VEGETABLE CARE IN APRIL 2008

ASPARAGUS
Mid-April is a good time to buy and plant asparagus crowns. Once established they require little care and will crop for many years.
Click here for more information on planting asparagus crowns.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Brussels Sprouts should be sown outside from end March onwards, any time up to late April will be OK. It really helps if you sow the Brussels Sprout seeds in a seed bed and then transplant them a month or so later. This helps establish a strong root system which is essential when plants grow tall. This will give the plants a better chance of staying upright when they are maturing in the windy autumn months. See the web page link below for more details. If you don't want to use all the seeds, wrap them up and place them in a cool, dry place away from light. They will keep for a good three years.
Click here for more information on sowing Brussels Sprouts.

CARROTS
Early varieties of carrots such as Rocket and Nantes can be sown outside from mid March onwards up until the end of April. Sow maincrop carrot seed from mid-April onwards. Carrot seed is very small making them hard to sow in the correct amounts (see page link below for why this is important).

Seed tapes or pelleted carrot seed is the answer, they are easy to handle and easy to sow. Remember to spread the sowing over a couple of months so that you have a constant supply rather than a glut all at one time. If you started sowing carrots earlier in the year with cloche protection, some of them may need thinning for end of March onwards.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

LETTUCE
Continue to sow lettuce over the next few months to ensure a succession of them. If you can, avoid sowing them where they will suffer from the full blast of the early afternoon sun - lettuces do not appreciate conditions which are too hot. A good idea is to sow them where another taller crop (sweet corn or runner beans for instance) will cast a shadow over them during the hottest hours of the day. As with carrots, sow the seed over a period of a couple of months to avoid a glut.
If you remembered to sow spring lettuce last year, these should be ready for harvest up to the end of April.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

PEAS
Early varieties of Peas can be sown outside from mid March onwards up to June to ensure a succession of this tasty crop. Sow the seeds over a period of time and sow a couple of different varieties (first early, second early and maincrop varieties are readily available).

Click on the page link below for recommended varieties. Remember that fully grown pea plants can cast quite a shadow over smaller vegetables so bear this in mind when deciding where to sow. Peas prefer a lot of sun, but also do well in partial shade especially if that occurs in the hottest part of the day. One final reminder about peas, think about how you are going to support them and have a look round the garden centres now.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on sowing peas.

FRENCH BEANS
French Beans are very tender so cannot be sown outside without protection until early May. If you have cloches or a poly tunnel, French beans can be sown outside under this protection in early to mid April. Wait until all danger of frost has passed before sowing French Beans outside without protection. The average for this is early May but this may be earlier or later in your area.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on sowing french beans.

RADISH
With cloche or polytunnel protection radishes can be sown towards the end of March. Wait until mid April if you want to sow radishes without any protection. Sow them over a period of months to avoid a glut.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on sowing radishes.

TOMATOES
Early April is the time to sow tomatoes indoors. Outside, tomatoes can be sown with cloche protection from mid-April onwards. As a rough guide, tomatoes take about seven weeks from sowing to the stage where they can transplanted directly outside. Don't sow tomatoes indoors any earlier than six weeks before the last frost date, if you do they will become tall, straggly and weak.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on tomatoes.

ONIONS
Onion seed and sets can be sown outside from mid-March onwards, up until the end of May. The same goes for spring onions which should sown in succession over the next few months to avoid a glut.

In mid April, all onions, including Japanese Onions appreciate a feed with a nitrogen rich fertiliser. Well rotted compost will do the best, but a handful of Growmore per square yard will also do the trick.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing onions.

RUNNER BEANS
Runner Beans are very tender but they can be sown outside from the beginning of April if you can provide them cloche protection. Leave it until the early May for sowing outside with no protection.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing runner beans.

MAINCROP and NEW POTATOES
It's still OK to plant Maincrop potatoes until the middle of April. If you planted them earlier, try and protect the emerging plants from any frost which may occur from now on. Potatoes can be severely damaged by a late frost. The cheapest way to protect small potato plants from a late frost is to draw a little soil from the edges of the bed over them - they will force their way through later on with no problems.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing potatoes.

SWEET CORN
Sweet corn are very tender so should not be planted outside until May. However, most people start them off inside or plant them outside with cloche protection. Start them off inside towards the end of April or plant them outside with cloche protection from mid-April onwards.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing sweet corn.

SUMMER CAULIFLOWER
You can sow seeds of Summer Cauliflower outside from early April onwards.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

WINTER CABBAGE
Winter Cabbage is another vegetable for sowing outside early April onwards
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

SPRING CABBAGE
Spring Cabbage should be ready for harvest during April.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

BROCCOLI
Broccoli sown in March will be producing seedlings in April. These should be thinned to around 22 cm (9 inches) apart.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

BEETROOT
Beetroot should be sown outside when the danger of frost has passed (early May in average areas of the UK).
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

FRUIT AND HERB CARE IN APRIL 2008

STRAWBERRIES
If your area is prone to frost and you didn't plant your strawberries last August / September, April is the time to plant summer fruiting strawberries. Perpetual strawberries should also be planted in April.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

MINT
Mid-April is the best time to plant mint. It is a very strong growing plant and is probably best grown in a container.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

SAGE
If you want to plant sage bought as a plant from your garden centre, mid-April is the best time to plant it. Choose a sunny spot and don't over- fertilise. Sage is also ideal for growing indoors if given a place with plenty of light.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

PARSLEY
April is still a good time to sow Parsley seed. It requires high temperatures to germinate so when you sow the seed, keep them indoors in a warm place until they germinate.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing parsley.

GARLIC
The ideal time to plant garlic is in mid-autumn. However, if you didn't get round to it then, March is the second best month to plant the garlic bulbs. If you leave it till April, they will be running out of time to reach maturity before the end of the season.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

DILL
Early to mid-April is the time to sow dill seed or plant out if bought from a garden centre. These are great herbs for hot weather because their long tapering roots go deep into he soil.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

CHIVES
Early to mid-April is the time to sow chive seed or plant out if bought from a garden centre. Easy to care for, chive will also produce flowers which are edible - a splash of colour in salads.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

ROSEMARY
Early to mid-April is the time to plant Rosemary outside. This herb will last through most British winters and is an attractive shrub producing flowers as well.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

MARJORAM / OREGANO
Early to mid-April is the time to plant Rosemary outside. Sometimes known as the Pizza herb, there are many other dishes that are enhanced by this herb - my spaghetti bolognaise for one!
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

BAY TREE
Bay trees can still be planted out in April. They can be harvested all year round and the make very attractive potted plants. Think about buying one now and you can keep it indoors in a light and airy room for a month before putting it outside for most of the year. Remember also that they make ideal birthday presents, requiring very little attention and no gardening knowledge.
Click here for easy to follow instructions and to buy your bay tree online.

TARRAGON
Early to mid-April is the time to sow tarragon seed or plant out if bought from a garden centre. Always go for French tarragon (only available as a plant, not seed) rather than Russian tarragon.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

BASIL
Early to mid-April is the time to sow Basil seed or plant out if bought from a garden centre.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

THYME
Plant thyme outside in April. It will overwinter fine in most parts of the UK and only needs to be replaced every four years or so.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

GARDEN PLANT CARE IN APRIL 2008

 This month the spotlight is on
HELLEBORES
You may have seen hellebores in gardens over the past couple of months. They are great plants and provide colour and texture when little else is around in the freezing cold. Well now is the time to buy small plants from your garden centre. If you want to grow hellebores from seed, they should be sown in July. One problem with hellebore seed is that it must be fresh - see the link below for a nursery that does mail order hellebore seed which is always fresh.

Having bought one hellebore you will find that many of them self-seed very easily providing more plants for you and other gardeners. They require no special attention other than division every four or five years - they are a sure fire plant for the not so green-fingered gardener.

Another great advantage of hellebores is that they do very well in semi-shade and hate too much water - this makes them ideal for growing under a tree or shrub where other plants may well fail.
Click here for lots more information on hellebores.

 

JOKE

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes,looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?"

"Yes," was his incredulous reply.

She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

GARDENACTION ADDRESS:
1 Old School Cottages, Southam Street, Kineton, Warwick CV35 0JN

This Month's Recipe

Winter Vegetable Soup

This soup is made from winter vegetables like leek, parsnip and carrots. It's easy to vary the vegetables according to what's in your kitchen. It's tasty, nutritious and easy to cook at any time of the year. The recipe has step by step instructions and loads of pictures showing you exactly what to do. I guaranteee it has personally been cooked and tasted by me and my family many, many times.The pictures alongside the recipe prove it! Yesterday we made the soup with onions, carrots, potatoes, Fencch beans and instead of Pearl Barley we used Red Lentils. That's the great thing about vegetable soup, use whatever you have in the cupboard.
Click here for this delicious recipe.

UNUSUAL

In ancient times, folklore has it that people believed the colour of beetroot showed how powerful it was. Folklore also has it that beetroot was eaten to promote good blood. The Greeks used beetroot to 'cool' blood, and Romans used it to fight fever.

Carrot juice is often used as a 'base' juice in natural juice drinks, because it's sweetness hides other less palatable tastes. Many people mix carrot juice with beet juice for helping with liver problems. If the drink is a little too sweet, add cucumber or parsley juice.

Less folklore and more recent, is research by Dr Ferenczi of Hungary. He used large amounts of beetroot successfully for cancerous tumour regression, up to 1 kg daily have been used. The active ingredient is the purple colouring containing anthocyanin. It is now also available as a freeze-dried powder.