Maggie Baldwin from Thetford Garden and Allotment Club shares her monthly tips to help local gardeners make the most of April’s changing weather and busy growing season.
April is here already — how quickly the year is marching on. Vita Sackville-West called it the Angel of the months, but with its changeable weather, that might not always be the case! The garden shifts gear this month, and, weather permitting, there is plenty to do both in the garden and on the allotment.
With Easter later in the month, the bank holidays provide extra time for gardening, allotment work, or even visiting gardens. Lawn mowing is now underway, and if mowing regularly isn’t possible, simply trimming the edges can make the garden look much neater.
There’s still time to lift, divide, and replant herbaceous perennials such as daylilies, phlox, and hostas. Division helps rejuvenate old clumps and provides extra plants for free. If you have no need for extras, drop them off at 28 Arlington Way, where they can be sold to raise funds for Thetford Open Gardens in support of St Nicholas Hospice.
Daffodils can be deadheaded, but allow the leaves to die down naturally so the plant can photosynthesise and store energy in the bulbs for next year.
Tomatoes can be sown indoors in a heated propagator or on a warm, well-lit windowsill and will be ready for outdoor planting in early summer. Ventilating the greenhouse on warm days encourages stocky growth.
Getting on top of weeds early makes a big difference. Regular use of a sharp hoe on dry days keeps them in check, and digging out perennial weeds as soon as they appear prevents them from spreading. If dandelions pop up and flower, consider leaving a few — they provide an early food source for emerging bees!
Beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, peas, and spring onions can all be sown outdoors now in well prepared soil. Sowing short rows every ten days helps maintain a steady crop without creating a glut of produce.
Don’t forget the Annual Spring Show at the Methodist Church on Saturday 5th April 2025.
Happy gardening!
Maggie Baldwin
