April vegetable growing guide

What you could be growing on your allotment now...

The weather forecast for this weekend sees a maximum temperature of 15 deg C., showing that spring has well and truly arrived.  While there is still the risk of frost, and the ground is still quite wet on the site, there are now lots of options of what to plant out or sow on your plot.

Outside, you could be sowing directly root crops, peas, broad beans, summer salads, brassicas, leeks, spring onions and swiss chard & leaf beet.  Onion sets should now be planted and early potatoes can go out now as well.

If you have a plot that still needs clearing, and also to combat slugs, it can be a good idea to start off some of your sowings indoors. Brassicas, salad, leeks, peas and broad beans can all be started off indoors and planted out a little later.  Meanwhile you can concentrate on clearing your plot and making sure your beds are clear of weeds.

For more information and growing guides some useful links are below:

• Real Seeds have a useful gardening calendar for the year here.
• No-dig gardener Charles Dowding has a great article on what you could be growing in April here.