Home
Example Gardens
Planning & Equipping
Choosing what to grow
Gardening Techniques
Gardening Calendar
Resources
Curriculum Links
Our Websites and Blogs
Useful Websites
Visitors' Guestbook
Gardening Equipment
SVP Blog
Seed & Plant suppliers
Shopping Links
Gardening in January
Generally considered to be the coldest month with the soil often remaining frozen for several days. There can also be quite a lot of rain.
If you have plants that need protection from the cold, damp or from strong winds it is essential that all protection is in place for this month. Daylight hours are also at their shortest at this time of year.
Planting and sowing:
|
●
|
Sow short rooted carrots in tubs in the greenhouse
|
|
●
|
You can sow broad beans now if you live in a mild area and have light soil or in tubs.
|
|
●
|
If the conditions are favourable you can plant bare rooted bushes and trees.
|
|
●
|
Sow salad leaves indoor if you can provide sufficient light.
|
In mild areas only it is possible to
|
●
|
Sow broad beans in pots, in a greenhouse
|
|
●
|
Sow. lettuces, summer cabbages and cauliflowers, radishes, spring onions and turnips may be sown in pots in a greenhouse
|
In very mild areas only it is possible to
|
●
|
The above could be sown in a polytunnel or greenhouse
|
Harvesting:
|
●
|
Sprouting broccoli
|
|
●
|
Sprouts
|
|
●
|
Leeks.
|
|
●
|
Parsnips
|
|
●
|
Swede
|
|
●
|
Turnips
|
|
●
|
Winter cabbage and cauliflower
|
|
●
|
Root vegetables stored in the ground as necessary e.g. carrots
|
Jobs:
|
●
|
Containers can become waterlogged so if possible raise them up onto 'feet' to improve drainage.
|
|
●
|
You may wish to use something like bubble wrap to insulate your greenhouse, or tubs left outside, from frost.
|
|
●
|
Cover any cauliflower curds by bending over the leaves.
|
|
●
|
Weed where necessary if the soil is not too wet or hard.
|
|
●
|
Check any stored food and throw away any that is damaged
|
|
●
|
Clear away any fallen leaves
|
|
●
|
Remove any dead plants
|
|
●
|
Remove dead leaves from growing plants such as sprouts
|
|
●
|
Dig beds if they are neither too dry nor too wet and prepare them for next season’s planting
|
|
●
|
|
●
|
Build a compost bin
|
|
●
|
If you are starting a new plot click here
|
|
●
|
If you haven’t already done so order seed by post or from seed company sites on the Internet. Bear in mind that the most popular varieties may sell out.
|
|
●
|
Order seed potatoes, Alan Romans have a good selection of seed potatoes complete with information. This is especially useful if you can't decide which potatoes to choose. For early harvesting choose from first earlies. The easiest way to grow potatoes in school is to grow them in pots or growing bags.
|
|
●
|
|
●
|
|
●
|
|
●
|
It may be worth covering beds with polythene sheeting to try to prevent water logging -
|
|
●
|
Place weed suppressant over beds to keep weeds down or to attempt to warm the soil but remember if you need the soil to break down it is better to leave the ground uncovered.
|
|
●
|
If it has been very windy check tree ties and stakes. Check tree ties are firm but not too tight and digging into the tree trunks.
|
|
●
|
Prune out any damaged twigs or branches from apple and pear trees
|
|
●
|
Finish any winter pruning of apple and pear trees. Don’t prune cherries or plums. (Or if you have them apricots or peaches).
|
|
●
|
Check that trees and shrubs especially those that are newly planted have not had their roots loosened by the wind. Firm in any rocking plants.
|
|
●
|
If you need to walk over the soil place boards on top on it on which to walk.
|
|
●
|
Move any terracotta or pottery pots out of the rain if possible -
|
|
●
|
If possible remove netting from the top of fruit cages so that if it snows the weight of snow will not damage the netting.
|
|
●
|
Remove any snow from bushes or polytunnels and cloches. The weight of snow can damage polythene.
|
|
●
|
Ventilate greenhouse on a warm day to reduce condensation
|
|
●
|
Spray fruit trees and bushes with a second treatment of winter wash
|
Wildlife:
|
●
|
Make a bird nesting box.
|
|
●
|
Feed the birds. You may want to make some bird cake
|
|
●
|
|
●
|
Keep bird baths clean and free from ice
|
|
●
|
Take care when moving piles of leaves or weeds -
|
|
●
|
Takes part in the RSPB Big School Garden Birdwatch
|
Click here for advice on choosing children's gardening tools and make sure you have all the equipment that you need for this month’s work.
