March to May to Do List.
Gardening in the UK between March and May is an exciting time as spring kicks into gear. The weather starts to warm up, days get longer, and plants begin to wake up after winter. Here’s a detailed list of jobs to keep your garden thriving during this period, broken down by month and key tasks. These are tailored to the UK’s temperate climate (USDA zones 8-9), where frost can still linger into early spring, but growth accelerates by May.
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March
Weather Context: Early spring, average temperatures 5-10°C, risk of late frosts.
General Tasks:
Tidy Up: Clear away winter debris—dead leaves, broken branches, and leftover annuals. This reduces pests and diseases.
Soil Prep: Turn over the soil in beds and borders with a fork to aerate it. Add compost or well-rotted manure to boost nutrients.
Weeding: Start tackling weeds as they emerge. Use a hoe or hand-pull before they set seed.
Mulching: Spread a 5-7 cm layer of organic mulch (e.g., compost, bark) around plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Planting:
Early Veg: Sow hardy crops like broad beans, peas, carrots, and spinach outdoors if the soil isn’t waterlogged. Use cloches for protection if frost threatens.
Indoor Sowing: Start tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse.
Bare-Root Plants: Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, and hedges early in March before they break dormancy.
Lawn Care:
First Mow: Give the lawn a light cut if the ground is dry, keeping blades high.
Repair: Reseed bare patches and edge borders for a neat look.
Pruning:
Roses: Prune hybrid tea and floribunda roses to encourage strong growth. Cut back to an outward-facing bud, removing dead or crossing stems.
Shrubs: Trim late-summer flowering shrubs (e.g., buddleia, lavatera) to shape them.
Pests: Watch for slugs and snails as they become active—use organic pellets or barriers if needed.
April
Weather Context: Mid-spring, temperatures 8-15°C, fewer frosts, more rain.
General Tasks:
Compost: Turn your compost heap to speed up decomposition.
Watering: Check soil moisture—April showers help, but water newly planted areas if dry spells hit.
Staking: Set up supports for tall perennials (e.g., delphiniums, peonies) before they flop.
Planting:
Veg: Sow lettuce, radishes, beetroot, and leeks outdoors. Start runner beans and courgettes indoors.
Flowers: Plant hardy annuals like marigolds and sweet peas directly outside. Sow half-hardy annuals (e.g., cosmos, zinnias) indoors.
Potatoes: Plant second-early and maincrop potatoes in trenches with added compost.
Lawn Care:
Regular Mowing: Mow weekly if growth picks up, lowering blades gradually.
Feed: Apply a spring lawn fertilizer to boost grass health.
Pruning:
Spring Shrubs: Lightly trim early-flowering shrubs (e.g., forsythia, ribes) after blooming.
Fruit Trees: Prune stone fruits like plums and cherries before sap rises too much, avoiding disease spread.
Greenhouse: Ventilate on warm days to prevent overheating and dampen down to maintain humidity for seedlings.
May
Weather Context: Late spring, temperatures 10-18°C, frost risk fades (except in northern UK).
General Tasks:
Harden Off: Gradually acclimatize indoor-sown plants (e.g., tomatoes, dahlias) to outdoor conditions over 7-10 days before planting out.
Pest Control: Inspect plants for aphids and use soapy water or ladybirds as natural controls.
Pinching Out: Pinch tips of young sweet peas and bedding plants to encourage bushiness.
Planting:
Tender Veg: Plant out tomatoes, courgettes, and runner beans after the last frost (typically mid-to-late May in the south, later in the north).
Bedding Plants: Add summer colour with petunias, geraniums, and begonias in borders or containers.
Herbs: Sow basil, coriander, and parsley outdoors or in pots.
Lawn Care:
Mow Regularly: Cut weekly and trim edges for a polished look.
Aerate: Spike compacted areas with a fork to improve drainage.
Pruning:
Hedges: Lightly trim evergreen hedges (e.g., box, yew) for shape, avoiding nesting birds (check first—it’s illegal to disturb them under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981).
Clematis: Prune early-flowering clematis (Group 1) after blooming if needed.
Ponds: Clear algae and add oxygenating plants like watercress to keep water healthy for wildlife.
General Tips for March-May
Frost Watch: Keep fleece or cloches handy, especially in March and early April, as cold snaps can still hit.
Wildlife: Leave some wild corners for pollinators and birds—spring is nesting season.
Tools: Clean and sharpen secateurs, hoes, and spades to make jobs easier.
Timing: Adjust planting based on local weather—southern UK warms faster than the north or Scotland.
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