There is so much that can be sown in the kitchen garden in April; it’s a busy month for us gardeners! Hardy crops such as carrots, beetroot, leeks and radish can be sown directly outside this month. More tender crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes, chillies, courgettes and pumpkins can also be sown this month, although it’s best to keep them inside your greenhouse or cold frame until the weather warms up further.

If you plan to order any new garden furniture this year, now would be a good time to do it, before the best pieces sell out! If you’re wondering where to buy your garden furniture from, we’d recommend trying The Cotswold Co, Burford Garden Co, or Garden Trading. Oxenwood is also a fantastic option if you’ve got the budget for it. We’ve had many pieces of garden furniture from there and they are built to last a lifetime.

If you want to still have beautiful flowers in your garden by October or even November, I’d recommend planting a load of dahlia tubers. Dahlia tubers are best started off in medium sized pots and kept either in a cold frame, or in a very sheltered outdoor spot until around May, and then they can be transplanted to their final spot within your garden. Dahlias are an absolute must-have flower in my opinion, as they come in so so many colours and shapes, and they continue to flower way into Autumn.

If you’ve already got brassicas in your raised beds, such as kale, broccoli or brussel sprouts, be sure to net them to protect them from pests such as caterpillars and flea beetles, which would love to nibble on the new Spring growth!

Your grass should be growing vigorously now that we’re in Spring, so be sure to mow it regularly to keep your lawn as healthy as possible. You could weed your lawn if you like your lawn to be uniform, or feel free to leave your lawn a bit more biodiverse; the insects will certainly prefer it that way! If there are any patches in your lawn, now would be a good time to fill in those gaps, which we do regularly using Patch Magic.

Some Spring bulbs such as early narcissus may start to go over this month, and when they do, it’s best to deadhead the flowers but leave the leaves for now, allowing the plant to continue to photosynthesise so it can store energy in the bulb to be able to flower again next year.