Jobs to Tackle in the Garden During Early Spring

Start With the Soil Underfoot

Before you sow anything, spend a few minutes considering the ground itself. Wet, heavy soil compacts easily, and a bed trampled in March can stay claggy well into May. If the ground squelches, stay off it, and lay a plank down if you must cross a border.

To judge whether soil is workable, squeeze a handful. If it forms a ball that holds its shape, give it another week. If it crumbles, you are good to go.

Fork over the top five to ten centimetres lightly rather than digging deep — you are aerating, not turning the plot upside down.

Spread well-rotted compost or leaf mould across beds and let the worms work it in for you.

To warm the soil for early sowings, cover a patch with black polythene or a cloche two or three weeks beforehand.

Check drainage in pots and raised beds after the winter rains, and clear any saucers that have clogged.

Tidy Borders Without Being Too Tidy

The urge to cut everything back is strong, but resist the tidiest version of it. Hollow stems and seed heads have sheltered insects through the winter, and many will still be in use. Cut back last year's perennials and grasses to about five to ten centimetres once you see new growth at the base, and stack the cuttings out of the way rather than burning them.

Weed before anything sets seed. Chickweed, hairy bittercress and groundsel get going early, and a dry day with a hoe is far easier than a wet day with a fork.

Re-edge lawn borders with a half-moon spade for a clean line — twenty minutes that lifts the whole garden.

Cut back winter-flowering jasmine and other early shrubs once they have finished, so you do not sacrifice next year's flowers.

Keep diseased material out of the compost heap and put it in the council green waste instead.

Sow Hardy Seeds and Early Crops

This is the joyful part. Hardy vegetables can go straight into the ground now, while anything tender waits for warmer weeks.

Direct sow: broad beans, parsnips, carrots, radish, spinach, chard, early peas and hardy salad leaves. A cloche over the row makes a real difference to germination.

Under cover: tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and sweet peas, indoors or in a heated propagator.

Sow salad little and often — a short row every two or three weeks gives a steady supply rather than a glut.

Nick the hard coat of sweet pea seeds with a knife and soak them overnight before sowing; they germinate far more reliably.

Label everything, including the date. Memory is a poor record-keeper by June.

Guard Young Shoots Against Late Frosts

Frost is the great trickster of early spring. A fortnight of mild weather can be undone in a single clear night, so keep protection close at hand: horticultural fleece, cloches, a few old net curtains, even a folded newspaper.

Know your local risk. Last frosts usually fall in mid-May in southern England, and can stretch into early June further north and on high ground.

Harden off young plants gradually — days outside, nights back in — over a week or so before planting out.

Cover tender shoots at dusk and uncover them in the morning, so the air does not become stale and damp.

Water in the morning rather than the evening; damp foliage on a cold night invites trouble.

Drape fleece over fruit blossom if a frost is forecast, and watch for slugs and snails after rain, when new growth is softest.

Feed, Mulch and Sharpen

Small maintenance jobs now save a great deal of effort later. Give the lawn its first cut on a high setting, but only when the grass is dry and growing, and never when the ground is waterlogged.

Mulch fruit bushes, roses and perennials while the soil is damp, keeping the material clear of stems.

Prune bush and shrub roses as the buds begin to swell, cutting to an outward-facing bud.

Sharpen and oil your tools. A clean, keen edge makes lighter work of everything and is kinder to your wrists.

Check stakes, ties and supports before plants need them, and wash greenhouse glass to let in more light.

Reconnect water butts and clear the gutters — spring rain is free and soft, and plants prefer it.

A Slow Hour Among It All

It is worth remembering that the point of all this is not a perfect garden. Ten minutes spent sitting on an upturned bucket with a mug of tea, listening to the bees and watching the light move across a border, is as much a part of early spring as any seed packet.

Soil under your fingernails, cool air, the first butterfly — these are the gentle comforts of the season, and they are best taken slowly. Keep a notebook of what you sowed and when, wander out each dry morning to see what has stirred, and let the garden set the pace. By the time the frosts have passed, you will have something rather lovely waiting for you.