Sow now to reap a summer feast

After a wet winter, it may still be a while before the ground is dry enough to plant but there’s plenty to do in the meantime

The deciduous tree bareroot planting season is over but planting from pot can be done still and this is a good time to plant, as long as the ground is not too wet. It can be very detrimental to young trees and shrubs to be planted into wet ground. It is all too easy to smear or compact wet ground and the roots of the plants will later be starved of oxygen. Bush roses, and repeatflowering climbers, should be pruned immediately, if not already done.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Ground for vegetables should be cleared of weeds and dug over or rotavated in preparation for sowing, as soon as the opportunity arises. The ground has been very wet all winter and it may be a while yet before it dries out enough, but the weeds could be got rid of in the meantime.

Fruit trees and bushes can be planted now. A wide range of tree and bush fruits is available and many good varieties are on offer. Sow seeds of early varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and onions in a tunnel or glasshouse to get a start on the season, despite the conditions outdoors.

GREENHOUSE AND INDOOR PLANTS

Permanent greenhouse plants that have grown too large can be pruned back in the next few weeks, for example, tibouchina, pineapple sage, fuchsias, geraniums etc. Greenhouse peach trees should have the first flowers gently pollinated with a small soft paintbrush or by vigorously tapping on the support wires. A nice sunny day is best. It is not necessary to get every flower pollinated – about 5% will give a good crop.

Mildew is a big problem on glasshouse grapevines. Before the vine breaks dormancy, its stems can be soak-sprayed thoroughly with a mildew fungicide. An insecticide against re-spider mites could also be used if there was a problem with the latter. Sow sweet corn and courgette seeds in the middle of April.

FLOWERS

The lifting and dividing of over-grown herbaceous flowers can continue for a week or if the soil is not too wet. Old flower stems can be tidied away or they can be left on the soil surface as a mulch.

Begonias and gloxinias can be started in a greenhouse, or on a windowsill indoors. Set the tubers lightly onto moist compost in a seed tray or small pot. Don’t over-water because the tubers are inclined to rot in cold, wet compost. Seeds of geraniums, lobelia, busy lizzie and bedding begonias can be sown in a heated propagator.