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Allotment and vegetable gardening month by month guide: April - June

Once you have decided to set up your garden or allotment site, what do you do now? This guide will show you what to do with your garden month by month. What to sow, what to look for, what to avoid etc.

APRIL

April is great, the soil is warming up and spring should be here. Do keep an eye on the weather forecast though, even in the south of England a cold snap and snow are not unknown in April. Keeping horticultural fleece on standby in case of cold weather is a good idea.

Harvest:

We're in the 'Hungry Gap' between the last of the winter crops and start of the early crops but there are still a few things available, late sprouting and chards for example plus you may have some early salad crops from the greenhouse border.

Do re-check your stored crops. On a fine day, empty out the potato sacks and check for any rotten potatoes. If you've strung onions, watch out for the odd rotten one and remove it before it spreads,

General Gardening Tip :

If you have any horticultural fleece, you can peg that onto the ground a week or so before you plant. The small rise in temperature of the soil can make a big difference

Sowing, Planting and Cultivating:

There's quite a list to sow and plant outside, especially if March has not been suitable.
Do remember the weeds are springing into action, so keep the hoe going. Don't forget, a sharp hoe is the best friend a gardener can have. Just slide it back and forth slightly below the surface of the soil and you'll stop the weed seedlings in their tracks. Hoeing is also good in the event of drought as the disturbed soil surface stops the water being sucked to the surface by capillary action and evaporating in dry winds.

Things to Sow:

• Beetroot
• Peas
• Broad Beans
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Chard
• Kohl Rabi
• Leeks
• Spinach
• Beet spinach
• Rocket
• Lettuce
• Radish

With your carrots, covering with a fleece and ensuring the edges are buried will stop the carrot root fly from gaining entry to lay eggs by your carrots. The eggs hatch in larvae that burrow into the carrot root, killing the plant or at least ruining the crop.

Plant Outdoors:

• Globe and Jerusalem Artichokes
• Onion & Shallot Sets
• Asparagus.

Easter is the traditional potato planting time. If you have a comfrey bed and it has sprung back, the first cut laid in the trench under the potatoes will provide nutrition to get them off to a good start.

On the subject of comfrey, if you make a comfrey tea it will help you to a great crop to use it on your potatoes. Many novice growers wonder why they have small crops of potatoes and most often this is just down to lack of food for this hungry crop.

Sow in Heat (Greenhouse or Windowsill):

• Aubergine
• Celery
• Outdoor Cucumbers
• Tomatoes (if you've not already done so)

A good tip in a windowsill is to stick some silver cooking foil onto cardboard and place on the inside to reflect light back onto the seedlings. This will help revent them being drawn.

Sow Outdoors Under Cloche :

• French beans
• Lettuce
• Sweetcorn

Alternative Method for Sweetcorn :

I like to pre-chit my sweetcorn, I lay the seeds on a layer of damp kitchen paper and then place a layer of paper over in an airtight box. An old ice-cream carton or a Tupperware type box is ideal. Check carefully each day and as soon as the small white sprout appears, plant the seed about half to an inch deep in a 3" pot of general purpose compost in the greenhouse.

When the shoots appear about an inch high, plant out under cloche being careful not to disturb the root (sweetcorn hates root disturbance) under a cloche. Sweetcorn needs a lot of nitrogen and a teaspoon of dried blood per plant or water with urea (this is a chemical, I do not mean pee on them!)

Many of the crops you can sow directly will also benefit from cloching, especially as you move northwards or started off in modules in a cool greenhouse or coldframe and then planted out later.

Fruit:

Strawberries can be planted out now, it's best to remove flowers in the first year as you conserve strength for growth and gain larger crops in subsequent years. An easy way to gain strawberry plants is to plant the runners into pots and when rooted cut the runner.

The plants don't last forever so you need to rotate them ever three to five years.
Hand pollinate peaches and nectarines. Tickle the flowers with a small paint brush to spread the pollen. Cover if a cold spell threatens.

A good layer of compost around the base of fruit trees will ensure they have the nutrition to provide another good crop for you.

Gardener's Pests :

I've mentioned the carrot root fly but the gardener's worst enemy is awakening. The evil slugs and snails are coming out to eat entire rows of succulent young seedlings overnight so take action now.

MAY

May is one of the busiest months in the kitchen garden. The soil is warm and everything should be growing well. Unfortunately the weeds are growing well too so there is no time to relax. Do watch out for a late frost, many growers have been caught out and lost their recently planted beans etc. Keep that fleece handy just in case.

If you do not have any horticultural fleece you can use old net curtains, bubble wrap and the traditional newspaper as a method of insulation when a cold night is forecast.

Harvest:

Depending where you are and what you planted, you may have some salad crops ready. Hardy lettuce and spring onions, fast growing radish may well be available. If you tried potatoes undercover, you may well be getting the odd meal from these.

Winter cauliflowers, spring cabbage, sprouting broccoli and kale should be ready now.
The luxury crop asparagus may be starting for you as well this month. Unbeatable!

Cultivation:

There are two main cultivation jobs you need to keep on top of in May. First, the weeds are growing. Hoeing them off as small seedlings will make the job far easier than waiting for them to grow and send their roots down. Hoeing is best done on a dry day so that the weeds do not have a chance to recover. Don't forget to sharpen your hoe before you start and frequently as you use it.

The other cultivation job outdoors is to thin out. We sow our carrots and parsnips and it seems a shame to remove seedlings we were so happy to see appear but it needs to be done.

Sowing:

There is a lot to sow this month and with many crops you can sow one set and then a few weeks later re-sow to give you a succession of fresh vegetables at the peak of perfection. If it is a dry May, it is a good idea to soak your seed drill before sowing and then just water with a fine rose after.

• French Beans
• Runner Beans
• Beetroot
• Broccoli and Calabrese
• Cabbage and Cauliflowers
• Chicory
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Peas
• Turnips and Swedes
• Your salad crops should be sown in succession
• Lettuce and Leaves such as Rocket
• Radishes
• Spring Onions

Sowing under cover:

• Sweetcorn
• Courgette
• Marrow
• Pumpkin

These really don't like starting in the cold and you only grow a relatively few plants so starting off in pots is well worth the investment.

Sweetcorn does not like its roots being disturbed so some people pack old toilet roll inners with compost and sow in there, planting out the whole roll when ready. Because you are in a cardboard pot, they can dry out very easily and you need to ensure they are planted with the whole roll below ground level or the collar will encourage drying out and restrict growth. It is easier to use something like root trainers although an ordinary three inch pot will suffice if care is taken at planting time.

Planting Out:

If your plants are large enough, you can plant out now:

• Brussels sprouts
• Summer cabbages
• Celery
• Celeriac
• Leeks.

With leeks a good rule of thumb is to get the seedling about as thick as a pencil. Dib a hole about six inches deep using something like a spade handle and drop the seedling in. Water well and allow the soil to fall back in naturally.

The old method of trimming the roots and top before transplanting leeks is not actually a good thing and has been shown to be detrimental. It's a big enough shock to the plant being taken out of its seedbed!

In the greenhouse:

The following are ready for their final home, that may be the border, a growbag or a large pot.

• Aubergine
• Peppers (Chilli and Sweet)
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes

Fruit:

It's mainly a matter of ensuring that you get the crops rather than the birds. A fruit cage is a big investment but very effective, otherwise netting to keep the birds away.

Strawberries planted this year will perform better in subsequent years if you remove the flowers so they don't set fruit in the first year but concentrate on building their strength for next.

General Tasks:

As I said above, keep hoeing off the weeds but perennial weeds like dandelion and dock will need their roots removing to prevent re-growth. Bindweed can be a nightmare to stop, any small piece of root will grow. It's by far the easiest to use a spray of glyphosate based weedkiller, which will go to the roots and kill the plant.

Another weed that re-appears at this time is Horsetail (Equisetum Arvense). You will need repeated applications of glyphosate weedkiller for this which will keep the plot out of action for a while as it does its work.

Organic growers will just need to keep hoeing and removing roots. This will eventually defeat the weed but it's a long, hard job.

On the subject of weedkillers, if you have used a product such as 'Weed and Feed' on your lawn, the mowings may well be toxic to your crops. Often you need to compost

Gardener's Pests :

Don't forget the slugs are about, if you find an entire row of seedlings have vanished overnight you can bet it was slugs. With your carrots, covering with a fleece and ensuring the edges are buried will stop the carrot root fly from gaining entry to lay eggs by your carrots. The eggs hatch in larvae that burrow into the carrot root, killing the plant or at least spoiling the crop.

JUNE

Flaming June should bring us a hot sunshine filled month with the risk of frost passed and those in more northerly parts should be able to catch up with those in the south. We're also moving towards the longest day, June 21st being the summer solstice so there is plenty of daylight to let you get on with things. There is a lot to do in June but the rewards for our efforts are coming in the harvest.

Harvest:

Salad crops should be available, lettuce, spring onion, radish etc, Summer cabbage and early carrots. With carrots the later thinnings can provide a great addition to a salad or just steamed with a cooked meal.

The early potatoes will be coming in this month. Because your potatoes will be going from ground to pan in a matter of minutes you will discover a truly wonderful flavour.

Beetroot, young turnips and summer spinach may all be welcome fresh additions to your diet.

The early peas could well be cropping in June, especially in the south

Cultivating:

As with May, we really need to keep on top of the weeds. Hoeing them off as small seedlings will make the job far easier than waiting for them to grow and send their roots down. Hoeing is best done on a dry day so that the weeds do not have a chance to recover. Don't forget to sharpen your hoe before you start and frequently as you use it.

Keeping a small sharpening stone or file in your pocket will make this more convenient.
Continue thinning out your carrots, parsnips, beetroot etc. As I said above, later carrot thinnings can provide a tender and tasty addition to a meal.

Water when required. Your best measuring instrument for water is your finger. If the top of the soil looks dry, insert your finger into the soil. If it's dry at the tip, then you need to water.

Don't just sprinkle a few drops on the surface, it probably won't penetrate and do any good. Far better to give a good soaking less frequently that will get to the roots of your crops.

In very dry weather, keeping the surface friable by hoeing will help keep the water from getting to the surface by capillary action and then evaporating away. It also helps water soak in when you do get some rain.

Planting:

You should be able to plant out brassicas now. Broccoli and calabrese, Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage.

If you have started beans in pots, both runner and French these can go into the outside too. Leeks may well be ready to move to their final position. Ideally they want to be about pencil thickness. Don't follow the old guidance to trim the leaves and roots when transplanting leeks. It has been proven to be of no benefit and is counter-productive. Celery can go out now as well.

Outdoor tomatoes can go to their final position now. When moving plants from greenhouse to outdoors it is a good idea to condition them to the move. Take them out in the day and put them back at night for a few days or move from greenhouse to coldframe. This avoids shocking the plant by a sudden and drastic change in climate.

Sowing:

There is a lot to sow this month and with many crops you can sow one set and then a few weeks later re-sow to give you a succession of fresh vegetables at the peak of perfection. In dry weather it is a good idea to soak your seed drill before sowing and then just water with a fine rose after.

• French and Runner Beans
• Maincrop peas
• Beetroot
• Carrots
• Turnips
• Swedes
• Cauliflowers
• Chicory
• Endive
• Kohlrabi
• Sweetcorn
• Squash
• Courgette and Marrows
• Cucucumber

Beetroot, french beans, carrots, kohlrabi, peas, lettuce, endive,radish should be sown at intervals throughout the summer months to provide a constant supply Successional sowing ensures you always have fresh crops at the peak for your table

In the greenhouse:

Keep pinching off the side shoots with your tomatoes and keep an eye out for pests such as aphids, whitefly, red spider mite. If you are subject to attack by these pests it is worth checking out biological controls as these are perfectly safe to use and, used correctly, more effective than traditional chemical controls. Many of the chemical controls of the past are no longer available anyway so the organic alternatives are now the mainstream choice.

Fruit:

Make sure your fruiting plants have sufficient water when the fruit is swelling. This is critical to a good crop.

Thin out plums and apples in June. Better to have one reasonable apple than three miniature marbles. Nature naturally tends towards this and sheds excess fruit. This is known as the 'June Drop'. It's best to thin out after this.

 

General Tasks:

The infantry of slugs and snails are attacking at ground level so take action to keep them down and the air force of birds are coming from the skies to eat your crops. Don't forget the netting.

The butterflies are about now as well. Beautiful as they are, check the undersides of your brassica leaves for the yellow or white eggs that will hatch into caterpillars and devastate the plant. You can squash them, wipe or wash them off easily at this stage.

 

Source: Vegetable Growing Month By Month by John Harrison