Get gardening this January
Many people think that gardening tasks are put on hold in the wintertime but that fact is that if you want to be able to jump right back into gardening come the summertime, you will need to keep everything ticking over in the winter as well. Though you may not be able to grow as many fruits, vegetables or plants there will be some that are ideally suited to the colder weather and you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to continue gardening throughout the year.
If you are determined to keep your vegetables patch going through the frosty weather you will be pleased to know that there are many vegetables that are ideal and it isn’t too late to get them in the ground. Rocket is one of the hardiest winter vegetables, as is beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes, bell peppers, and peas.
In fact, there are more vegetables than you could imagine that can be planted in the winter months, so you can keep your vegetable crops up and running even when the rest of your garden is looking particularly dormant.
Those that prefer flowering plants won’t be disappointed either, as January is just about the latest time that you can plant your spring bulbs. Ideally, these should have been done in the autumn, but planting them a little later can mean that they bloom further into the year, so you can prolong the colourfulness of your garden. You can plant tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses and narcissi, as well as a number of other spring bulbs; just make sure your soil isn’t frosty when you do it as this could damage the bulbs.
There are a few jobs that you will need to do in January to prepare your garden for the year ahead as well, such as pruning any trees and shrubs in your garden.
If you have apple trees that are grown out in the open you should prune them, but trees that are trained against walls will need to be left. You should also start looking to your lawn again – the edges will need to be reshaped and any damage should be dealt with as soon as possible. If you had a real Christmas tree over the Yuletide period you should recycle it by shredding it down to mulch to add to your compost bin rather than throwing it out with the trash – this will improve the quality of your compost for the coming year. Also, remember to keep putting food out for the birds and other wildlife in your garden.
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