April

Top Tips:
My first principle to good gardening is soil quality which you should have well under control if you've been following my advice. Second on my list is pest control for which my watch word is predation, practically every insect pest in your garden has a natural predator which you may be able to encourage to control your pests. There's not space on this page to go into this subject in too much depth so you'll need to do some research or send me an email if you want specific information.
Weeds will flourish in the growing season, I'm not a great fan of weed killer but a good cheap alternative is mulch. It can be used in different situations, it's environmentally friendly and a lot less effort that using a hoe.

Lawns:
In April mow your lawn frequently, particularly when the weather is warm and the ground firm and dry.
Invest time in raking well and if the lawn is in poor condition you'll need to scarify.
Scarifying is a method of removing dead grass, moss and any other rubbish (generally known as thatch). If your lawn hasn't been well raked or scarified before you could reveal significant areas that will need to be replanted with grass seed. I've worked on lawns that have had less then 40% grass but this isn't always obvious until all of the thatch is removed.

Flowers and shrubs:
Hanging baskets and tubs can be sown now, never be tempted to use the same compost left over from last year in your basket, the potting compost from last year is unlikely to have sufficient nutriment and you risk passing on disease.

Fruit & Vegetables:
Vegetable planting should be well under way now and if you started early you should see the first early lettuce.

When planting directly into the ground don't skimp on seed, seed is still relatively cheap, and by thinning out the poorest samples of your developing crop you'll ensure the best possible results.
Don't forget your herbs!

Greenhouse:
Your early seedling are likely to be large enough to prick out and pot, ensure you harden them off before they go outside.

Tomatoes can be planted now even in an unheated greenhouse as long as the temperature doesn't get below 10-12 C