My January jobs in the garden

A no-nonsense round-up of the gardening jobs that I'll be carrying out the coming weeks. There's no rush on these. Many are opportunistic and highly dependent on the very changeable midwinter weather.

Welcome to the very first in a new regular monthly slot, sharing all the gardening jobs that I’ll be undertaking over the next few weeks. I’ll also be making mini “How to…” videos to run alongside on Instagram. Potentially here too, if you want to see them on Substack.

Just remember, these are jobs for my organic, No Dig garden, situated in Central Southern England, USDA Zone 8b maritime equivalent. I’ve added the approximate duration of each job as guide only.

P.s. If you’re patiently waiting for Part Two of my Courtyard Garden, that will arrive on Saturday. Hold tight! Consider this one as a nice little bonus!

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The Potting Shed

In the potting shed…

1. SERVICING CUTTING BLADES (1hr). It’s time to clean, sharpen and oil my secateurs, loppers, and shears, so they’re serviced and ready for the season ahead. I use a cheap and simple dilute solution of water, dishwashing liquid, and bleach. I dip my Niwaki CleanMate into the solution and rub the blades. The grime comes off quickly and easily. I won’t say effortlessly, as you still need to rub… hard. So watch those pinkies! Another option (for really tough grime) is finest grade “0000” wire wool and rubbing alcohol. All the cutting blades are then sharpened with a fine grade whetstone, dried thoroughly, then rubbed with camellia oil.

2. SHED TIDY (2-3hrs). I’ll be sorting out my stack of module seed trays and masses of plant pots. I also need to check stocks of seed-sowing compost, vermiculite, fertiliser, etc. and get them ordered so it’s all ready for ‘sowing day’ on Valentine’s Day. I don’t sow anything before this date. I’ve used both Pete’s Peat Free and SylvaGrow (organic) multi-purpose with good results.

3. POTS & CANES (1-2hrs). Garden bamboo canes need checking too and I’ll cut-up any that are split, creating little piles for rough ‘n’ ready insect hotels. The good canes are bundled and tied so they don’t keep falling over and tripping me up! Useable plastic pots are stacked in size order for quick access. Any broken pots go to the local recycling centre.

4. PLANT LABELS (1hr). These will have found themselves scattered to every corner of the garden. They’ll be gathered up and recycled, i.e. dumped into a trug, filled with soapy water, writing scrubbed off with a scourer and abrasive cream cleanser (Jif). For permanent marker, I use rubbing alcohol. For pencil, I just rub it off with an eraser.

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Into The Gardens

1. PRUNE HELLEBORES (1hr). The flowers are emerging, so it’s time to cut back old leaves of Helleborus x hybridus to reveal the blooms in all their unobscured glory. Cutting away last year’s leaves helps control blackspot and hellebore leaf spot disease that will happily overwinter and infect new leaves and flowers - identifiable by dark brown/black roundish spots on leaves.

2. PRUNE ROSES (6-8hrs). If there is a frost-free period in the weather forecast, I’ll carry out routine pruning of my shrub roses. The 3Ds - dead, diseased, damaged - plus crossing and weak stems thinner than a pencil. Then I defoliate the entire rose (I’ll write a full and detailed post on this soon).

3. MIDWINTER GARDEN TIDY (6-8hrs across two days). Autumn gales have laid waste to many herbaceous perennials and grasses and I’ll happily clear these away. As my gardens are no-dig, I don’t have to worry about walking over border soil as it’s good and firm and doesn’t compact. I do try and leave as many plants standing for winter interest and cover for wildlife, but will now clear away anything broken, mushy, or collapsed. It’s also lovely to be able to see the early-blooming spring bulbs pushing through.

4. CHECK CLIMBING PLANTS (1hr). After the gales, I need to make sure climbing plants like roses, clematis, and wisteria are still secured to supports. Also checking the supports themselves are still intact. This all helps prevent damage from further strong winds that are inevitable.

5. CHECK & PROTECT SPRING BULBS (30mins). By now, any bulbs planted in pots will have two layers of wire mesh to keep off hungry rodents. It’s been very cold and mice, rats and squirrels are hungry! For persistent offenders, I add a sprinkling of chilli flakes as a mild irritant and deterrent.

6. SPRING BULB PLANTING. I still have a few, I’m ashamed to say. I’ll check for signs of mould and rot, discarding any affected bulbs showing signs of disease or that are soft when squeezed. I need to get these planted ASAP!

7. WEEDING (10-20min at a time). On a fine day, I’ll explore the garden and seek out perennial weeds hopefully before they get their tap roots down. Weeding out established weeds will weaken those tap roots before Spring brings new vigour. I’ll just keep attacking these throughout the season and eventfully they’ll disappear.

8. CHECK CONTAINER PLANTS (2-3hrs). Temporarily repot any plants where the pot has cracked or shattered in the icy conditions. Remove any detritus and check underneath for overwintering slugs and snails. Check the compost, especially if there has been a long dry spell. Water containerised evergreen plants that will still be in growth and transpiring, albeit very slowly. Pots should be lifted off the ground on blocks or chocks, so that they can drain properly.

9. PLANT SHOPPING! Garden centres and nurseries will be fully-stocked with winter garden superstars like shrubby dogwoods with their fiery coloured stems, winter-flowering honeysuckle, glossy evergreen sarcococca and skimmia for their fragrant winter blossom. Female skimmia plants will have clusters of bright red berries - very festive. Hellebore, mahonia, winter jasmine and witch hazel (ericaceous) are all wonderful additions to the winter garden. Alternatively, wait for these same plants to be discounted in Spring.

10. SLUG & SNAIL HUNT (20-30mins at a time). In winter, these molluscs will hibernate together under rocks, paving slabs, logs, and most importantly, plant pots! If you have hostas and other mollusc ‘delicacies’, be sure to check these areas very thoroughly.

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The Kitchen Garden after a good winter mulching

In The Kitchen Garden

1. GROWING PLANS & SEEDS (3-4hrs). It’s time to plan out the vegetable beds for the coming season. I’ll review the varieties that worked well last season and spend a rainy afternoon browsing the seed catalogs for new varieties to try. I have reliable stalwarts but always allow room for new trials. I use these seed suppliers: Vital Seeds, Real Seeds, Seeds of Italy (Franchi)

2. PREPARE GROUND (4-6hrs - with plenty of breaks!) I grow no-dig, so autumn and winter are my ideal times to apply a fresh layer of homemade nutrient-rich invigorating garden compost over all the growing surfaces. I spread 2-3inches (5-7cm) of compost over the six raised-beds measuring 27m². This year I will also have the Cutting Garden too.

3. CHECK STORED VEGETABLES (20mins). Garlic, onions, potatoes, squash, beetroots and other root veg are progressively more susceptible to mould and rot through winter. Any soft and moulding produce is added to the compost.

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It’s essential to keep bird baths well topped-up, clean and free of ice

Wildlife Gardening

1. FEEDING THE BIRDS. I’m providing high-energy foods, such as suet pellets and mealworms. Many of my garden birds seem to be very happy scoffing these. They take every last tiny crumb! So much better than cheap seed which they throw all over the Terrace. Apples or pears that have gone soft in the fruit bowl are also placed out for the birds. Birds can access seeds and peanuts from my neighbours, if they wish.

2. DE-ICE & REFILL BIRD BATHS. In freezing conditions, fresh water can be hard to find. It’s essential for birds to be able to drink and, crucially, bath in fresh water to maintain plumage and flight feathers.

3. HEDGEHOG ALERT. Keeping an eye out for hedgehogs out wandering during the day. If seen, call a local hedgehog rescue service. It may have been disturbed or may not be fat enough to survive the winter.

4. BUMBLEBEE ASSISTANCE. On warmer winter days, it’s not uncommon to spot emerging queen bumblebees. Usually the buff-tail. If you do find them and they appear to be struggling, feed them a 50:50 water-sugar solution and gently move them into the sunshine.

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Coming up…

We continue the deep dive into my Courtyard Garden (aka The White Garden), exploring lower-story planting with beautiful sun-loving herbaceous perennials, spring bulbs, plus the galvanised pots and planters, accessories and focal points. Not forgetting the all important Plant List for your reference!