Hopefully you enjoyed the holiday season last month, but it’s not going to be so nice when you step into the garden. After all, January is known for being the most vicious month of the year as far as the weather is concerned.
It’s still going to be ice cold, the wind will be so cold it hurts, and unless you’re really lucky it’s going to snow. Gardening in January isn’t something you can ignore, so let’s look at the top jobs you should be working on.
Gardening calendar: Gardening in January
Flowers and Trees
1 – Recycle Christmas Tree: All the presents have now disappeared from underneath the tree, but it doesn’t need to go to waste. You’ll be able to shred your Christmas tree in order to use it for mulch.
2 – Dig Up Vacant Plots: You should hopefully still have lots of vacant plots in your garden. Locate those areas and begin to dig them up so they’ll be prepared when you’re ready for them.
3 – Begonia, Dahlia, and Canna: You’ll have to start inspecting the stored tubers of any begonia, dahlia, and canna. You will find they sometimes have a tendency to rot or dry out, so they must be examined.
4 – Sowing Your Seeds: There will be a few seeds that will only germinate if they’re covered in frost. If you plan on sowing any they’ll need to be taken care of now before it’s too late.
5 – Begin Planting Roses: You can begin to plant roses, but you still have to be careful. To avoid replant diseases you shouldn’t plant any where you’ve already grown them in the past.
Fruits and Vegetables
1 – Apple, Cherry and Pear Trees: Your apple, cherry and pear trees won’t look so pretty at the moment because they’re not bearing fruit, but it’s a great time to start pruning so they’re ready to get going.
2 – Start Forcing Rhubarb: If you have rhubarb in your garden you can reduce the time you have to wait until they’re ready. Start forcing them now if you want to see the first crop in early spring.
3 – Vegetable Crop Rotations: Are you still unsure about what your exact vegetable crop rotations will be for the coming year? Well now is the ideal time to begin planning everything out.
4 – Protect Peaches and Nectarines: Those with peaches and nectarines in their garden will have to construct a simple polythene shelter for them. It will stop them from succumbing to peach leaf curl.
5 – Green Leafy Vegetables: Do you want to make sure you’ll always have a supply of green leafy vegetables available? Start growing spinach and salad leaves on an indoor windowsill with lots of light.
Lawns and Structures
1 – Feed the Animals: When you’re gardening in January you will have to keep remembering to leave food out for the animals. Not only will you attract wildlife into your garden, but you’ll also save a few lives.
2 – Clean Pots and Greenhouse: Spring is going to sneak up on you quicker than you think, but at the moment you’ll not be ready for it. You can begin to make life easier for yourself by cleaning your pots and greenhouse.
3 – Repair/Replace Lawn Edges: This is especially important on the lawn edges around flower and shrub beds. An easy solution is to use turves cut from other various places throughout your garden.
4 – Remove Snow from The Roof: If there is any snow on your greenhouse or conservatory roof it should be removed. If it doesn’t melt it will stop all the light from getting inside.
5 – Ventilate the Greenhouse: There are going to be some sunny days, even if it’s only for a while and the heat is barely noticeable. To prevent fugal infections you should ventilate your greenhouse on those days.
