Top tips for APRIL

Sow green manure crops

in beds that aren’t in use over winter. Great options include nitrogen-fixing plants (or a mix of them), including:

• alfalfa;

• clover;

• lupins;

• hairy vetch.

Cut the plants down before they start getting woody, just before flowering. This is when the nitrogen content they produce on their roots is at its highest. Plant seedlings of broccoli, Brussels sprouts (in cooler regions), cabbages, cauliflower, kale, leeks, silverbeet, and spinach.

Sow peas, beetroot (in milder areas), broad beans, carrots, Chinese cabbages, kohlrabi, lettuces, radishes, spring onions, swedes, and turnips directly into the ground.