.JPG)
Winter can be a wonderful time in the garden too, with frost
glinting on seed heads and a near autumnal area of colours of reds, yellows and
browns on stems, leaves and branches. It’s a great time to also plan ahead for
the coming year by planting trees, take cuttings , making lists of seed
required & plants to be acquired or even just move plants you think would
be better suited elsewhere – all ideal jobs that can be tackled now, just as
long as the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged.
Planting Jobs:
·
Sow
Cabbage seed – Sowing cabbage seed now, for transplanting in late spring
means we can be enjoying home grown cabbage as early as July. Varieties suited
for January sowing under cover is – “Excel”, "Hispi" and “Advantage"
·
Onions – if
growing from seed they need a long growing season and would benefit from sowing
seed now indoors on a window-sill, ready for transplanting out in March.
·
Garlic - Garlic bulbs are easily
available and all you have to do is break them up into the individual cloves.
Peel off the outer skin carefully; it makes sure your cloves are free from any
fungus that might cause problems later. Plant cloves root down , approx.
2" deep and about 6 " apart in an area that gets sun or only light
shade . They like free draining soil so if your soil is heavy or clay consider
using sand/grit under the plants to improve drainage. Another solution is to
use a raised be to improve drainage from the soil. Garlic likes cold weather so
don’t mind if the weather turns cold after planting
·
Edible
Hedge – Why not try something different if planning a hedge? Elderberry,
Gooseberry,Hazelnut,Green Damsons, Cherry Plums,
Blackberry,Raspberry,Blueberry,Black/Redcurrants, and Roses all make great
hedging but with the added benefit of producing edible fruits,nuts seeds and
berries as well
·
Trees – perfect
time to plant bare root trees (& shrubs) in the garden. Remember pot grown
trees can be planted at any time of year.
Maintenance Jobs:
·
Digging –If not completed it would be a good time to
finish digging over your plot and digging in any
compost or manure you might have will, not only add to the amount of
nourishment of the soil but, give our frosty weather the chance to kill off any
weeds and bugs that might otherwise give us grief next year. If your soil is a
heavy clay type, any compost/manure you add will also have the benefit of
improving drainage - not too many plants like to have their roots sitting
permanently in water.
·
Hardwood
Cuttings – Check out our previous blog on how to take these cuttings.
·
Hotbed – instead
of using electric warming cables to heat a hotbed why not try the cheaper old
method of using fresh straw based manure. Various ways can be used but the two
most common are variations on either the cold frame or the raised bed. Both use
the same basic method of putting 2 ½ ft. of fresh straw based manure on the
bottom of your bed and then covering it with about 6-9” of soil/compost in
which you can grow seed etc. Heat is created by the metabolism of the
microorganisms in the decomposing manure. Only difference between the two types
of hotbed is the raised bed is uncovered and other “cold frame” version is
covered – either by plastic cloche or by old window frame type structure to
form a mini heated glasshouse.
·
Weeding –
Chickweed in particular can grow all year round, so remove before it can
take hold and set seed – increasing your problem.
·
Forcing
Rhubarb – Rhubarb can be forced by placing an upturned bucket over the
plant to exclude any light. Straw & manure can be put over the plant to
encourage growth. The warmer the conditions the quicker the results.
·
Lawns – like
with the kitchen garden/vegetable plot, keep of the lawn if waterlogged or
covered with frost – you’ll do more damage than good. When dry keep removing
leaves and tiding up the edging.
·
Compost
Heaps – Check out our previous blog on how to make the most of your compost
Lots of jobs
for you in January, until the next time – Happy Gardening.
