Growing tips

Spring is a busy time for growers, whether you’ve got an allotment, a garden or a few planters. As the weather gets milder, it’s time to prepare the soil, sow seeds and plant crops.

Preparation

March is the time to dig out any weeds and rake or hoe your plot. Regular hoeing prevents annual weed seedlings growing. Once the weeds have been banished, rake in some fertiliser. 

Cover beds with black plastic to warm the soil ready for early sowing. You can use cloches or upturned buckets to warm small areas; this is also a good technique to force rhubarb.

Sow and plant

Sow seeds directly into your prepared soil. Alternatively, skip the seeds and buy trays of young plants. If you’re wanting fruit trees and bushes, plant them in March. 

As the risk of frost reduces in April, you can start planting much more. Potatoes should be planted before the end of the month. 

Any seedlings that were planted in March should start to peep through in April. Tackle any areas of crowding by thinning out seedlings according to the advice on the seed packets. For seedlings that were started in pots, you can now plant them in their final positions outside.

Maintenance

Weeding should be a regular task to keep on top of, as is thinning out crops that were planted earlier in spring, particularly beetroot and carrots. 

Be mindful of the weather. There is still a chance of frost in May, so be prepared to cover young plants with fleece as needed.

Watch out for pests. Aphids might appear on some leaves, so firstly try blasting them off with water. Blackfly like broad beans, and greenfly like lettuce and carrots. If infestations become more of a problem, choose chemical-free sprays to combat them.

As climbing beans and runner beans start to grow, they’re going to need support. You can use canes or hazel poles to build your own supports for the plants to climb, or buy ready-made ones.

Harvest

In May, you can start enjoying some of the earlier crops such as lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, beetroot and radish. You can replace what you eat by continuing to sow lettuce, radish, spinach and beetroot outside throughout the season.