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As new growth emerges keep an eye out for slugs and snails who will enjoy eating your young plants. Try copper tape arounds pots and containers, broken egg shells around plants, beer filled slug traps and apply nematodes to help keep slugs under control.
Get your packets of seeds out and start sowing salads such as spring onion, lettuce and radish as long as you keep them in your greenhouse or under a protective cloche. You will enjoy picking them very early in the growing season by starting to successionally sow from now. It’s much easier to sow seeds with greenhouse staging.
It’s also time to pop some Broad Beans and early Peas in seed trays, ready for transplanting out when the weather has warmed up. Keep them moist but not overwatered and under cover, a greenhouse is ideal to protect them from frosts.
Keep a check on container plants them and give them some water if needed, especially if they are in a sheltered position where the rain cant reach them. Keep the soil moist but don't overwater and move them into a sunny position if possible.
Fork in a a good 5cm layer of well rotted manure to prepare it for the year a head. You can use your own compost as well plus some really helpful pelleted chicken manure or fish, blood and bone which gives the soil a good boost and is easy to apply.
We tend to think of Dandelions as weeds, but in fact they are a valuable source of early nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. Dandelions roots are also quite a tasty coffee substitute! So, don’t be too quick to mow Dandelions away. Let the bees enjoy them first to get them off to a strong start in the year.
Birds will be on the look out for nesting places, if they haven’t already taken their spot. It can be really useful to them if you can give them access to additional nesting materials left around the garden. Things like twigs, moss and pet fur can help to line their nests and keep them warm.
Natural Winter food supplies will all be gone by now so now is a really crucial time to help our garden birds. Keep bird feeders full and water topped up so they can keep up their strength for the all important nesting time of year. Planting native hedges can really help to provide shelter and food in your garden for the coming seasons. Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Dog Rose and Field Maple make for a lovely mixed hedge.
Give your pond a makeover by firstly removing any netting you’ve used to prevent leaf fall and the divide pond plants if needed. Cut back any plants around the pond to allow new shoots to grow and to ensure any dead/diseased materials are removed.
