Diarmuid Gavin: How to start your own vegetable patch

This means growth is underway so it’s the perfect time to get planting, sowing and pruning. There is, however, still the possibility of frost and even snowfall, so don’t be tempted to put out tender bedding plants until next month.

In the vegetable plot, you can get seed potatoes planted. St Patrick’s Day is the traditional starting point for this but, throughout April, you can still be planting early potatoes. These are recommended for most growers as they are ready for cropping in June and therefore avoid the possibility of being damaged by blight, the fungal disease that occurs later in summer.

Plant in ridges and earth them up over the coming weeks — this means drawing soil on top of them as they grow so that the tubers are not exposed to light. You can also plant in grow bags or any container that is deep enough and has drainage holes.

Keen tomato growers will already have seedlings on the go ready for potting on, but if you’d like to grow them for the first time, you can buy small plants now in garden centres and nurture them to fruition over the summer. Tomatoes require lots of light and warmth so need to be in a glasshouse or sunny windowsill for this month.

Fresh herbs taken directly from your garden liven up even the most mundane dishes and can be enjoyed for many months. Herbs can be grown in anything from small pots on the windowsill up to a larger, more permanent herb bed in the garden or scattered among other plants.

You can also use herbs as an alternative to your usual window box or hanging basket plants. If you have more room, design an area especially for herbs which will look good throughout the year. Set out the backbone of the scheme with evergreen plants such as bay, rosemary, lavender or sage and infill with perennial and biennial plants such as basil, parsley, fennel or chives. Always ensure you plant mint in a pot or confined area as it is very invasive.

Growing food from seed is a wonderful way to teach children about where it all comes from and is immensely satisfying. It’s not without challenges, such as protecting young seedlings from slugs, but April is a good month to give it a go, and there’s plenty you can be sowing now.

Some will need the heat and protection of indoors to get going, for example, tender herbs like basil and tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and courgettes.

Outdoor sowing is possible for broad beans, carrots, beetroot and spring onions, and these, along with spuds, are good options for the beginner grower.

So on your next shop, pick up a few packets and get growing.

Alpine annual show

This year, the Alpine Garden Society annual show will be held on Saturday, April 27, in Cabinteely Community School, Johnstown Road, Cabinteely, Dublin 18, D18VH72.

Entrance for non-members is €4. Children will be admitted free.

It is a great plant sale and lots of specialist nurseries will be in attendance — and the homemade cakes are to die for.

It is open to the public from 1.30pm to 4pm on the day.

Plant of the week

Ribes sanguineum ‘Pulborough Scarlet’ Flowering currants are among the easiest of shrubs, which probably accounts for their ubiquity. They bring a welcome flourish of pink in the early days of spring and are followed by berries in the summer. ‘Pulborough Scarlet’ has particularly rich and vibrant pink flowers and is an upright variety that looks lovely as part of an informal hedgerow. Plant in well-drained soil in full sunshine.

Reader Q&A

Help! I’ve had a beautiful camellia for over 10 years but, at the end of last summer, all the leaves and buds dropped off although I had been watering and feeding it and now it just looks completely dead. What could have caused this? Sally

It sounds like you looked after your camellia well, with a good watering and feeding routine, so it is possible that your shrub was simply a victim of a fungal disease such as root rot or die-back, which caused such a drastic decline. Waterlogging in containers can also cause roots to rot, so make sure if you are growing another in a pot to add good drainage and top dress with fresh ericaceous compost annually.

Submit your gardening questions to Diarmuid via his Instagram@diarmuidgavin using the hashtag #weekendgarden