Hi, I’m Rosa O’Connell and the guys at DoneDeal have asked me to give some tips on gardening over the coming months. Please feel free to post any questions or comments!

Here’s some tips for the garden in April:

Spring has well and truly started, so time to get out in the garden! Please support your local garden centre:
- Spring clean your borders. Weed, hoe and mulch.
- Feed borders, trees, and shrubs with a general fertiliser.

Lawns:
- Feed the grass , if the risk of frost has passed in your area.( Many products are available: artificial, organic, liquid and slow release feeds)
- Treat moss and weeds.
- Start to mow the lawn regularly.
- Sow grass seed for new lawns.

Ornamental Garden:
- Visit your local garden centre, its planting time. Plant pot grown shrubs, trees and perennials.
- Don’t cut back your spring bulb foliage yet, wait until it dies back (approx 6 weeks after flowering).
- Sow hardy annuals outside.
- Plant spring bedding in containers. Its too early to plant your hanging baskets yet ( you would need a frost free greenhouse if you want to plant them up now).

Vegetable Garden:
- Sow cabbage, brussel sprouts, early peas, onions, lettuce, radish, carrots, lettuce, leeks, and broccoli.
- Earth up potato shoots.
- Care for your veg, weeding, hoeing, watering, support peas and beans.
- Watch out for slugs and snails.

Fruit Garden:
- Plant strawberries.
- Feed the established fruit bushes.
- Harvest rhubarb.

Greenhouse:
- Sow tomatoes.
- Sow frost tender vegetables (runner beans, melon, cucumber etc.).
- Prick out seedlings into individual pots.
- Remember to ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days.

And don’t forget Bloom, the most spectacular gardening event in Ireland is being held in the Phoenix Park from May 29th to June 1st. It’s a great family day out and not to be missed! See you there!