Let the longer, warmer days inspire you into action.
Crack open the compost
It’s what we’ve been waiting for through the long winter as compost has been maturing. Now it’s time to retrieve compost from the bin and feed the soil for the growing season.
Compost is ready when it smells earthy and looks crumbly. You may need to pick out a few twigs or fruit stones, but you can just put them back in the bin to go through the cycle again. Spread a thick layer of compost around plants to feed any new shoots.
Tools at the ready
Get tools, greenhouses and water butts clean and ready for service. To avoid spreading plant diseases, give tools such as secateurs a thorough wipe with a cloth dipped in surgical spirit or hand sanitiser. Leave on for 30 seconds then wipe off with a cloth to sterilise.
Dinner at dusk
Put out food for hedgehogs coming out of hibernation as they’ll be hungry and thirsty and will have lost a lot of weight. At dusk, leave chicken-based cat or dog food and fresh water in a shallow bowl in a feeding station that will protect them from predators.
Food for feathered friends
Give birdfeeders and bird baths a good clean to prevent the spread of fatal diseases among wild birds. Then put out fatty bird food and wool holders for nesting birds. The nesting period in the UK is between March and August. Postpone cutting hedges until autumn to avoid disturbing nests.
Shell seed starters
Did you know you can use eggshell halves as seed starters, particularly for calcium-loving plants such as tomatoes and peppers? Clean the shells, poke a small drainage hole in the bottom, fill with seed starting mix, plant seeds and place in a sunny spot. When planting, gently crush the shell to help roots expand.
Make a ‘mini greenhouse’
Copy this ingenious idea from author and eco-influencer Nancy Birtwhistle: If you have a spare plastic clear storage box with clip-on lid, turn it upside down, stand mini trays of seeds on the lid (so they’re lifted from the cold ground), give them a good watering and then cover with the upturned box.