January may seem like a quiet month for gardeners, but with it being the start of the year, there are actually plenty of tasks you can get on with.
Garden expert James Ewens from Alexander Francis lists the top tasks to prep your garden in January.
Winter can make quite an inhospitable environment for plants and wildlife, but believe it or not, January is a great time to start planning for the year ahead. The beginning of the year is all about preparation.
You can get organised by deciding on the crops and flowers you hope to plant throughout the year. You could even create a calendar to help stay on track, especially regarding seeds that will be sown in the following months.
As you start planning your spring garden, here are some tasks you can undertake to get your garden in tip-top shape.
Prune dormant plants
January can be a great time for pruning. Many plants are dormant in January making it an ideal time to prune them without causing them stress to encourage healthy growth in spring. You can prune apples, pears, currant bushes, roses, wisteria and other climbers. Prune on a milder day once the freezing temperatures have passed, and remove any dead or diseased branches caused by the winter weather.
Prep your garden beds
Clear any dead foliage, weeds, or debris from flower beds and borders to ensure that they don’t attract any pests or diseases. If the soil isn’t frozen, you can lightly dig and aerate the beds to prepare them for planting later on in the year. Lastly, add a layer of compost or mulch to help the soil retain moisture and suppress any pesky weeds.
Plant some bare-root shrubs and roses
You may not know it, but January is a great time to plant bare-root shrubs, trees or roses while they are still dormant as their roots will establish before Spring growth. Pick a day when the ground isn’t frozen to plant them, and water well. Bare-root plants are weather-hardy and tend to do well when planted in winter.
Add organic matter to your soil
Adding organic matter to your soil will keep it rich and healthy for the year to come. Spread rotted manure or garden compost on your vegetable plots and around perennial plants as this will improve the structure and fertility of the soil. The winter rains will help the nutrients get into the soil and will give it a boost for the growing season ahead.
Sort and sow your seeds
You can also organise your seeds making sure you’re ready for spring planting. First, organise your seeds by type and check their expiry dates. You can start sowing the seeds indoors in containers to test their germination rates. As the seedlings grow, thin them out to allow the healthiest plants to flourish. If you have a greenhouse you can sow seeds earlier in the season while protecting them from frost, if not, you can recycle translucent containers as mini-greenhouses.
January doesn’t have to mean putting away the gardening gloves until spring, with the right planning, January can be the perfect time to lay the groundwork for a blooming and abundant garden for the year ahead.