Gardens: These are the spring jobs you need to do

“Making sure your garden is ‘spring ready’ is a wonderful way to get yourself outside and enjoy the early spring sunshine,” encourages David Domoney, gardener and chartered horticulturist.

“I always look forward to the early spring months, as there are so many excuses to get outside – and in the garden.”

Weeding

One of the most important overall gardening jobs you should focus on, regardless of whether it’s your flowering beds or your vegetable patch, is weeding, says Domoney.

“Making sure you are on top of perennial and annual weeds is essential to guaranteeing a healthy garden patch.

“Hoeing a larger area will be ideal for dislodging small and annual garden weeds, whilst weeding by hand will help you to remove more established weeds,” he advises.

“You could use a digging or border fork for this, or a more directed approach, using a hand fork to wrestle those weeds out from the root.”

How to have the perfect vegetable patch

There are plenty of gardening tasks you can start this time of the year in your vegetable patch, suggests Domoney. “Now is the perfect time to plant onions, shallots and garlic sets – you can do this successionally to produce batches of this crop throughout the year.”

Starting now, he says you can do this every few weeks, through to April, which will extend your cropping season. Also, you can plant your second-early and main crop potatoes at this time, after any risk of frost has passed, notes Domoney.

“The second earlies, ‘new’ potatoes, will be ready to harvest in July and August, and the main crop potatoes can be enjoyed from August to October, perfect for warm meals in cooler temperatures.”

“Additionally, early April is ideal for sowing flowering companions for your vegetable plots, such as pot marigolds, whose fragrant foliage can deter some pests from your crops,” he adds.

Consistent flowering

With flowers starting to make their appearance, there are several ways you can ensure consistent flowering, advises Domoney.

“If you would like to produce a pollinator-friendly wildflower meadow, get started early by sowing seeds in trays. Then, once any risk of frost has passed, these can be sown outside for the perfect treat for your local pollinator population.”

You can also use this time to plant your roses, shrubs, and climbers, which gives them plenty of time to establish before flowering in the coming months, highlights Domoney.

He also suggests sowing sunflowers, too. “A brilliant task to enjoy with your children. Sunflower seeds are large enough for small fingers to handle, and their quick growth gives children a wonderful reward for their efforts in no time.”

Domoney’s spring gardening check list…

Create a planting calendar: So you can make sure your garden beds are fully prepared for sowing seeds, what time of the year to sow them, and when you can expect to harvest.

Prep before you sow: Ensure your garden is ready to cultivate the healthiest and most productive plants by improving your soil before sowing and planting.

Organic matter dug into the soil, any compost you have produced last year, or even composted leaves you have been saving from last autumn will all add wonderful nutrients to the soil.

Start seeds indoors: Sow some long-season seeds indoors, which are better suited to more consistently warm soil to start them off. Some great examples include broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes.

Collect rainwater: Make sure you have a water butt or a similar alternative to collect rainwater. Now is the perfect time to do it, with April showers looming, as you never know when precious rainwater will be sparsely available in summer dry spells.

Sharpen your tools: Make sure your garden tools are spring-ready. Give them a good clean if you haven’t already, making sure to put them away dry to avoid rusting. Sharpen secateurs and check the edges of spades and hand tools like trowels, in case they could do with some attention too.

David Domoney will be appearing at the Ideal Home Show (March 22 to April 7), on hand to offer lots of top tips, live Q&As and demonstrations throughout the 17-day home show at Olympia London, Kensington.