Spring it seems is about to be sprung at last. The willows are changing colour, the buds in the hedgerows are swelling fit to burst and the early bulbs and flowers are giving us a welcome show of colour. Now, the shrubs in our borders are forming leaves, so we know more of the damage the winter did and what to prune out to rectify it. Even the grass has started to grow in the early sun and will need a little TLC to restore it to it’s former glory.
I think the first thing to do is to spike the lawn. Take a fork and stick it into the lawn about six inches deep and rock it back and forth to create some slits. Do this every four inches until you have been over the hole lawn, and then with a dry fifty fifty mix of sharp sand and peat or grow bag compost fill the slits to improve drainage. Next give the grass a treatment of weed, feed and moss kill at the advised rate. Usually about four ounces to the square yard. When the moss turns black, rake off as much as you can. This can be put on the compost heap, as long as it stands for at least six months. By this time you will be ready to start cutting the grass.
When we feel the warmth of the sun we all want to rush out and start growing things and this is the time to do it. Lots of things can be sown now, such as carrots, beetroot, onion sets and some brassicas. As there is still time for the weather to turn a bit nasty, it is just as well to exercise a bit of caution and if you cannot provide a bit of shelter such as a cold frame, cloches or fleece, it does no harm to wait. Things sown when conditions are ideal will do better than stuff sown too early. As long as the soil is not too cold and wet potatoes can go in now and should come to no harm. If you have a greenhouse, heated or unheated, the world is your oyster almost and you can grow everything that is at least half hardy. Even things like tomatoes will germinate indoors now, so let’s get some dirt under our fingernails and get started.
Happy gardening, Richard Callaghan.
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