As Winter begins to melt away, we look ahead to the vital preparations needed for a successful Spring, full of beautiful blooms and vegetables! We asked our Group Estates Manager, Chris Holdsworth what he will be up to in these upcoming months.
February
“Now is the time for the annual pruning of apple, pear and medlar, also the wonderful blackcurrant where we remove a third of the oldest stems. We will also start digging and preparing vegetable beds, for the early sowing of beetroot, kohl rabi turnip, celeriac and chilli in seed trays in the Greenhouse, if mild enough we will begin direct sowing into the poly tunnel of baby turnip, radish and carrots. We will ensure to finish pruning Wisteria where we shorten the stems to around 3 buds, tidy old growth and tie in new growth. In addition to these, now that winter is starting to melt away, any key maintenance work such as repairing walls and paths after the frost and cold will also be scheduled to prepare for Spring.”
March
“This is the time for our roses, lawn and bushes! Firstly, we will start lawn remedial work by applying feed, weed and moss killer, slightly scarify, aerate and then start mowing. Our rose garden and bushes will undergo annual remedial work, such as fork over the bush beds and pruning the roses to outward facing buds form, in order to create an open centre as this helps wind to blow through keeping fungal diseases down! Removal of all dead leaves from beds is carried out as this too helps reduce risk of fungal, these leaves will get burnt not composted to avoid any transition of fungal diseases.
We hope we have given you some great ideas on garden preparation to ensure you have a fantastic, successful garden and greenhouse this spring!
Happy Gardening!
