January
1. Recycle Christmas tree – shred it for mulch
2. Ventilate your greenhouse on sunny days
3. Dig over any plots you have plans for this year
4. Repair and reshape lawn edges
5. Check your stored Dahlia, Begonia and Canna tubers for rot or drying out
6. Prune apple and pear trees
7. Start work to force your rhubarb
8. Plan vegetable crop rotations for the coming year
9. Remember the birds – Put out food and water
10. Prepare a polythene shelter for outdoor fruit such as peaches and nectarines, to protect them from peach leaf curl

1 – In January many garden centres as well and local councils have schemes for recycling your Christmas tree for mulch, which is not only eco-friendly but means you already have a great New Years resolution filled!

2 – With Spring weather just around the corner and hopefully lots of sunshine, it will be worth keeping a close eye on your greenhouse from now onwards! Ensure you check your window thermometers and protect any seedlings with poly sheets to ensure the optimum growing conditions. Poly sheets are ideal for both inside your greenhouse and on outdoor vegetable patches.

3 – When digging over your vacant plots or allotments, always try to get rid of all traces of weed roots and matter as bindweed and couch grass will take root from the smallest stems left over. Some gardeners leave the uprooted weeds behind to make the soil more fertile which is ok when it is hot and the weeds are burned dry nut they should still be removed eventually. It’s better to treat the whole area with a glyphosate based weed-killer and remove any weed matter you can.
Then, the newly dug plot will be always receptive to compost and for gardening beginners potatoes and onions are good satisfying

4 – If you are experiencing loss of grass on your lawn or perhaps bald patches near the edges, the best thing to do is to remove the damaged area by cutting a clean patch around it with shears early in Spring and then turn it 180 degrees so the frayed edges can re-generate next to normal grass/turf with the new ‘edge’ looking great. If the quality of the grass is generally really poor then replace it altogether with healthy freshly-seeded turf.

5 – When choosing any tubers such as gorgeous Dahlia and Begonia, it can be worth checking them for any dryness or rotting roots earlier in the year, so that when they are ready to be planted in March, the breath-taking displays will bloom successfully! Other more tender perennials such as the tropical-looking Cannas will also benefit from early checks so that they thrive later in the year.

6 – Apple trees need to be pruned in the winter months using everyday pocket pruners which will allow a new supply of spring shoots to emerge bearing a larger and better quality of fruit than those from trees which are left congested. The recommended shape for apple trees is that of a goblet, ideally allowing just 5-9 main branches from which new buds will spring if they are receiving the most light and air possible. The same goes for pear trees except that with either type of tree – fan or bush – it can be prudent to only remove any diseased or damaged tips as healthy ones will bear pears!

7 – Rhubarb is a fantastic and hardy plant to grow all year round. Rhubarb forcers can work wonders to encourage this but twine, canes and straw can work just as well. Rhubarb does need a lot of space to grow and likes good soil with plenty of organic matter but don’t use herbicides in the year you will be harvesting. Many gardeners also report that rhubarb forcing isn’t always necessary so a simple good spade, the right pH level (6 to 6.8 is ideal) and some fertiliser and compost will be fine!

8 – In January it’s always beneficial to plan ahead with your crops and to then implement a crop rotation. No matter how small your vegetable patch, this will help alleviate any plant diseases and many plants will benefit from the nutrients left behind from previous crops too. If you are unsure then alternate tap-rooted and fibrous-rooted crops for the best results, ie onions, peas and beans then spring onions afterwards. A good net will always help to keep the pests away and try and plant groups of vegetable families together, i.e. peppers and aubergines, and refer to a good garden organiser.

9 – Feeding the birds and having a garden full of greenfinches, great tits and rarer birds is a pleasure for many, the right birdseed and bird feeders will attract all sorts of winged friends to your garden. Some birds like a more sheltered feeding spot, others are happy to hang on a feeder from a bird table or on top of a bird tray, but doing your research to attract certain types will always pay off. Fat balls and large fir cones with peanut butter in between the cone leaves are often popular and if put in a small enough hole or feeder, will prevent crows and magpies getting to it first.

10 – Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease, common in winter, especially for trees grown from seed. Whilst fungicides can sometimes be effective, affected areas of the tree should be cut away, and to help maintain the vigour of the tree more fruit than usual should be thinned, drought stress should be reduced with additional watering and nitrogen fertiliser should be applied.