Cut paths into long grass to define areas. Don't cut bulbs in grass until six weeks after they have flowered.
SEEDLINGS
Avoid planting out summer bedding and tender vegetables such as tomato and courgette unless you live in the microclimate of a city. The third week of the month is usually frost-free. Be kind to tender plants by placing them in a well-ventilated frame or keeping them sheltered until they acclimatise. Late-spring frosts can catch new growth, so have a roll of fleece ready to protect newly emerging potato tops.
THINNING
Seedlings should be thinned in the vegetable garden. You can eat the thinnings of beetroot, spinach and beet as baby salad. Continue to sow salads, rocket, dill and coriander in rotation to keep a succession of plants coming. Sow short rows every fortnight to three weeks, and use the space between the tripods of beans for fast-growing crops like mustard greens. When the beans are up you will have already used the space once.
SELF-SOWING ANNUALS
It isn't too late to sow calendula, nigella and Fairy Wings poppies to cover any gaps that might have opened up through losses in the winter. Direct-sow over newly turned ground and rake in lightly. Sow more thinly than you might think, and thin seedlings that are on top of each other.
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