Gardening jobs to do in April for newbies and us oldies

Lord_Gardener

If you normally get infested with Gooseberry sawfly (attacks Gooseberry, Red and White Currants), now is the time to act - smear a band of petroleum jelly around main trunk and branches which will stop the caterpillar-like larvae dead in their tracks. This technique works a treat and means no picking them off or spraying with an insecticide!

Dustykitten

I have at last got my seed potatoes in the ground I feel the season has finally started for me.

~jules~_3

annie123 wrote: »

, .Crops to sow outside or under cloches in include mange tout, broad beans, beetroot, lettuce, parsnips, onions, peas, spinach, radish, turnips brussels sprouts, summer cauliflower and cabbage. Plant potatoes, second earlies in early April, and main crop varieties to wards the end of April. Plant out individual cloves of garlic, placing them about 5cm (2in) deep. Raise sweet corn plants in pots for planting outside in early summer.

• Last chance to sow chili peppers.

Happy gardening everyone

Thanks annie123 just planted my chili peppers, broad beans, lettuce, onions and corn in pots (just a few in each)hope they grow. I dont have a big garden so I thought I'd use pots.

BabyKat

i threw some yellow pepper seds from a pepper i bought and they are now starting to grow, so happy as i havent done them before. my tomatoes are not growing well at all...chinese cabbage is growing well in the green house...all unheated and thriving.

annie123

BabyKat wrote: »

. my tomatoes are not growing well at all...

Whats the matter with them?

Lord_Gardener

Simon_P wrote: »

The adult Sawfly flies to the plant to lay it's eggs so it wont stop them being eaten. Interestingly enough it doesn't actually make much difference to the yeald if the leaves do get eaten because the grubs don't touch the fruit.

The secret here is to break the cycle. The larva overwinter on/in the ground as cocoons - clearing the ground under the bush and breaking up the soil allows birds to get at the cocoons. Greasing really does reduce their movement! Allowing the plant to be stripped of leaves, weakens it, usually causing a poor crop the next year! Of course, you should always check for signs of new eggs being laid!

EssexGirl

I've got a very small "veggie patch" in the garden which is clay soil and very very stony, so nothing much grows in there except raspberries, which have pretty much taken over the whole space and peas. That suits me fine as we all love peas and raspberries (not together I hasten to add lol)

It being gorgeous and sunny in this corner of Essex this morning, I decided to go out and do some gardening for the first time this year and untangle the Passionflower from the rapidly growing raspberry canes and do a spot of weeding. Anyhow it seems that all of the cats in my street have been using my veggie patch as a giant litter tray and it's covered in cat poo in varying stages of decomposition. SO sorry if that was TMI!

Anyway I've removed what I can see, and dug it over a bit, but I'm sure there's loads more. My question is, if I plant out any veggies on it, will the poo be harmful to our health in any way? I'm gonna have a HUGE crop of raspberries this year and wouldn't want to miss out on them because of the cats.

Sorry to ramble on...

annie123

All my neighbors have cats that seem to use my garden as a toilet. Don't think they like going in their own.
Never had any problems with eating things from the garden, I just pop it into a small hole and cover up.
I have tried various things over the years to stop them but nothing made a difference.

PS a garden cant have too many raspberries:D

EssexGirl

You are very right, a garden can never have too many raspberries, or strawberries, or peas, or plums.......The list is endless, I need a smallholding..

annie123

Looking forward to nicer weather next weekend as my home is overflowing with small things waiting to be potted on or planted out.

One of the most miserable aprils for a few years, ground is still chilly and wet so I have delayed a lot of planting this month.

Have decided its time to get a new shed, the old one is tatty and not big enough now its amazing how much stuff you gather over the years for the garden!

I'm working all both days this weekend so no gardening for me but hope everyone else gets a chance to do something outside.