IN YOUR GARDEN THIS MONTH  

General 

• With the night still chilly guard against frost by placing Envirofleece over emerging crops such as potatoes, covering cold frames with either polythene or sacking, and covering young plants in the greenhouse with newspaper.
• Prevent weed seedlings becoming established by hoeing borders once a week.

Vegetables

• Beetroot and spinach can be thinned out.
• Earth-up potatoes by using a hoe to pull up the soil when they are approximately 23cm (9") high.
• For extra support on Broad Beans hoe up the soil around the base of them too.
• If weather conditions allow, runner and french beans raised under glass can be planted out towards the end of the month.
• Seeds could also be sown outdoors at this time under cloches. However, for an early crop sow two seeds per deep pot in the greenhouse or on a windowsill, thinning out to leave the strongest seedling for planting outside in late May or June.

Flowers

• Provided the risk of late frosts have passed, tender summer bedding plants can be planted outdoors towards the end of the month, but if weather conditions are still wet and cold delay planting until early next month. Taller perennials or those which tend to fall over will require the support of frames.
• The sowing of hardy annual flowers should now be completed, however, later sowings will result in the plants flowering later. You may find it worthwhile with some plants, such as fuchsias, to remove the very tip of a shoot which will then encourage them to branch out.