January Garden Jobs

The Christmas decorations are down and with the New Year comes renewed energy and grand plans for the coming 12 months. So get out in the garden on a crisp, sunny day and start your gardening year!

Here’s a summary, but scroll down if you want more information on any of these jobs!

In the vegetable plot

Start planning for this season

Start thinking about what you’d like to grow this year. Make a list, but be realistic about what you have space for, can cope with, or what you’ll actually eat. Once you’ve got your list, start planning out your vegetable plot.

Start to grow under cover

You can start to show some vegetables under cover:

• Swiss Chard under cover, this is a great vegetable as you can use the stalks and leaves in stir fries, soups and risottos.
• Leeks, onions, broad beans, hardy peas, spinach and carrots

Plus sow radishes in guttering pipes and enjoy them in 6-8 weeks time.

In the flower bed

Remove leaves from Hellebores

Remove old leaves from Hellebores so that you can see their beautiful flowers as they emerge, plus they can harbour a fungal infection which causes black spots on the leaves.

Cut back grasses

Cut back ornamental grasses to within a few centimetres of the ground before new growth starts to come through.

Deadhead winter pansies

Deadhead Winter Pansies to encourage late blooms and prevent them self setting.

Check Dahlia tubers

Check your Dahlia tubers if you are storing any to make sure they aren’t showing signs of rotting. Discard any that are.

Around the garden

Shred your Christmas tree

If you had a real Christmas tree, shred it and add to your compost heap, or strip the branches and use them as pea sticks!

Look after your lawn

There’s not much to do with your lawn at this time of year except trying to avoid walking on it when there is a heavy frost or snow so that you don’t damage the grass. Easier said than done if you have small children around!

Feed fruit trees and bushes

Give your fruit trees and bushes some help by using Sulphate of Potash around the base and gently hoeing in to the surface of the soil, being careful not to damage any shallow roots. This will help them to flower and fruit well.

For the wildlife…

Keep feeders topped up

Make sure bird feeders are regularly topped up with fat and calorie rich foods.

Bird boxes

Clean out and put up bird boxes in sheltered areas before breeding season; or check existing boxes to make sure they’re fixed onto walls and fences properly. Remove any old nesting materials.

Christmas trees

Recycle Christmas trees by chopping them up and making them into piles for wildlife habitats.

Bees

Watch out for nesting bees when digging.

What To Plant This Month