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What to do in the garden or allotment in April and May
It is spring and the weather is getting warmer, encouraging us to get back into the garden or allotment. Self-sufficiency is making something of a comeback, so we want to help you enjoy the fruits of your labour, whether you are going to improve your garden, or produce foodstuffs from an allotment.
If you have a garden, it is good idea to invest in some strong shrubs, chosen for your specific soil type. Potentilla flowers all summer, requires little attention and will survive the winter. St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a pleasant yellow and hardy plant.
 St John’s Wort
Now is a good time to buy compost and In-Ex has three for two offers on everything you might require. You can grow plants from seeds, or buy individual plants and the decision may be based on how quickly you want your garden to bloom. If you buy small plants, they tend to be cheaper than ones that are fully grown and you can watch them flourish in your own garden.
Perhaps a small lavender plant for a splash of colour, or a geranium, but ensure you get the perennial, rather than the annual flowering type. If you have fruit trees, they will be in flower and you can add more colour with marigolds, sunflowers and nasturtiums.
More than 25% of us growing our own vegetables and a further 10% want to start this year, which could save over £200 in shopping costs.
If you do not have much space, you can buy potatoes in special growing bags and plant carrots, peppers and lettuces in a window box. Garden herbs are cheap and easy and can be grown outside or on a window sill. You should keep mint in a pot, but sage, basil and oregano are all good to plant in a bed.
Sweetcorn and courgettes should be planted this month and if you have forgotten to sow tomato seeds, you can buy plants instead; big steak, ferline (medium), sakura (sweet cherry), olivade (plum) and tumbler, are all options.
 Sweetcorn should be planted now
Flowers and vegetables need to be planted at different times in different parts of the country and to find out the best time for what you want to grow, ask at a local allotment or garden centre.
In-Ex has experts to help you out and you can always send a question to Ask Ian
Things to remember in April
- Seedlings: spray them with Chestnut Compound to help prevent damping off.
- Ponds: don’t worry if your pond water is green, the plants are just starting to come alive.
- Perennials: start putting supports in now for perennials such as dephiniums and lupins. Continue feeding azaleas and rhododendrons with sulphate of iron and ensure the compost stays moist throughout the flowering period.
- Vegetable seeds: Now the soil is warming up, you can plant seeds such as peas, carrots, beetroot and lettuce directly into the garden. Runner beans can be started off in the greenhouse. We have a wide range of vegetable seeds and flower seeds available throughout the whole year.
- Flower seeds: Antirrhinums, gazanias etc. sown earlier, can now be hardened off. You can sow sunflowers, nasturtiums and sweet peas directly into the garden.
- Vegetable Plants: If you prefer not to plant seeds, vegetable seedlings are now in stock. Prices start from 99p per strip.
- Bedding: A wide selection of bedding arrives weekly.
- Hanging Baskets: Can be planted up now with bedding and left to establish in the greenhouse, or buy one already planted up. We also take orders if you would prefer to create your own design.
- Water Butts: It’s a good idea to get one set up now and start collecting water so you will be able to keep your pots watered if we have another dry summer.
- Containers: We have a large selection of glazed and terracotta pots. Why not try something different this year and plant a cordyline or a small shrub as a centrepiece and fill in with seasonal bedding?
- Check out our new selection of shrubs and climbers
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As we move into May and start preparing for summer, clear everything up, making sure there are no hidden weeds that could cause problems later
in the year. Look through all your plants and check at the base, where
these weeds lurk and fork them out.
Climbing plants may need help, so tie in sweet peas, vines and clematis
and give perennials support. This stops them flopping, when slugs may attack them. Slugs are a menace and you can put down pellets to keep
them at bay.
If you have gaps in your borders, you can fill them in with annuals from
seed. These could be plants like nasturtiums or calendula. Shrubs like forsythia, that flower in the spring, can be pruned as soon as they flower.
The key is to rmove a third of the oldest flowering wood on deciduous
shrubs and shape evergreens.
Bedding. Do not plant bedding until the last two weeks of May, in case of
a late frost. If you have tender plants, acclimatise them for a week in the
house. If you have sown a lawn this spring, it may dry out and require watering.
Vegetables. Carrots, salad leaves, beetroot, radish and spring onions
should be sown in short rows, every third week for good crop rotation. Do
not sow too thickly, and start to thin only when seedlings are big enough to handle. It is worth covering your carrots with fleece after thinning. Now is
the time to sow and turnips, with leeks and winter greens at the end of the month, to transplant later.
If you are growing tomatoes inside, pluck out the side roots and plant courgettes and pumpkins in pots, to plant with outdoor tomatoes after the frost. Runner beans can wait till the soil is warmer, so don’t sow them until the end of the month.
Things to remember in May
- Watering: Remember that a good water once a week is better than little and often. This way plants will develop deeper roots to seek
out their own water supply. To help keep your baskets and tubs
moist through the warm weather, we recommend that you add
water retaining crystal gel to the soil, which means you don’t have
to water as often.
- Feeding: keep feeding. Organic vegetable feed is now available in-store on special offer for a limited period only.
- Pests: If you have any llies, keep watching for signs of red lily beetle. Spray with a pesticide or pick off the beetles and larvae as they appear. Check roses for blackspot and aphids, and treat where appropriate. Vast range available instore, ask a member of staff for assistance.
 The dreaded lily beetle
- Lawns: Apply a high nitrogen fertiliser. If weeds are a problem, use
a combined ‘weed and feed’ treatment. Remember to spray your cuttings with Chestnut compound as this prevents ‘clamping off’. Available instore now.
- Come and enjoy an al fresco meal in the surrounding of our award-winning Chelsea ‘Life’ garden.
- You can still buy multi-purpose compost; 3 for the price of 2.
- Bring in your baskets and tubs for us to plant up.
- Perennials: These are available in one litre pots. Prices start from £1.80. Plant them now and they will establish quickly.
- Shrubs and Climbers: We have a vast range of clematis and various climbers at £6.99 each. We also have regular deliveries of shrubs,
so if you are after something particular, just ask a member of staff and we will order it for you.
- Bedding: Now is the time to plant up your hanging baskets and containers. We have plenty of box and pot bedding and a variety of basket plants at only £1.10 each, or 10 for £10.00.
- Hanging Baskets: If you prefer not to plant your own, In-Ex has a
good choice of ready-to-go baskets.
- Alpines: Available in two different sizes, prices start from £1.59.
- Summer Bulbs and Tubers: Special offer – buy 2 get 1 free. This is your last chance to plant them. See in-store for more details and
hurry while stocks last.
Remember the most important thing to do with your garden, is to enjoy it
and if you have any problems or questions, just Ask In-EX. |
