Spring flowering pot plants and bulbs are now producing a blaze of colour and your seedlings and cuttings are growing fast.  Outdoor sowing and planting can begin in earnest

*Propagation Indoors

Sow tender vegetables such as outdoor Tomatoes and Runner Beans to plant out later

Pot up Pelargonium and Fuschia cuttings already  rooted

Pot up Chrysanthemum cuttings rooted last month

Take Dahlia cuttings

Sow bedding and pot plant seeds – Zinnias,Nemesia and Marigolds

Prick out or pot up seedlings sown  in March

Sow Marrows, Courgettes, Celery, Celeriac and French Beans

TIP: Seeds sown  in modular tray systems make spacing easier, save time in pricking out and produce strong sturdy plants with little or no disturbance when transplanting once the weather warms up.  Check plants regularly to see if watering is needed.  You may have to water actively growing plants several times a week.

*Planting out Outdoors

When sowing and planting outdoors remember that soil temperature is as important as air temperature.  Few seeds will germinate if the soil temperature is below 7°C(45°F).

Sow hardy annuals

Plant Gladioli

Plant out Sweet Peas

Sow more Sweet Peas directly where they are to flower

Plant Ranunculus

Plant Potatoes

Plant out vegetable seedlings e.g. Cabbage, Lettuce

Plant new Strawberries

TIP: Warm up soil by using cloches, tunnels or cold frames for early outdoor sowing especially with the early vegetables.

*In the Greenhouse

Check all the plants for signs of pests and diseases which often increase as the temperature rises especially white fly at this time of year

Increase  ventilation on warm days

Increase watering of plants as the weather warms up

The indications given above assume you will be using Rootrainers seed trays and or/plug plants produced in Rootrainers.  If you are using conventional seed trays, then the growth cycle is likely to be longer.  Also remember if you are using Rootrainers seed trays you will not have to do any potting up of your cuttings and you will save on compost.