The Vegetable Plot – April

Planning late crops

The month begins with more successional sowing. Radishes and mustard and cress can be sown outdoors in a warm, sheltered place. Two further sowings of lettuces and spinach at fortnightly intervals can be followed with a sowing of broad beans later in the month. Most importantly you should have two sowings of peas but use a second early or maincrop variety for sowing after mid April.

If you want cauliflowers, savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts for Christmas the seeds need sowing in April. Celery trenches are best prepared now to allow manure and soil to blend together before planting in June. Well-rotted manure or decayed vegetable refuse mixed with the soil will give the celery a good start. A shallow trench provides the young plants with protection and easy watering in dry periods.

• Sow spinach, carrots, turnips, radishes, kohl rabi, lettuces, spring onion, summer cabbages, cauliflowers
• Sow maincrop carrots, parsley
• Spray apples and pears
• Plant early tomatoes, from late January sowing, in growing bags in the greenhouse
• In late April sow endive, globe beetroot, runner beans, marrows and cucumbers
• Spray gooseberries