Veg for the Year Ahead

The most versatile month in the seed sowing calendar has arrived, or should have arrived if you'll excuse the weather. April is the ideal month to plant a wide variety of vegetable seeds, outweighing any other month due to the soil beginning to warm in the spring in the air. It’s time to get busy planting some of the wonderful vegetables you'll be enjoying at your dinner table this summer and beyond, just remember to make sure you wait until the final frost is out of the way and don't forget to cultivate an optimistic outlook for your gardens year ahead to help it on its way. Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) would like to share with you in this blog entry some of the best veg seeds to plant right now, and some top tips for planting too:

• Root vegetables - beetroot, turnip, carrot and parsnip seeds are all ideal to sow in April. Use a loose soil to allow the roots to grow downwards freely.
• Summer salads - lettuces, endive, cress, rocket, radishes. Sow these in a well composted soil with a general fertiliser. To prevent the common disorder of 'tip burn' that can be experienced with some soils, you may wish to add lime before planting.
• Brassica crops - kale, summer and early winter cabbages, brussel sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli, calabrese and cauliflowers are among some of the easiest crops to grow, they like a well drained rich soil in partial shade. Its best to avoid growing brassicas on the same piece of ground more than one year in every three, this will help to avoid the build up of soil pests and diseases.
• Tomatoes, peppers and aubergines are ideal to plant at this time. Grow them in a location that has as much direct sun, and shelter from winds, as possible.
• Celery/celeriac - celery germination rates aren't great so sow your celery seeds in stations (5 seeds a station) a few inches apart. Then thin out all but the strongest plant that emerges from each station.
• Courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons are some of the most productive vegetables in the garden. They require a sunny location and fertile, moist soil. Add plenty of compost or well-rotted manure before planting.
• Herbs including basil, coriander and parsley are great around the garden border. Although many herbs produce pretty flowers that are just as tasty as the leaves, coriander and parsley should not be allowed to flower or they will set seed.

Putting work in this month will put food on the table through the summer and winter months. And don’t forget, vegetables grown from seeds taste far better than the shop bought alternatives, and at a fraction of the price. Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) has an extensive selection of mail order seeds to plant in this key month in the gardeners calendar, paving the way for an exciting year ahead.

  

Editor’s Note: Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.