Spring work in the garden

What to do on the site in March

Sow seeds for seedlings. In early March, you can sow mid-season and early varieties of peppers and eggplants. They do not like transplanting, so it is better to sow the seeds immediately in separate cups.

At the end of March, late and mid-ripening tomato varieties can be sown (1). They, on the contrary, love transplants and picks, so they can be sown in boxes or containers.

Also in March, you can safely sow flowers for seedlings – annual asters, verbenas, delphiniums, gazania, Chinese carnation, helichrysum, levkoy, lobelia, snapdragon, petunia, sage, fragrant tobacco.

Trim fruit trees and berry bushes. In March, you can carry out any type of pruning – sanitary, shaping, rejuvenating. It is better to do this in the first half of the month (2), so that the wounds have time to heal before the start of sap flow.

Put dahlia tubers on germination. At the end of May, they can be planted in a flower garden, and they will bloom much earlier than if they were planted immediately in open ground. In addition, it will be possible to cut and root green dahlia cuttings and thus get more planting material.

Prepare your greenhouse for the upcoming season. Here is a list of work that is important to do before you start populating plants in the greenhouse:

• check the strength of the structure – perhaps the nuts have loosened somewhere; if the metal structures are rusted, they need to be cleaned and painted;
• wash the windows – this will increase the illumination inside the greenhouse by 30%;
• disinfect the soil – pour it with Bordeaux mixture or blue vitriol according to the instructions;
• add fertilizer to the soil – humus or compost is best;
• warm the beds – cover them with a black film or pour hot water over them.

What to do on the site in April

Plant fruit trees. In April, trees can be grafted by any method, but most often by bark, splitting, budding and improved copulation (3). And in order for the vaccinations to take root, it is important to observe the main condition: the stock (the plant on which it is grafted) must be active, with swollen buds, and the graft (the stalk that is grafted) must be dormant.

Treat trees and shrubs from diseases and pests. In the spring you need to carry out 3 sprayings:

• before bud break – Bordeaux liquid or HOM preparation, this will destroy the pathogens of most diseases;
• when the first leaves appear – with Fufanon, this treatment is only for berry bushes – it will help to destroy ticks;
• when buds appear – with Fufanon, this time you need to spray both trees and shrubs – this treatment will get rid of most pests.

Feed the garden. In spring, plants begin to grow actively, so they need nitrogen, the timing and rates of top dressing depend on the crop:

• apple and pear trees – in the last days of April: 3 cups of urea – scatter over the diameter of the crown and water;
• currant – at the beginning of bud break: 2 tbsp. spoons of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water, the norm is 1 bucket per bush;
• gooseberries – when the leaves begin to bloom: 2 tbsp. spoons of nitrophoska and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of urea per 10 liters of water, the norm is 2 buckets per bush;
• raspberries – in mid-April: 3 tbsp. spoons of urea per 1 sq. m, scatter between the rows and close up in the ground with a rake.

Plant seedlings. Mid-April is the ideal time for planting absolutely any trees and shrubs: both fruit and berry, and ornamental.

Sow cold hardy plants. At the end of April, you can sow:

• vegetables – carrots, beets, peas, beans, lentils, rutabaga and turnips, borage, mustard, all types of cabbage, all types of onions, watercress, radishes, turnips, parsnips, rhubarb, arugula, lettuce, spinach, sorrel;
• spicy herbs – anise, hyssop, cilantro, catnip, lofant, lovage, monard, mint, parsley, dill, celery, thyme, cumin, fennel;
• flowers – aquilegia, amaranth, anagalis, aster, cosmea, lychnis, lupine, foxglove, calendula.

Sow vegetables for seedlings. In early April – early varieties of tomatoes. At the end of the month – cucumbers, watermelons, melons, pumpkins, zucchini and squash, lagenaria, late varieties of corn.

Plant seedlings in greenhouses. In April, you can safely plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and cucumbers in greenhouses.

Get potato tubers for sprouting. This must be done two weeks before planting – in mid-April. It is necessary to germinate tubers in a cool, but bright room.

Reveal roses, clematis and grapes. Shelters should be removed gradually – first open them for several days in a row only for a day, and then, when the plants get used to it, you can remove the protection completely.

What to do on the site in May

Feed the garden. Some trees and shrubs need top dressing during the flowering period:

• apple and pear trees – at the beginning of flowering: 3 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate and 2 tbsp. spoons of urea per 10 water, the norm is 4 – 5 buckets per tree;
• plum – at the beginning of flowering: 2 tbsp. spoons of urea and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water, the norm is 3 buckets per tree;
• cherry – after flowering: 5 liters of mullein (diluted 1:10) and 10 glasses of ash per 50 liters of water, the norm is 1 bucket per tree;
• gooseberries – at the beginning of flowering: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water, the norm is 3 buckets per bush.

Plant potatoes. The best time for planting tubers is from May 1 to May 10. In each hole when planting, it is useful to add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate – this fertilizer will protect the crop from the wireworm.

Plant seedlings. After May 10, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants can be planted on the beds, but on condition that they are covered with non-woven fabric.

Sow heat-loving vegetables. In the first decade of May, you can sow beans in the garden. After May 25, cucumbers, watermelons, melons, pumpkins, zucchini with squash, and corn can be sown on the beds.

Plant heat-loving flowers. At the end of May, gladiolus corms, dahlia tubers, cannes and callas can be planted.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about what works in the garden and vegetable garden are important not to miss in the spring. agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Gavrish S.F. Tomatoes // M.: NIIOZG, publishing house “Scriptorium 2000”, 2003 – 184 p.
2. Egorov V.I., Nazaryan E.A. Handbook of gardening // M.: Profizdat Publishing House, 1957 – 264 p.
3. Emelyanov F.A., Kruglova A.P., Kulikov V.A., Sazhin N.S., Gryazev N.D., Kinkovskaya N.I., Berkut O.D., Molchanov A.I., Khramov P .BUT. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.