April Allotment Tasks
April marks a turning point in the gardening calendar, with longer daylight hours and rising temperatures sparking new growth. Here’s a quick guide to essential allotment jobs this month
Soil Preparation
As temperatures rise, the soil often warms enough for light digging. Avoid working it when it’s wet, as this damages structure. Weeds appear fast now, so hoe regularly to get on top of it and tackle perennial weeds early. By doing this now, it will make it much easier to manage throughout the growing season. Follow this link to help you identify common weeds and how best to deal with them.
identifying common weed seedlings
Improve beds with compost or well‑rotted manure, then rake level so you’re ready to sow later in the month.
Sowing Seeds Outdoors
Direct sow cool‑tolerant crops such as carrots, beetroot, radishes, parsnips, peas and broad beans. Sow salad leaves little and often for a steady supply.
Potatoes and Onions
Try to get all potatoes planted by month end: second earlies in the first half of April, maincrop in the second. Plant onion sets now too and use netting to stop birds pulling them up.
Sowing Under Cover
Start tender crops under cover (windowsill, greenhouse or polytunnel). Sow courgettes, squash and pumpkins for planting out in May, plus sweetcorn, brassicas, cucumbers, beans and celeriac.
It’s the last good chance to sow tomatoes, chillies and aubergines. Use modules or small pots for root room and turn plants to keep growth even.
General Maintenance
A little maintenance now saves time later: hoe regularly, add a mulch to beds help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Now is a good time to build supports for peas and beans before the busy month of May.
Take advantage of the April showers by adding water butts. United Utilities offer subsidised water butts and have an easy-to-follow guides on how to harvest our Manchester rain: Guide to harvesting rain water
Pest Control
Pests return in warmer weather—especially slugs, snails and aphids. There are several ways to control slugs and snails without resorting to slug pellets, physical barriers such as crushed egg shells or copper tape can be effective as well as traditional beer traps. More information on how to control slugs and snails on your allotment can be found at National Allotment Society guide to slugs. Remove aphids by hand, with water, or with soft soap.
Cover carrots with fleece to deter carrot fly, securing the edges. Net new sowings to protect from birds (especially brassicas and peas). Pollinator‑friendly flowers also help attract beneficial insects like ladybirds and lacewings.
Fruit Jobs for April
Tidy strawberries by removing dead leaves, then feed and mulch to keep fruit clean. Use cloches to bring crops on earlier if the weather allows.
Feed fruit trees and bushes with a high‑potassium fertiliser to support flowering and fruit set, and mulch around the base to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Protect early blossom from late frosts with fleece on cold nights. Frost risk can last into mid‑May, so cover young plants if low temperatures are forecast in April.