What We are Sowing - April
April is a great time in the garden. Spring is coming and the days are getting warmer and lighter. This means it’s time for sowing ‘half-hardy annuals’ in the cutting garden. A ‘half- hardy annual’ is a plant that completes it’s whole lifecycle in a year. The ‘half-hardy’ part of the name tells us that these plants are not tolerant to frost and need a warmer climate to grow. This is why we sow these seeds undercover in April, when the temperature is going up. April is still way too early to plant these outside, so you won’t be able to direct sow them into the ground right now. We will be getting our half-hardy seeds germinating in the greenhouse and growing into nice strong plants where it’s protected from the cold. Then, when the last risk of frost has passed, we can plant them outside. This is also beneficial because by growing on your plants undercover it means that they will become more substantial plants so they will be more likely to survive against attacks from pests aka slugs!
We are trying lots of new plants this year along with some old favourites. Check out the list below of just some of the seeds we will be starting off in the greenhouse in April.
Cosmos - Purity, Antiquity, Double Click
Calendula - Orange Buff, Cantaloupe
Florist’s Dill
Helianthus (sunflowers) - Ms Mars, Ruby Eclipse, Italian White
Nicotiana - Lime Green
Bunny Tails (grass)
Limonium - Pastel Mixed, Apricot Beauty
Let us know what you are growing! Once these are off, it’s dahlia time!!