Spring 2024Gardening tips for Spring

PIER is a community allotment and gardens located on Belfield Road (next to the Croft Shifa Medical Centre) in Rochdale, which belongs to homelessness charity Petrus. It is a beautiful, relaxing and therapeutic oasis that grows fruit and vegetables and is a member of the wider Incredible Edibles network representing Rochdale. It is open to the public and people are welcome to visit and take a look around this award-winning garden. Petrus’ vision is to create kind, confident and connected communities through the power of growing food. Here are some tips for this growing season. Happy gardening!

Changing climate

The weather is a constant battle for gardeners and at PIER, we understand the importance of being prepared for the different weather conditions this season brings. Frosts can affect any tender plants you may have in the garden. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and ensure you keep your tender plants fleeced and covered. Gardeners can sometimes be impatient, particularly towards the end of the season, but a late frost might kill those tender plants you’ve been carefully looking after, so our tip is to keep plants covered at night and remove the fleece whilst the weather warms through the day.

Water conservation: It seems odd to be talking about water conservation at this time of year, but spring is a good time to think about water collection and how you can make the most of this essential and valuable resource. With most water falling in winter (even in Rochdale) it makes sense to collect water now ready for those drier months ahead. If you have space, you may wish to install a water butt with rainwater diverters from the down pipe, or simply have a water trough to collect rainwater. A water trough can be anything from an old bucket to a galvanised tank that can be a feature of the garden.

Mulching: mulching is any material that is spread or laid over the surface of the soil and used as a covering. Mulch can be organic matter like well-rotted manure, chipped bark, or if you make your own compost, use that to cover bare soil.

Preparing growing beds

As the demands of winter begin to recede, planning your beds, borders and planters for growing is vital. Spending time now preparing the beds is one of the most useful things to do at this time of year. Weeds will begin to grow as the temperature warms, and clearing all growing areas of weeds will save time and frustration later.

Once beds have been weeded, applying mulch will keep weeds at bay. A great tip when you begin to sow seeds is to sow in straight lines. Weeds and seedlings look very similar in their early stages, and weeds don’t grow in straight lines, so it will be easier to weed once the growing season begins!

Now is a great time to check all equipment and make necessary repairs. At PIER, we have over 25 raised beds which are checked for rot and repaired if need be. We regularly check tools and dispose of any that are faulty or repair what we can. Tools can be cleaned and sharpened ready for the growing season (if this wasn’t done at the end of last year).

Refresh plants

We work to a very tight budget, and we always look for ways to get more plants for free. At this time of year, it is a good idea to take a closer look at the plants that you have.

Are some plants taking too much space and could be split and divided? Spring is a great time to do this and perennial plants such as geraniums, buddleia, ferns, crocosmia and hostas can be split to get more plants for free!

At PIER, we appreciate the benefits of being outside and in nature, so above all, take time to enjoy your garden.

Come and visit us to find out more about PIER, our charity and take a look at our award-winning garden!

About the writer

Silvana Devine is a social and therapeutic horticulture practitioner at Petrus Incredible Edibles Rochdale (PIER) which is a community allotment on Belfield Road in Rochdale.