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Here is our monthly round-up of news, tips and ideas to make the most of your garden this March!
Spring is fast approaching, and we hope March will bring the promise of warmer (and drier!) weather!
As we move to our spring-summer opening hours, now is the perfect time to make a start on the gardening projects you have planned for 2024!
From the 1st of March until October, both of our centres will operate under the following opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 08:00 – 17:00
Saturday: 08:30 – 17:00
Sunday: 10:00 – 16:00
Mon – Fri: 08:00 – 17:00
Saturday: 08:30 – 17:00
Sunday: CLOSED
Here are some tasks to help you make the most out of your garden over the coming months:
• Separate perennials – separating into smaller groups encourages new growth and summer flowering.
• Cut back rose bushes and climbers – remove dead branches and trim stems just above fresh buds. Ensure your secateurs are sharp for precise cutting.
• Add to your compost bin – add grass clippings and left over matter from pruning to your compost bin.
• Weed your garden – get rid of weeds that have been left to thrive over the winter months, and cover borders and bedding with bark or wood chippings to keep them at bay.
• Prepare your greenhouse – take down insulation in your greenhouse to let in more light. At this time of year, plants need as much light as they can get to continue growing rapidly.
• Put down fresh mulch – to keep weeds away, lay fresh mulch around fruit trees. To feed your trees and ensure a healthy crop, also apply a garden manure or compost.
• Manage pests – keep an eye out for snails and slugs, particularly if you have an unheated greenhouse, as they feed on new growth and seedlings. Copper rings, beer traps and organic pellets can help to protect vulnerable plants.
• Care for wildlife – help your local hedgehogs by providing food, water and a safe place to take shelter.
• Check for wood damage – be sure to inspect your fencing, crop protection and outbuildings. Bad winter weather can cause damage, which is best to fix at around this time of year.
• Plant potted bulbs – if you forgot to plants spring-flowering bulbs back in autumn, purchasing some potted bulbs now may be the answer. Though a little more pricey than dormant bulbs, using potted bulbs in a series of containers or along a flower bed can result in a beautiful spring display!
The International Day of Forests takes place on March 21st – celebrating and raising awareness of the importance of forests, and our need to preserve them.
Just a simple walk in the woods can calm and invigorate our senses. Why not visit our Midgley centre and enjoy a woodland walk?
We have two nature trails of differing lengths at Midgley for you to explore, with historical facts about the area dotted throughout.
You can also visit our Little Acorn coffee stop at Midgley – from our vintage horse box conversion we serve hot and cold drinks and a variety of tasty treats.
A lot of plants are surprisingly resilient, so don’t worry if winter weather has left them with frost damage – here are some top tips to help your plants recover from damage and keep them protected during cold snaps!
Treat damage
• Use secateurs to prune away any damaged growths.
• Add fertiliser around the base of your plant to encourage a strong re-growth.
• Have patience – you may not see signs of regrowth until summer, so don’t worry if your plants do not pick up immediately!
Avoid damage
• Horticultural fleece will protect your plants against most winter frosts but will require a second layer or to be brought indoors when the temperature falls below 5ºC.
• Laying mulch in the area around your plants will prevent the ground from freezing.
• Move more vulnerable plants into a greenhouse during frosty weather, if you are able to.
• Beetroot is full of antioxidants and can be sown until July and harvested until October.
• Tomatoes should be sown indoors between February and April and need to be watered generously and regularly. Harvest your tomatoes between July and October.
• Strawberries can be sown in March and April. For an earlier crop, it is best to grow your strawberries in pots in an unheated greenhouse or, if outside, covered with cloches.
• Carrots should be sown under cover in March and should only need to be watered if the foliage shows signs of wilting. Harvest around 3-4 month after sowing.
• Broad beans, packed with iron and potassium, can be planted until May and should be harvested towards the end of summer, around September.
• Second early potatoes can be planted in beds once the soil is no longer cold, for harvests in July and August.
This year, the Royal Horticultural Society are celebrating 60 years of their nationwide community gardening competition, Britain in Bloom!
Britain in Bloom helps to reinvigorate local communities through the power of gardening, which can include activities such as creating and caring for public community gardens or sowing wildflower meadows, creating wildlife habitats and maintaining conservation areas.
The theme for this milestone year is “Friendship”- celebrating the ways that gardening has helped to bring people together.
Read more here!
Simplify Vegetable Gardening by Tony O’Neill
If you are an intermediate or advanced gardener looking to level-up your growing skills, Simplify Vegetable Gardening is the ideal reference for meeting your goal.
Available from Amazon here.
“Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.”
– Lewis Grizzard
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