It Is January Do I Just Lean On My Garden Tools And Reflect?

Winter is still upon us with a little hint of spring in the year. Snowdrops can be seen in the hedgerows but winter frosts still persist. It's at times like this that we think there's not much to do in the garden. We cannot be more wrong!

This time of year can be used to prepare your garden for the year ahead. Some of you will already have done this during autumn, but if like me you have been lazy it's never too late to start. There are still vegetables to harvest and even some vegetables to sow.

Below is a list of vegetables that are still being harvested and also list of those that can be seeded early:

Vegetables to be Harvested

Artichokes, Jerusalem

Broccoli, sprouting

Cabbage winter/spring

Cauliflower winter/spring

Kale

Komatsuna

Mizuna

Mustard

Swede

Turnips

Carrots

Celeriac

Chicory

Garlic

Lettuce

Leaks

Onion

Parsnip

Potatoes

Pumpkins

Radish

Sea Kale

Shallots

Swiss Chard

The following vegetables and may be considered to sow during January:

Onion

Peppers and Chilies

If you have a heated greenhouse you may wish to consider sowing tomatoes, peppers, aubergine, petunias, begonias. For those others with non-heated greenhouses carrots, cabbage, leaks, peas and spinach may also be considered to be sowed. As you can see vegetables are not the only thing to worry about during January. Your early bedding plants are also a interest.

If like me you are planning your garden for the year ahead you may wish to consider crop rotation of your vegetables. Most will know that vegetables can be classified into one of three types. Firstly legumes which are basically vegetables such as peas, tomatoes, peppers, celery, beans and squashes.

Then you have brassicas these are vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower is, broccoli, radishes, turnips and Swedes.

Finally we have root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, the route, onions, leeks, garlic and not forgetting the humble potato.

In order to forestall disease you should try where ever possible to rotate these three types of vegetables within your beds. Brassicas should follow legumes and root vegetables should follow brassicas. This will reduce the risk of those pesky garden insects taking hold in your next year's crops. It should also make it possible for the correct nutrients and nitrogen are left in the soil for the following years crops. Not only will this be more organic but it will also save you money as it will reduce the need for pricey chemicals.

A good helping of compost, which of course you have made yourself and a helping of well rotted manure should do the trick. When planting legumes it is important that the manure has been dug deeply into the soil. When planting brassicas no compost is usually required as the nitrogen left over from the legumes should be sufficient.

Where your garden beds are empty it is crucial that you hoe out your weeds on a frequent basis as these weeds will reduce the nutrients in the soil that your up coming crop will need. This is doubly so when you have a crop planted.

Other tasks that you can be getting on with our ordering your seeds for the coming year. You can also prepare your beds for your outside tomatoes and lettuces mixing in compost and well rotted manure where required. Never do this when the ground is frosty as you do not want to mix frozen soil into that which is not already frozen.

This time of year before spring has taken hold it is important that you prune out all diseased wood on your fruit trees before they start budding. Only do this on Apple and Pear trees during January as other types of fruit trees are more affected by the frost. In the same vein ensure that all plants are protected from frost are still well covered as frost continues to be with us.

You can tidy up any garden bamboo that you have in your garden, clean any greenhouse windows to make sure you get full effect of the sun, book your lawnmower in for a service and throw out any out of date seeds. You may even think about chitting your potatoes.

I think we have safely shown that January is not such a lazy month as you might otherwise have thought. Happy gardening!