VEGETABLE PATCH : This morning is a fruit day — a brief window before the sign change. Once the shift happens, the day turns into a root day for the rest of the afternoon, and that is where the real action lies. Carrots are first in line: prepare a fine, raked drill 1 cm deep and place young transplants 5 cm apart, rows 25 cm — or thin any established seedlings to that spacing now. Beetroot thinnings can be spaced out to 10 cm in the row, rows 30 cm, giving each root room to swell. Parsnip plants already started under cover can be eased out and settled into prepared ground, 10 cm apart, rows 30 cm. On heavier soils, fork the bed first and work in a little sharp sand to help roots grow straight. Potato rows already in the ground will benefit from a first hilling-up session — draw soil 10 cm up around the emerging stems to protect shoots from late frost and encourage tuber development.
LANDSCAPING : A root day is a fine moment to settle in dahlias and gladiolus corms before the season gets away from you. Plant dahlia tubers 10 cm deep, 60 cm apart each way, in a warm, sheltered spot. Gladiolus corms go in from now through June — tuck them in at the same depth, in a sunny bed with good drainage. If you have an olive tree in a pot, April is the right month to shape it lightly and refresh the top layer of compost.