The Good Neighbour's Guide to Gardening in Spring

April at last! Our gardens are springing to life and it's time to get busy outdoors. But if you're not sure where to start, we've got some tips on what to sow this month, as well as advice around weeding and staying motivated!

Weeding

Firstly, let's address weeds, the bane of every gardener's existence. Some weeds cooperate — you get it in a single tug, root and all! Others are more stubborn and break off at the root; they will come back and sap your motivation.

The key to controlling weeds is to be consistent and dedicate time to weeding little and often. Dust off the hoe and run it over your veggie patches or flower beds once a week — weeds or no weeds — and don’t give them the chance to take root. 

What to Sow Over the Coming Month

Indoors

• Lettuce
• tomato
• pepper
• chilli pepper
• cucumber
• celery
• celeriac
• basil
• leeks
• cabbage
• cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• parsley
• courgette
• beans
• sweetcorn
• pumpkin.

Outdoors

Thinking about planting potatoes? Now's the time to go for it! The beginning of April is the perfect time of the year to plant earlies — specifically in single rows 25cm apart, leaving 50cm between rows. Meanwhile, you can plant maincrop varieties in mid to late April (30cm apart in 60cm rows).

Other vegetables to sow:

• broad bean
• onion sets
• pea
• beetroot
• cabbage
• spinach
• Brussels sprouts
• parsnip
• spring onion
• leek
• carrot
• radish
• broccoli
• turnip.

Top tip - plant cabbage plants when they are 15/20 cm tall into well-prepared soil that has been manured.

Make the most of your pesky weeds

Nettle soup is delicious and easy to prepare

Make organic fertiliser

Nettles are extremely rich in nitrogen, which is particularly beneficial for plants that need leafy growth like lettuces and cabbage. So, when clearing nettles, don’t throw them out — use them to make a natural fertiliser.

For starters, add a kilo of nettles to about 20 litres of water and let them stew for a month (it's going to stink so be mindful of where you put it). Mix one part of this stinky nettle liquid with ten-parts water when applying to plants. 

Make a healthy soup

On the other hand, nettles also make a great addition to soup and other dishes. Nettle soup has been enjoyed in Ireland for centuries partly because it grows in abundance in the Irish countryside. Check out this recipe from Donal Skehan: https://www.irishtimes.com/food-and-drink/recipes/nettle-soup.

Keep your spirits up with Makem and Clancy

Gardening is a fantastic hobby, but all that weeding and routine planting can leave you feeling drained nonetheless. Stick on some upbeat tunes to help keep your energy levels up — we reckon 'The Garden Song' by Makem and Clancy is pretty fitting!