember, you could be wasting a lot of seed and time planting if you don\u2019t check your soil temperature first!)<\/p>\n

\"warm-up-soil\"<\/p>\n

Protect your crops from wind.<\/h2>\n

Wind for us is becoming more and more of an issue, so much so that we\u2019re now installing windbreaks around crops. Last year we lost all of our beans lost because the wind just kept battering them. This year looks to be the same, so we\u2019re taking time this month to put in a 1m high windbreak.<\/p>\n

\"netting\"<\/p>\n

Keep an eye on slugs.<\/h2>\n

These slimy critters thrive in cold, damp weather and, en masse, can zero out a set of new seedlings in one night.<\/p>\n

\"coffee-deter-pests\"<\/p>\n

Direct Sow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even with our colder than usual temperatures, there\u2019s still plenty of crops that will do well being sown right now\u2014especially root crops and all your leafy greens.<\/p>\n

Outdoors, it’s time to sow<\/p>\n