As the season shifts from early spring to full bloom, it’s time to tackle some essential April gardening jobs in your UK garden. April is when the garden truly wakes up from its winter slumber. This month marks the true arrival of spring in the UK, bringing longer days and a surge of growth in gardens. It’s a perfect month for gardeners grab a coffee and begin to prepare, plant, and maintain their outdoor spaces to ensure a vibrant and productive season ahead. With longer days and milder temperatures, it’s the perfect month to get sowing, pruning, tidying, and planning. Whether you’re growing your own food or nurturing flower beds, April sets the tone for a successful gardening season.

April Gardening Jobs:

Weed and Feed

As the soil warms up, weeds start to sprout rapidly. Stay on top of them by hoeing borders regularly and hand-weeding where necessary. Mulching with compost or bark not only suppresses weed growth but also improves moisture retention and soil health. This is especially beneficial in areas where you’ll be sowing or planting soon. This is one of the most important April gardening jobs to help your plants thrive from the very start of the season.

Planting and Sowing

• Potatoes: My different varieties of potatoes have been chitting on my window sill and will all be planted outside in trenches on Good Friday.

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Vegetables to Sow in April (Outdoors)

Now is an ideal time to start your veg patch. Many hardy crops can be sown directly into the ground this month. Among the most rewarding April gardening jobs is sowing vegetables like:

• Carrots
• Beetroot
• Lettuce (cut-and-come-again varieties thrive)
• Swiss chard
• Radish
• Turnips
• Spring onions
• Peas
• Perpetual spinach
• Leeks
• Kohlrabi
• Cauliflower (summer varieties)

For best results, sow into well-prepared soil that’s been weeded and raked to a fine tilth. Keep newly sown rows moist, especially during dry spells.

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Vegetables to Sow Indoors (Then Plant Out Later)

Some crops prefer a warmer start indoors or in a greenhouse, ready to move outside in late spring. Sowing seeds indoors is one of the more time-sensitive April gardening jobs, ensuring strong plants are ready to go when temperatures rise.

• Courgettes
• Pumpkins
• Marrows
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Aubergines
• Sweet peppers
• Cucumbers
• Celery and celeriac
• Globe artichokes

Use seed trays or small pots on a warm windowsill or propagator. Once seedlings have true leaves and the risk of frost has passed, begin hardening them off before planting out.

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Fruits to Plant or Prepare

• Strawberries: Plant new strawberry runners in well-drained soil and mulch around plants to keep fruit clean.
• Raspberries: Feed established canes and tie in new growth.
• Apple and Pear Trees: Apply a balanced feed and water deeply if it’s dry.
• Gooseberries and Currants: Thin out crowded shoots to improve airflow.

This is also a good time to add new fruit bushes or trees, as the soil is warming but still moist. These tasks are crucial April gardening jobs for those keen to enjoy homegrown fruit later in the year.

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Flowers to Sow and Plant in April

Add colour to your garden with annuals and perennials. April is perfect for sowing hardy varieties directly outdoors or starting tender types indoors. Another enjoyable part of your April gardening jobs is sowing colourful flowers such as:

Sow outdoors:

• Poppies
• Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist)
• Cornflowers
• Calendula
• Sunflowers

Start indoors:

• Cosmos
• Zinnias
• Marigolds
• Petunias
• Dahlias (from seed or tuber)

These flowers attract pollinators and brighten up beds, borders, and containers.

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Prune and Divide

One of the most important structural April gardening jobs is pruning and dividing plants after their early blooms. After spring-flowering shrubs like forsythia and flowering currant have bloomed, give them a prune to encourage fresh growth and maintain their shape. Divide clumps of perennials such as hostas, daylilies, and ornamental grasses to reinvigorate them and fill gaps elsewhere in the garden.

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Pest Watch and Disease Management

Protecting seedlings from pests is a vital part of your April gardening jobs checklist. Keep an eye out for slugs and snails, especially around young seedlings and tender shoots and protect vulnerable plants such as delphiniums, lupins, and hostas. Use beer traps, crushed eggshells, or copper tape as deterrents, or encourage natural predators like hedgehogs and frogs to do the job for you.

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Wildlife-Friendly Tips

April is a busy time for birds and pollinators. Encourage biodiversity by topping up bird feeders and bird baths for drinking and bathing. Consider planting nectar-rich blooms like primroses, lungwort, and forget-me-nots to support early bees and butterflies or leaving some areas of the garden a bit wild to provide habitats for beneficial insects. Making your garden wildlife-friendly is one of the most rewarding April gardening jobs, benefiting both your plants and the planet.

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General Maintenance

Clean patios and decking to remove moss and algae. We’ve been using a Kärcher jetwash which is very effective to maintain our patio and decking. This is also a great time to make extra beds or paint any wood or sheds as it isn’t too cold working outside!

Tackling your April gardening jobs now sets your garden up for a stunning spring and summer. With just a little effort and attention, your space will soon be bursting with life, colour, and harvests to come. Happy gardening!