I was watching an episode of the BBC’s Countryfile the other day reviewing the farming year. Not surprisingly it was a very difficult year with the amount of rainfall both early and late in the year.
Our gardens reflected this situation – a difficult year for us too!
Like the farmers though, gardeners are eternal optimists and lets face it, if hopefully we have a super summer, there should be plenty of water in the reservoirs!
So let’s take look at the things to do in our January garden!
Should the weather be terrible there are indoor jobs to do.
Indoor pot plants can dry out very quickly and let’s face it, we have all had the heating on lately! The rule with watering indoors is to just keep the plants moist and they will be happy!
The Lawn in January
January can be our coldest, wettest month, so not surprisingly jobs connected to the lawn are going to be limited, especially in freezing weather when walking on the lawn will damage the grass!
In mild weather, you can finish the autumn maintenance if not completed.
Think too of maintenance for lawn mowers, strimmers, hedge trimmers etc. and hand tools too!
The Flower Garden
Do you have bulbs, corms etc, in storage in the garage or shed for use next spring in the garden?
It’s important to inspect them regularly, removing any with signs of rot or fungal disease.
You may already have some autumn-sown sweet peas growing, for early flowering. If not you can sow seeds anytime now.
Gardening books will tell you seeds like geranium, antirrhinums and begonias can be sown in January. Personally I would wait until February. They will soon catch up and you will save on the heating!
‘Dead-head’ flowers such as pansies to produce new flowers.
New winter flowering perennials can be planted in mild weather if the soil conditions are not too wet.
In similar conditions, you can move or ‘thin-out’ other perennials.
New for 2025!
Thinking of planting some new Hellebores? There are new varieties available now with unique flower forms and colours. You can find these in garden centres or from mail companies!
Shrubs
Like the top fruit trees in the fruit garden, many of the other shrubs in the garden can be winter pruned.
If you don’t know your shrubs then you have some work to do, since you do need to know, to plan your pruning through the year. There are many sources available to help you with this.
Most roses, be it bush or climbing can be pruned at this time.
Other climbers can be checked, cutting away much of the heavy growth and checking the support posts.
We’ve talked of pruning but also we should consider planting. Does your garden lack winter colour or maybe colour and scent? Now’s the time to do something about it!
The Vegetable Plot
Hopefully you have been keeping an eye on any vegetables stored in the garage. Make sure you remove anything showing signs of rot.
You may have overwintering vegetables in the garden such as leeks, parsnips or winter greens. Harvest as required.
Garlic can be planted in January if the weather allows -it is quite hardy. The same applies to onion sets
If you haves spring cabbage they may be looking a little sad. At the end of the month, give them a feed with nitrate rich fertiliser to promote growth and improve the crop of nutritious leaves.
New!
In the greenhouse, you can be sowing leaf salads bred for this time of year. (you can also grow them under cloches outside).
Leaf salads are relatively new and very popular – sometimes called ‘Cut & Come’ again salads, they are easy to grow and will crop in just 4 weeks and again following cutting. You can easily grow them on a window-sill!
Should the weather allow and you have access to some manure, it’s a good idea to spread some on areas of the garden, not being cropped at present.
The Fruit Patch
Garden fruit, tree and cane (raspberry, blackcurrants etc.) and soft fruit e.g. strawberry, seems to be enjoying a renascence, driven by some exciting new fruit and the ‘grow your own’ movement!
Are you a rhubarb lover?
There’s time to buy a plant, or maybe you could get a plant from a friend or relative. Just remember though that the older the plant, the more chance of having a virus which effects the yield.
Starting a fruit garden?
Now’s the time to consider some ‘top fruit’.
If you order ‘bare root’ plants, rather than ‘container-grown’ they are much cheaper and you will be planting at just the right time for them to establish.
My main advice would be to do your homework and take your time to prepare a plan of what you are having and where it fits – there’s lots of books and videos to help.
Established fruit patch?
It’s time to be pruning ‘top fruit’ like apples and pears. The same applies to ‘Cane fruit’ like gooseberries.
New!
Check the mail order seed/plant and specialist fruit catalogues for some cracking new varieties this year.
Greenhouse, Shed & Garden Equiptment
We haven’t discussed the area of winter maintenance.
Choose your day and clean out the water butts.
Wash out and clean pots and trays. It’s all about a clean start to the season.
Clean, sharpen and oil garden tools.
If snow arrives, remove any that has settled on the greenhouse roof. Not only do you remove weight that could break the glass, but you also clean the roof whilst you are at it!
January seems a quiet time in the garden, but after a little thought, we look like having a busy time!
Enjoy the start of your gardening year!
