January might be the middle of winter but as the days lengthen the garden starts to grow. Now is a great time to plan for the coming gardening year and to order seeds and plants. So if you’re luckily enough to have time on your side this month, then why not have a go at doing some of these to pass some of it away…
- Fallen leaves should be cleared away as they can provide a home for snails and slugs during the winter months. All the raked up leaves may be left to rot down in a leaf bin.
- Any areas of ground that are presently empty; eg. the veg patch, the flower beds or borders, can be dug over, forking in plenty of well-rotted composted material ie. well-rotted horse or chicken manure.
- Move container shrubs that are being wintered into a cold greenhouse, you can also wrap in horticultural fleece to give added protection.
- Horticultural fleece can also be wrapped around vulnerable plants in the garden to give extra protection against damaging frosts.
- Tree ties and stakes should be checked to see that they are still secure.
- Hang fat balls and keep birds feeders topped up to attract birds, who will in turn eat pests in your garden.
- Growing hygiene is important so wash empty pots by scrubbing them in warm water with Jeyes disinfectant. Rinse them well afterwards. This treatment will remove insect eggs and disease spores that can overwinter and cause problems later on.
