Get Weekly Blogs Straight To Your Inbox
Spring Garden: Spring Sowing. 6 Weeks Before Our Last Frost Date
Sowing Flower Seeds
SPRING GARDEN: SPRING SOWING 1: Flowers
Sowing flowers in April can really kick start your garden into a mass of colour and fragrance for the summer months ahead. In the UK, April is a transitional time in the garden, with the last frosts of winter coming up making way for the warmer days of spring.
Other useful blog posts:
The Importance of Seed Starting with Heat Mats and Grow Lights
1. Indoors
Sowing indoors allows you to get a head start on the growing season. This is especially useful for flowers that need a bit of extra warmth and protection in their early stages.
Cosmos: Easy to grow and producing daisy like flowers on long stems, Cosmos are perfect for adding height and colour to borders.
Zinnias: Offering a vibrant selection of colours, Zinnias can brighten up any garden space. They prefer to start life without too much disturbance, so consider sowing in peat pots that can be planted directly into the soil.
Marigolds (Tagetes): Not only do they add a splash of gold, orange, and yellow to your garden, but Marigolds are also great for pest control, making them a practical choice for indoor sowing.
2. Direct Sow Outdoors
Some flowers prefer to be sown directly into their flowering positions, as they do not transplant well or they grow quickly enough to flower in the same year without the need for an early start.
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica): These drought tolerant plants can add a beautiful pop of colour to your garden with their silky, saucer shaped flowers.
Nigella (Love in a Mist): Known for its delicate, ferny foliage, and attractive flowers, Nigella does well when sown directly and tends to self seed for future blooms.
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus): With their striking blue flowers, Cornflowers are a favourite for attracting bees and butterflies. They’re very easy to grow from seed sown directly into the ground.
3. In Heated Greenhouse
A heated greenhouse or heated mats can provide the perfect environment for starting flowers that need constant warmth. This can also extend the growing season for many plants.
Begonias: Requiring a warm start, Begonias can be sown into trays or pots in a heated greenhouse. They offer a dazzling array of colours and forms.
Lobelia: Ideal for hanging baskets and edging, Lobelia seeds are very fine and benefit from the stable temperatures of a heated greenhouse.
Geraniums (Pelargoniums): While often grown as perennials in warmer climates, in the UK, they’re commonly treated as annuals. Starting them in a heated greenhouse ensures they have a long flowering period.
Remember, while this list offers a starting point, it’s always a good idea to check the specific needs and recommendations for each type of flower seed you choose to sow. Conditions can vary based on your local climate, the specific microclimate of your garden, and the current weather patterns each year. Here our last average frost date is around 15th May
Spring Sowing- Flowers Video Reel
If you want to know how to stop getting leggy plants watch our YouTube Video on our DIY Seedling Backdrop
Sowing Veg Seeds
SPRING GARDEN: SPRING SOWING 2: Veg
April is a busy time in the UK vegetable garden, with many crops ready to be sown.
1. Indoors
Starting vegetables indoors gives them a head start in the growing season and can help ensure a more successful harvest.
Sweetcorn: These thrive when started indoors, allowing them to establish strong roots before being planted outside after the risk of frost has passed. Choose from a different varieties to suit your climate. Earlibird are the ones that work for us.
Peppers (Capsicum): Peppers also benefit from an early start indoors. With varieties ranging from sweet bell peppers to hot chili peppers, there’s something for every taste.
Aubergines (Eggplants): Similar to peppers and tomatoes, aubergines require a longer growing season. Starting them indoors in April ensures they have enough time to mature and produce fruit before the end of summer. Although we have had ours planted since January as we are growing on a windowsill and not in a greenhouse.
2. Direct Sow Outdoors
Some vegetables prefer to be sown directly into the soil, as they do not transplant well or they grow quickly enough to reach maturity without the need for an early start.
Carrots: Directly sowing carrot seeds outdoors in April ensures straight, sweet roots. Choose from a variety of colours and shapes, from classic orange to purple or yellow.
Radishes: Radishes are quick-growing and can be sown directly into the soil for a fast harvest. Their peppery flavour adds a zing to salads and other dishes.
Spinach: Hardy and versatile, spinach can be sown directly outdoors in April for a continuous harvest of tender leaves throughout the season. It’s packed with nutrients and can be used in salads, smoothies, or cooked dishes.
3. In Heated Greenhouse
A heated greenhouse provides a controlled environment for starting vegetables that require warmer temperatures to germinate and grow.
Courgettes: Courgettes thrive in warm conditions, making them ideal candidates for starting in a heated greenhouse. Once established, they can be planted outside or kept under cover for a longer growing season.
Pumpkins: Require a long, warm growing season to produce them sweet & juicy. Starting them in a heated greenhouse ensures they have the heat they need to germinate and grow into strong seedlings.
Squash: Varieties such as courgettes and pumpkins can benefit from an early start in a heated greenhouse. Once the weather warms up, they can be planted outside where they’ll continue to grow and produce fruit.
Spring Sowing: Sweetcorn Sowing Reel
Sowing Herb Seeds
SPRING GARDEN: SPRING SOWING 3: Herbs
Sowing herbs in April in the UK is a great way to ensure a fresh and aromatic supply for your kitchen throughout the growing season.
1. Indoors:
Starting herbs indoors in April gives them a head start, allowing you to enjoy fresh herbs earlier in the season. This is particularly beneficial for herbs that require warmer temperatures to germinate and grow.
Basil: Basil thrives in warm conditions and can be slow to germinate if temperatures are too cool. Starting basil seeds indoors in April ensures a healthy supply of this flavourful herb for summer dishes. Can also be grown in a heated environment
Sage: While sage is fairly hardy, starting it indoors can help establish strong plants that are ready to transplant outdoors later in the spring. It requires good airflow and well drained soil to thrive.
Rosemary: Rosemary can take a while to germinate and grow to a transplantable size. Starting it indoors allows for a controlled environment to monitor its slow growth. It prefers well drained soil and plenty of sunlight.
2. Direct Sow Outdoors:
Some herbs prefer to be sown directly into the soil, as they don’t transplant well or they grow quickly from seed to harvest.
Parsley: Parsley is a hardy herb that can be sown directly outdoors in April. It prefers rich, moist soil and can be harvested throughout the growing season for fresh flavor in soups, salads, and sauces.
Chives: Chives are easy to grow from seed and can be sown directly into the garden in April. They produce edible leaves that add a mild onion flavor to dishes and attractive purple flowers that are also edible.
Coriander (Cilantro): While coriander can be started indoors, it can also be sown directly outdoors in April. Sow seeds in well-drained soil in a sunny location for a continuous supply of fresh coriander leaves.
3. In Heated Greenhouse:
A heated greenhouse provides the warmth needed for germination and early growth, allowing you to start more tender herbs earlier in the season.
Lavender: Starting lavender in a heated greenhouse can accelerate its slow germination process and early growth, ensuring stronger plants that are ready to endure the outdoor conditions once transplanted.
Lemongrass: Lemongrass is a tropical herb that requires warm temperatures to germinate and grow. Starting lemongrass seeds in a heated greenhouse in April ensures a strong start for this flavourful herb.
Dill: Dill prefers warmer temperatures for germination and growth. Starting dill seeds indoors or with extra heat in April allows you to control the conditions and ensure a steady supply of this aromatic herb for pickling, salads, and seafood dishes.
Remember to provide adequate water, sunlight, and ventilation for your herbs, regardless of where you sow them. With proper care, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of fresh herbs throughout the growing season.
Spring Sowing: Herbs Taking Cuttings & Propagating Rosemary Reel
Happy Gardening!
Katrina & Clayton and family live in East Ayrshire and share their daily life in the garden on instagram. They practice permaculture principles in the garden, reducing & repurposing waste whenever they can. Katrina shows how home educating in nature has helped Clayton thrive.
Clayton Completed The 2 Grow and Learn Courses with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society This Year. Clayton has just turned 17, Autistic, Non Verbal & has been Home Educated for the last 7yrs. Katrina & Peter both hold their PDC Permaculture Design Course from Oregon State University
They featured on BBC Beechgrove Gardens Ep23 2022 and returned in 2023 for an update, Katrina & Clayton are also columnists for ScotlandGrows Magazine, Guest Blog for Caledonian Horticulture as well as working with Gardeners’ World Magazine and many other brands.
They are also Author of the new Children’s Book Series: Clayton’s Garden Journey: Stories of Autism and Gardening. Topics on Growing, Harvesting, Sowing & Composting and 108 Page Weather and Seasons Weekly Gardening Record Book available on Amazon and Kindle.
Listen in on their Guest Podcasts to learn more about them.
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Our Children’s Book Series
Author of the new children’s book series: Clayton’s Garden Journey: Stories of Autism and Gardening and Sowing, Growing, Weather and Seasons Weekly Gardening Record Book available on Amazon and Kindle
Visit Our Print On Demand Stores
REDBUBBLE STORE -WORLDWIDE
Over 175 Garden & Nature Designs. Coasters, Phone Covers, Bags, Mouse Mats & Much More
Discover more from Building a Food Forest -Scotland
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
