The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. ~ Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman's Luck, 1899

Allotment Month Planner - April

General

Weeding by hoe to discourage slugs

Potato Family

Plant Second Early Potatoes - early April
Plant Main Crop Potatoes - late April
Earth up early potatoes - especially to protect from frost
Sow tomatoes inside
Last month's tomatoes should be ready for re-potting into larger pots

Legumes

Place early pea supports
Sow Broad Beans and Peas

Brassicas

Sow cabbages, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccolis, kale, kohl rabi in protected seed bed; cover with fleece
Sow swede and turnip in final beds
Harvesting - Broccoli (Winter Sprouting), Cabbages (Spring Greens), Kale, Rocket, Turnip Tops

Onions

Sow leeks
Thin leek seedlings to 1.5 inches
Plant onion sets (heat-treated and ordinary)
Sow onion seed - for smaller pickling onions
Harvesting - Leeks

Roots

Sow carrots, parsnip, salsify and scorzonera

Other Vegetables

Sow Lettuce - in rows in plots, and pots at home
Sow Beetroot, Spinach, Leaf Beet/Chard (late in month)
Sow Sweetcorn in toilet roll tubes inside
Prepare beds for Squashes and Cucumbers
Harvesting - Winter Spinach, Chard

Herbs

Sow Parsley
Most herbs can be sown now direct - but sow Basil inside or under cover

Fruit

Harvesting - first Rhubarb of season

Herbs Tip

Propagate perennial herbs such as rosemary and lavender. Cut a few inches below a shoot tip, remove the lower leaves from the cutting and place the cut end in perlite in a humid, shaded environment. The relative success rate of rooting and the time required depends on which species is being propagated.

Worth a Read!

The Half-hour Allotment

I liked this book lots. It's full of practical advice, principally for allotment holders, but the ideas can be applied to your garden. Some of it so obvious you think 'why didn't I do this before?' The crux of the book is that you dedicate 30 mins, 5 days a week to your allotment, with weekends off.

This practical and inspirational handbook is aimed at the new generation of gardeners who want to enjoy the taste and health benefits of growing their own food, but who have little time to spare. Expert advice and innovative techniques show you how to grow the right quantities of the fruit and vegetables you love, and enjoy the satisfactions of tending an allotment or vegetable garden without becoming a slave to your plot.

Take a look at The Half-hour Allotment (Royal Horticultural Society)