A very changable month regarding weather, including very warm days with cold nights and little rain. I cut the grass for the first time a couple of times, avoiding wildflowers to give wildlife much needed food. Lots of bees and butterflies out and about, and birds starting to nest in hedgerows. Here’s an overview of jobs done during April.
4 April – Weeding and clearing ground. Planted gladioli corms, ‘Live Oak’ variety. Planted young plants of gypsophila / baby’s breath. Direct sowed cornflower, purple poppy, giant dill and calendula seeds.
5 April – Started to make an insect hotel from reclaimed wood.
6 April – Prepped and filled new raised strawberry bed with homemade compost.
7 April – Moved rhubarb plants and broke a gardening fork in the process.
8 April – Planted pond plants.
11 April – Planted out sweet peas.
18 April – First sight of 1st early spud leaves. First sighting of first ever baby pears.
19 April – 2nd earlies planted (‘Charlotte’).
20 April – Planted French beans and kidney bean seeds: dwarf cannellini, climbing greasy, climbing Cheroke Trail of Tears, climbing ‘Miracle of Venus’, climbing purple French, scarlet runner. Planted sunflower seeds. Planted ‘Atena’ courgette and ‘Marketmore’ cucumber seeds. Planted lemon balm in a pot sunk in the ground, and lady’s bedstraw, both in herb row. Planted out ranunculus young plants. Added hazel stakes around white currants for bird netting.
22 April – Planted seeds for Billy Buttons and Bunny Ears.
24 April – Netted currants. Planting out and landscaping around pond.
25 April – Installed green man face on shed. Added sheeting to glass greenhouse to shade from excessive sun / heat.
