Organic Gardening Magazine

April Containers

Start preparing hanging baskets and other containers for summer. Remember you can include herbs and some varieties of vegetable as well as flowers for a display that is both attractive and edible.

Small-fruiting tomatoes such as ‘Tumbling Ted’ or ‘Yellow Ripple Currant’ are ideal. Mix them with basil for a perfect combination and place the container or basket in a sheltered spot for the best growing conditions.

Other good mixtures are:
• Chives with parsley and nasturtiums
• Chilli peppers with marigolds
• A collection of different-coloured sages: green, purple and variegated

Whatever you grow, you will need something to fill your containers with. If you need to buy the compost, make sure it is peat-free and preferably organic. Such composts are not very easy to get hold of and tend to be pricey, but the more we ask for them, the more easily available and affordable they should become.

You can also make your own potting mixtures. There are many possible recipes, but the basic elements are soil, a source of fibre and a source of nutrients. This recipe is one I have used successfully over the years. I am lucky enough to live in a place with access to plenty of molehills for the soil element, but any good garden soil will suffice. Quantities given are by proportion, so you can use one bucket or one wheelbarrow as your measure!

• MUCH more in the magazine

Ornamentals

Divide snowdrops ‘in the green’. The ideal time to split large clumps is when the leaves are dying back, but before they disappear. Replant the sections with no delay, and water them in well. Picture: Dave Bevan

Spring bulbs should be displayed in all their glory now. As daffodils start to fade, dead-head them to prevent unnecessary energy going into seed production. Don’t be tempted to tie up the leaves as this diminishes their ability to build up stores for the following year. Instead, allow the leaves to die back naturally. If the daffodils are growing in grass, don’t mow them until the leaves have died down.

There’s still time to cut back hard those shrubs grown for their attractive winter stems, and those that flower on the current year’s wood that you want to keep under control. These include:
• Willow
• Cornus (dogwood)
• Buddleia
• Ornamental elders

• MUCH more in the magazine

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April Veg

April can be a tricky month in terms of the weather. Frost is still a real possibility, and we can have warm days and chilly nights.

Sow outdoors into prepared soil:

• Broad beans • Carrots
• Chicory • Kohlrabi
• Lettuce • Peas
• Radishes • Salads
• Spinach • Spring onions
• Swiss chard • Turnips

Create an outdoor seed-bed
A seed-bed is an area, preferably in full sunlight, where you can sow seed direct for transplanting later. It only needs to be about 1m (3ft 3in) square. Most of the cabbage family do well when grown this way, and the great advantage is that you can save space and only plant them out when other crops, such as early potatoes or broad beans, have been cleared. Alternatively, you can start these crops in trays or modules.
Suitable vegetables include:
• Brussels sprouts
• Sprouting broccoli
• Autumn and winter cabbages
• Kale
• Leeks

• More sowing and planting tips in the magazine

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