Spring is beginning to take hold in Thetford, and Maggie Baldwin shares her April gardening tips – making the most of the season ahead.
This month it can really feel like spring, but the weather can be tricky – warm and sunny one minute, then frosty the next, ready to catch us out if we think winter is over and done with. The garden is definitely awake.
National Gardening Week starts on 27th April and is the UK’s biggest celebration of gardening, highlighting the health, wellbeing and environmental benefits of nurturing green spaces. Whether you’re a seasoned horticulturalist or a complete beginner, it offers a great opportunity to connect with nature, improve your gardening skills and be part of a nationwide movement. www.nationalgardeningweek.org.uk
If you have rhubarb in your garden, it will be at its most tender this month. It should be cropped until about June, after which it becomes tougher and should be left to recover for the following year. Varieties such as Timperley Early are reliable and full of flavour, and can also be forced by covering with a bucket or forcing pot to produce early stems.
If you grow strawberries and there’s a risk of late frost, protect the blossoms with horticultural fleece. If flowers are damaged by frost, they won’t produce fruit. Onion sets and shallots can also be planted early in the month – space bulbs around 5–10cm apart, with rows approximately 25–30cm apart, and leave just the tip showing above the soil. Check regularly in case birds pull them up.
Trim untidy or frost-damaged growth on lavender plants, but avoid cutting into old wood, as it won’t regrow.
Deadhead faded flowers on primroses, pansies and other spring bedding to encourage more blooms. Hardy annuals such as calendula or nigella can be sown now in a seed bed or directly where they are to flower.
It’s also a good time to tackle weeds while they’re still small, and to dig out perennial weeds with a trowel before they become established.
Don’t forget the Thetford Garden and Allotment Club Annual Spring Show at the Methodist Church on Saturday 11th April 2026. There are classes for everyone – why not have a go at making marmalade or rock cakes?
Happy Gardening!
Maggie Baldwin
