Gardening Jobs for January

It’s the start of a brand new year! And what a year we have planned! It’s that time to get ordering your seed catalogues and start making the decisions of what veggies to grow, but first make a plan of where these veggies will grow and in what order. Watch out for my next post of some of my favourite veggies to grow and my veggie growing plan, coming later in the month.

Things are already starting to pop up in my garden. I’m very excited to see what hidden gems are going to appear in spring and summer, as we only moved in to our cottage at the end of the summer so I have no idea what will appear.

Garden Jobs

• If you have a Wisteria now is the time to prune again. You need to prune the current seasons growth that you should have started pruning in summer, don’t worry I didn’t get chance to do it either, if you did prune in summer then go back to within two or three buds of the older wood. I won’t go that far as I didn’t prepare it in the summer. However this winter I am planning on doing the impossible and moving the way it falls so that instead of it hanging on the right i’m going to attempt to turn it around 180 degrees. Wish me luck.
• Don’t forget the birds in your garden, replenish their feeders and water sources. It’s best to have a range of feeders to attract a wider variety of birds.
• You can continue to plant bare-root trees and shrubs just don’t do it whilst the soil is frozen or waterlogged.
• If we are lucky enough to get sunny days you can now start to hoe those weeds that are starting to appear.
• Do you have any overgrown deciduous shrubs and climbers if so now is a good time to sort them out and put them back into shape.
• Plant spring flowering bulbs such as Galanthus (Snowdrops), Eranthis (Aconites) and Iris (Dwarf Iris) to continue the winter interest into spring.
• You can sow Lathyrus odoratus (sweet peas) this month under glass.
• Try to avoid walking on your grass when it’s frosty or water logged as this will damage the grass.

Veggie Plot Jobs

• Decide what veggies and any new fruit bushes or trees you want to grow this year. Make a plan of what varieties and where they are going.
• If you are planning on growing early potatoes start chitting them now in a frost free, light but cool place. Ideally place them on a tray or egg box.
• Prune your gooseberries, redcurrants and whitecurrants to keep an open centred bush with around eight to ten main branches. Prune last years growth of the main stems by about a half. Unfortunately my gooseberries are a bit on the wild side so I will have to slowly start to prune them to improve them.
• Continue to harvest any winter veggies such as parsnips, swede, broccoli, sprouts, leeks and turnips.
• Bring any potted strawberry runners under glass to start forcing.
• Remove about a quarter of old, weak or unproductive stems of blackcurrants.
• Prune any freestanding apples and pears aiming to maintain an open centre, remove cross branches and any canker or any other diseased branches.
• Are you thinking of creating a new veggie plot if so now is the time to finish it off ready for seeding.
• If you’re an eager beaver and you’re lucky enough to have a greenhouse and better still a heated greenhouse then you can start sowing your broad beans, lettuce, radishes, salad onions and spinach but keep them under cover.