Tidying up
It’s Spring cleaning for your garden. Now Winter is over and the birds and insects have enough food and warmth in the soil, it’s time to clear away the old stems and leaves which can go straight into your compost bin. Turn over the top layer of soil, remove any weeds and their roots, watching out for new growth as favourite perennials make a welcome return to your garden. Mulch with a decent layer of compost to feed the soil.
Pruning
Leaving evergreens until April, concentrate on late flowering shrubs like Buddleia, cutting them back into shape. Climbers like Wisteria and Summer flowering Clematis can also be pruned back by two buds to promote the next set of flowers.
Sowing
Early seed potatoes (they need time to chit first) and onions can go into the ground at the end of March. Normally I would always buy these from my local garden centre, but at the moment we will need to source products online.
For spuds, prepare the soil by digging over and make a five inch deep trench. Plant with the shoots pointing upward about ten inches apart. Protect new shoots from frost damage with horticultural fleece. If you don’t have much room, then potatoes can be grown as smaller crops in containers too.
Onions
Onions are planted as immature bulbs or sets. Gently push each one into well dug soil two -three inches apart until just the very tip is visible. You might find greedy blackbirds pulling them up again, so place netting over the top.
Seeds such as peas, beans and salad crops can be sown indoors for now as the Rossendale ground definitely won’t be warm enough yet, and beware late frosts! Young children especially enjoy sowing seeds, and for some of us the simple pleasure of making things grow extends all the way through life. All you need are pots or containers with drainage holes, compost and a packet of seeds. Follow the specific instructions on each pack, and this summer try something you’ve never grown before.
Mowing
If you haven’t done so already, run your mower on a high blade setting over the lawn. The grass has really started to put some on some growth in this week’s sunshine and the first mow will encourage a lawn back to life after Winter.
Finally….sit back and quietly appreciate your garden.
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