Click here
for April 2014 diary entry  

April seed sowing schedule
Details of what was sown/planted in April

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For April 2015 weather summary

April harvesting schedule
Details of our April harvest

Archive for previous years' diaries dating from 2007 can be accessed by clicking here

1

2

Although two birds are now nesting in the bird box they are squabbling most of the time so we are unsure about whether they are a pair or competitors for the box.

Some apricots seem to have set.

Waste not want not - Made cottage pies for freezer to use some potatoes before they shoot.

Just beeing - hand pollinating stine fruit

3

4

Moving home - Sowed sweet peas.

Magnolia flowers starting to open.

Early tomatoes pricked out - My tomato experiment

Made pumpkin muffins - Waste not want not

Grow light garden beginning to fill up.

Sowed tomatoes - Main crop tomatoes and another experiment

5

6

Prim and proper - Primrose on the plot look beautiful.

Removed last year's canes from autumn raspberries.

Turned out smashing - Planted first potatoes

Trimmed lavender edging fruit beds.

Pulled first rhubarb

Trimmed alpine strawberries

Started planting out new strawberry bed.

Cleared remains of carrots and parsnips - A stunner

Strawberry bed are not forever

7

8

Finished planting up first strawberry new bed

Dug last of the leeks,

Cleared and weeded various areas of the plot.

Raspberry canes shooting well.

Final pickings

Doing the unthinkable - bed preparation

9

10

Planted new plants in willow screen bed of garden

First sowing of annual flowers in pots.

Started to empty Woodblocx raised bed,

Bought lupin - Cashmere Cream

April tree following - Medlar

Going out in style - Planted first lot of onions and shallots and spring brassicas raised from plug plants

11

12

Indoor grow light garden is filling up.

What a difference a week makes - Plot update - vegetables

Broad beans starting to grow away.

13

14

Planted more onions and shallots

Started to tidy around the autumn raspberries  - bindweed is and issue and I cleared three bucketfuls of roots

Strimmed the grass and prepared more beds for cultivating
One night stand - bird box

Planted up persicaria sent from Angiie

Sowed salad leaves seeds and peas for pea shoots.

Sowed more leek seeds

Annuals beginning to germinate

No bird roosted in the box,

15

16

Lots of flowers now beginning to open.

Snake's head fritillary

Alright for some - preparing beds on the plot.

One bird back roosting in the box

Bought two sedums, a fern, an achillea for the perennial border and an achillea for the pebble garden.
Also bought a ceramic tub and replanted a couple of hostas in it.

17

18

Fruity Business - plot fruit

Shrubs are flowering

19

20

Pricked out some aquilegias and some tomatoes.

Plum blossom and tulips looking lovely on the plot.
Planted more onion and shallots and lot of bed preparation and tidying up

Carrot preparations
Pear blossom and tulips

21

22

More tomatoes pricked out.

Sowed and covered carrots and parsnips
Carrotting and Parsnipping

Planted more potatoes
Heeding Advice - planting potatoes and brassicas

23

24

Planted up rest if the strawberries
Planted first lot of broad beans
Strimmed plot
Long term labelling
The plot so far

Fish filter cleaned,

Lawns mowed.

Started to plant up a new perennial bed,

25

26

Potted on rooted pelargoniums

Apple tree in the garden in blossom.

More beds cleared on the plot

Twiggy support given to first lot of pea and second lot sown

All Gold autumn raspberries weeded ad tidied

Just a load of rhubarb

The coldest night of the month

27

28

Repotted or tidied up remaining hostas
Bought some sempervivums and sedum to replant the loving lid trashed ny the birds again. This time we will protect it.

Planted a couple more perennials in the new hot colours bed.

A strange old month - tomatoes and ducks

Tender plants in greenhouse covered with fleece.

Fruit trees in greenhouse top dressed and fed with slow release fertiliser.

Take a bow - garden birds

29

30

Fruit has set on the apricot, nectarine and peach trees. Most have fallen from the apricot leaving only two remaining fruits.

Heart of stone - stone fruits

Sprayed hostas with Grazers to try to deter slugs and snails.

We gave the greenhouse a good tidy.

Potted up the dahlias that are all shooting

Sowed more annual flower seeds.

Potted up some tomato plants

Early tomato experiment continues