Kitchen Garden Magazine

Grow your own fruit and veg with the UK's No. 1 Kitchen Garden magazine

Jobs for April

April is potentially the busiest month of the year in the kitchen garden; new sowings need to be made on a regular basis and it is important to be as organised as possible so as not to forget to sow or plant any of your favourites. But make sure that you don’t get carried away with all the work and forget the main purpose of growing your own – to have fun and enjoy it!

 

Fruit in brief

n Most types of fruit trees, bushes and vines should be growing actively by now. Look out for pests and control them as soon as you see them.
n Feed and then mulch around the base of all fruit trees and bushes if you haven’t already done so. Sulphate of potash or a general feed such as chicken manure pellets, Growmore or rose food are all suitable. Follow this with a thick layer of well-rotted compost or manure.
n Frosts are still very much in evidence this month and are responsible for more losses of fruit than anything else. Potted trees and bushes can simply be moved into the shelter of a cold greenhouse or polytunnel. Where practical, fruit such as peaches growing outdoors should be covered with fleece or similar during the night, uncovering during the day to encourage pollination.
n Prune young fan and bush-trained stone fruits such as plums, gages and cherries this month. This involves cutting back the leading shoots by about a third while also removing any dead or diseased growth that has appeared during the winter.

TOP TIPS

• Label your rows clearly with the name of the crop and date on which it was sown immediately after covering. Protect fresh sowings with wire mesh to keep birds and digging cats at bay and scatter a little of your preferred slug control around the bed. Alternatively install slug traps to protect vulnerable crops.

• Harvest parsnips as soon as possible before they begin to make new growth.

• Before sowing or planting any crop direct into the plot, sprinkle a little general fertiliser such as pelleted chicken manure, Growmore or Chase Animal Free Fertiliser (Organic Gardening Catalogue; tel: 0845 130 1304) at the rate of 28-56g (1-2oz) per sq m, 10-14 days prior to sowing.

Pop in potatoes

The time for planting potatoes in most areas of the UK is now. Early varieties could be planted from mid to late March in favoured districts, but by the beginning of April, soil conditions permitting, planting can begin in earnest.
Early varieties such as ‘Arran Pilot’, ‘Winston’ and ‘Pentland Javelin’ planted now should be ready for harvest in June or July. Plant 30cm (12in) apart in rows 60cm (24in) apart choosing a sunny, well-drained site, preferably one which was manured the previous autumn. A little manure or fresh grass clippings can be added to the base of the trench to feed the plants, retain moisture and encourage an acidic environment which can combat potato scab disease. A little potato fertiliser can also be added to the soil and raked in prior to planting.

If you have been chitting (sprouting) your early tubers, be careful not to damage the young shoots as you plant. Some gardeners limit the number of shoots each tuber is allowed to produce, snapping off all but the best three or four, however, this is unnecessary unless exhibiting.
Many find it more convenient, especially where growing on raised beds, to plant the tubers into holes rather than trenches and this is perfectly OK.
As the young shoots grow they should be covered with a little soil. This simply involves drawing the surrounding soil around the shoots to protect them from frost. This treatment continues as the shoots grow – except that once the shoots are well and truly through the soil, the earth is just drawn around the stems to encourage the formation of tubers up the stem. Have some fleece handy to provide additional protection on cold nights.
Second early crops can be planted from early to mid-April and maincrops from mid-April to the end of the month.

For lots more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!

Copyright information

All content is ©copyright Mortons Media Group 2008 • Organic Gardening magazine | Subscribe | Buy current issue