As Spring arrives, you can begin to sow and plant outdoors. Seed potatoes, onions and rhubarb can all be properly grown outside as they will not be affected by the low temperatures following winter. Broad beans, cabbages, broccoli, leeks, parsnips, peas, spinach and a few other hardy seeds can also be planted but most other vegetables and fruits will still need to be sown indoors or kept protected by cold frames or cloches to avoid death or freezing due to low temperatures. You should remove any weeds that have managed to live through winter and rake the soil thoroughly so as to prepare it for planting. It would also be a good idea for you to apply fertilizer or organic matter to the soil so as to enhance plant growth in spring.

In Spring, jobs to do include harvesting any remaining vegetables left over from the year before, such as brussel sprouts, parsnips, swedes and celeriac, plus the first rhubarb which will be ready towards the end of the month. Also, sow the first fruit and vegetable seeds, whether that is indoors or outdoors. Plant early potatoes, shallots and garlic before the end of the month arrives. Any bare-root fruit trees or bushes should be planted because in April, they will no longer be dormant and will not be able to be planted, it will be too late. You should finish any pruning of fruit plants such as gooseberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and autumn raspberries, and finally, you could apply fertilizer or a type of organic matter to the soil in order to boost its nutritional content before you sow or plant anything.

Vegetables and salads that you should harvest now are parsnips, leeks, celeriac, endive, spring cauliflowers, kales, lettuces, brussel sprouts, spring cabbages and chicory. These foods will only last until late April at the most and they will be wasted if you do not harvest them now. Plants that are ready for harvest and will keep on producing good yield for a few more months are Swiss chard, sprouting broccoli, corn salad and spring onions. Rhubarb will keep on flourishing for many years to come and will be ready for picking whenever the stems are about 30cm in height.

Plants that need to be grown indoors due to low temperatures outside are aubergines, chillies, peppers, brussel sprouts, cabbages and broccoli. Lettuces, cauliflowers, celery, celeriac, spring onions, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and purslane can be planted outside, but if it is particularly cold, protect them with cold frames or cloches. Plants that can be planted outside are asparagus, fruit trees and bushes, garlic, herbs, onions, shallots, potatoes and strawberries. It is best if peas and broad beans are planted outside under cloches so as to warm the soil up.