April In The Gardens

April In The Gardens 2004

Week 1

General
Pruning SALIX; CORNUS; COTINUS; ROSES; SANTOLINA; LAVENDULA and PENSTEMON (only if showing signs of basal shoots).

Painting fences on dry days before climbers start to shoot.

Regularly spraying for pests, watering and ventilating in the conservatory and greenhouses.

Repairing wooden path edging and replacing where necessary.

Allotment
Directly sown PEA 'Early Onward' and 'Little Marvel' and CARROT 'Amsterdam Forcing 3' (on seed tapes) and covered all with discarded florescent light covers.

Planted ONION sets 'Red Delicious' and 'Setton' and POTATO 'Pentland Javelin'.

Erected wigwams along allotment shed pathway and planted every othe one with individual colour SWEET PEAS, the others will be left for RUNNER BEANS.

Parterre
Directly sown trial ONION 'Red Pearl'; PAK CHOI 'Mei Quing' and CARROT 'Samurai'.

Planted SWEET PEAS at the base of the surrounding BEECH hedging.

Put stick on PEAS.

Planted LETTUCE 'Sangria' and 'Cerize'; CABBAGE 'Derby Day'; CAULIFLOWER 'Rapido' and POTATO 'Pink Fir Apple'.

Greenhouse
Sown LETTUCE 'Parris Island' into modules.

Potted on TOMATO 'Nimbus' into 10 litre pots.

Potted TOMATO 'Gardener's Delight', 'Tornado' and 'Red Cap'; PEPPER 'Hott Stuff' and Jumbo' and PARSLEY 'Curlina', 'Moss Curled' and 'Plain Leaved' into 7cm (3") pots.

Week 2

General
Put plant supports over tall growing perennials.

Trimming winter flowering HEATHERS as the flowers fade.

Taking cuttings of overwintered tender perennials.

Dead-heading DAFFODILS as they go over.

Removing blanket weed from ponds as it accumulates.

Dead-heading daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs.

Some bare patches of lawn have been prepared and re-seeded.

Any climbers growing away from their supports have been tied in.

Cuttings are being taken from DAHLIAS, ARGYRANTHEMUMS and CHRYSANTHEMUMS to boost stock to be used in the gardens.

Allotment
Planted out BROAD BEAN 'Red Epicure'; CABBAGE 'Greyhound' and CAULIFLOWER 'Rapido' and 'Mayflower'. All Brassicas covered with netted cloches.

Planted out POTATO 'Kondor', 'Maxine', 'Nicola', 'Maris Peer' and 'Estima'.
Removed old plants of SWISS CHARD and BROCCOLI and dug over bare ground.

Directly sown TURNIP 'Tokyo Cross', 'Purple Top Milan', 'Aramis', 'Arcoat', 'Model White' and 'Golden Ball'; ONION 'White Lisbon'; SALSIFY 'Giant'; LEAF BEET 'Fantasia' and SCORZONERA 'Russian Giant'.

Directly sown BEETROOT 'Bolthardy' and 'Foron' and CARROT 'St Valery'.

Planted PEA 'Dorian' that had been grown in a gutter and put in pea sticks for support.

Planted POTATO 'Pink Fir Apple' and 'Maris Piper'.

Planted ONION 'Kelsae', 'Robinson's Red', 'Mammoth', 'Ailsa Craig' and 'Lancastrian'.

Hoed most areas and re-edged all grass areas.

Planted CABBAGE 'Cuor di Blue' and 'Derby Day'.

Cut slits in polythene over first early POTATOES as the tops are pushing up the polythene.

Put pea sticks for support on over-wintered PEA 'Douce Provence'.

Planted out CABBAGE 'Peot' and CAULIFLOWER 'Idol'.

Elizabethan Vegetable Garden
Planted out module raised PARSNIP 'Lancer' and CARROT 'Ideal'.

Ornamental Kitchen Garden
Planted out BROAD BEAN 'Crimson Flowered' and LETTUCE 'Lollo Rosso'.

Artisan's Cottage Garden
Planted out BROAD BEAN 'Red Epicure'.

Parterre
Planted POTATO 'Shetland Black' and 'Highland Burgundy'.

Elizabethan Vegetable Garden
Planted LETTUCE 'Fristina', 'Sangria', 'Mini Green', 'Rusty' and 'Can Can'.

Greenhouse
Transplanted CABBAGE 'Stonehead'; BRUSSELS SPROUT 'Bedford Fillbasket' and CAULIFLOWER 'Candid Charm' into modules.

Sowed BRUSSELS SPROUT 'Braveheart', 'Brigitte' and 'Red delicious' into trays.

Potted up trial BRUSSEL SPROUT 'Millenium' into 7cm (3") pots.

Sown PUMPKIN 'Orbit' into 7cm (3") pots.

Sown SWEETCORN 'Honey Bantam', 'Mini Pop' and 'Indian Summer' in 7cm (3") pots.

Harvested POTATO 'Swift' grown in a large tub on Easter Sunday - and very nice they were too!

Potted on CUCUMBER 'Pepinex' into 3 liter pots.

Sown HDRA Heritage Seeds PEA 'Forty First' and BEETROOT 'Bull's Blood' into modules.

Potted TOMATO 'Maltese Plum' and MELON 'Lunabel' into 7cm (3") pots.

Sown COURGETTE 'Tristar'; MARROW 'Long Green Trailing' and SQUASH 'Vegetable Spaghetti' into 7cm (3") pots.

Week 3

General
Lots of weeding due to mild wet weather.

Pruning FORSYTHIA, LONICERA x purpusii, RIBES sanguineum varieties, LAVENDERS and ERICAS.

Mowing strimming and lawn edging.

Removed blanket weeds from ponds with a plastic spring rake held upside down.

Allotment
Tied in all SWEET PEAS and removed side shoots.

Planted out BRUSSELS SPROUT 'Peer Gynt', 'Millenium' and 'Montgomery' and then covered with netting.

Covered first early POTATO shoots with straw to protect them from forecasted frost.

Lifted old BROCCOLI plants and dug over the ground.

Directly sown RADISH 'Pink Beauty', 'Radish Mixed' and 'Jolly'; DWARF FRENCH BEAN 'The Prince' and BEETROOT 'Choggia Pink'.

Lifted first new POTATO 'Swift' from Hotbox.

Hoed between PARSNIPS and BROAD BEANS.

Planted LETTUCE 'Red Salad Bowl'.

School children from The Vale of Catmose College in Oakham directly sowed several different varieties in their own little patch on the allotment.

Reclaim Garden
Planted SWISS CHARD 'Bright Lights', 'Rhubarb Chard', 'Silverado' and 'Fantasia'.

Parterre
Planted ONION 'Red Baron', 'Ailsa Craig' and 'Rijnburger 5'.

Greenhouse
Pricked out BRUSSLES SPROUT 'Brigitte', 'Braveheart' and 'Red Delicious' into modules.

Sown SQUASH 'Turks Turban'; MARROW 'Tiger Cross' and 'Ambassador'; RUNNER BEAN 'Galaxy' and COURGETTE 'El Greco' and 'Orelia' into 7cm (3") pots.

Sown DWARF FRENCH BEAN 'Maradonna' and 'Blue Cocoa' into deep trays.

Potted on KOHL RABI 'Roblau' and CABBAGE 'Colorsa' into 7cm (3") pots.

Potted on TOMATO 'Floridity', 'Alicante', 'Moneymaker', 'Striped Stuffer', 'Marmande' and 'Amateur'.

Week 4

General
Aerated compacted areas of lawn using a fork and brushed sharp sand into the holes.

Regularly topping up the ponds.

GLADIOLI have been planted out. We put a layer of coarse grit in the bottom of the hole to improve the drainage in our heavy clay soil.

Finished pond and stream features in the Japanese Garden.

Allotment
Planted ONION 'Lancastrian'; CAULIFLOWER 'Candid Charm' and LETTUCE 'Unrivalled' and 'Parris Island'.

Hoed and cultivated between all rows of visible seedlings.

Sown CABBAGE 'Savoy 3', 'Traviata', 'Capriccio', 'Ormskirk', 'Best of All', 'Minicole', 'Tundra', 'Redsky', 'Celtic' 'Puma', 'Guardian' and 'January King' and SPROUTING BROCCOLI 'Rudolph'.

Removed frost protection straw from POTATOES.

Earthed up early POTATOES.

Hoed between ONIONS.

Planted up TOMATO 'Cossack', 'Golden Sunrise', 'Nimbus' and 'Ailsa Craig into their final 10 litre pot and placed into their growing positions in the tunnel.

Greenhouse
Potted on TOMATO 'Tumbling Tom Red' and 'Tumbler' into 3 litre pots.

Potted on SUNFLOWER 'Choc Chip' and 'Giant Yellow' into 7cm (3") pots.

Pricked out CELERY 'Celebrity' into modules.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

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