January

It’s that time of the year when we have just enjoyed ourselves over the holidays but spring still seems such a long way away……

If you are anything like me (totally impatient….) why not begin planning for the coming garden season? This is a great time to weed out your seeds storage, organise it and order or buy your seeds for the coming season. I like sitting in front of the fire or watching a good film, flicking through my gardening magazines and cook books and let my eyes and tummy make my decisions.

Once I have a few ideas of what to grow in my veggie patch, greenhouse, pots and borders I start to research where to buy my seeds from. This year we have all gone online again so it can be a little tricky to buy seeds from your favourite places like Realseeds , Fothergills , Thompson & Morgan and Simply Seeds , but persevere and they will be able to help. If you have to make a trip to your local nursery anyway, then go prepared with a list of seeds that you would like.

It is still a little early to sow most plants and vegetables unless you are lucky enough to have a heated greenhouse or enough space indoors, but if you are really eager to begin, then start by sowing a few things, reserving some seeds in case the first lot doesn’t take. Have a look at the back of the seed package for guidance on when and how to sow.

This is also a good time to declare war on weeds! Go and dig - you will get warm and it will save you a tonne of time later in the season. Prepare the borders and beds by clearing them of weeds - dig in manure or compost and if you prefer your borders to look tidy, place a layer of mulch over them.

If you have established fruit trees this is the time to prune them. There are lots of guides online and in books but if you are hesitant then this is a job that I can help you with.

For rhubarbs you can place an old clay chimney or similar over it to force it - this is what the Victorians did to get an early harvest and I can’t be the only one who is beginning to pine for a good rhubarb crumble with custard!

There is still time to plant roses, shrubs, trees and soft cane fruits and if your garden is anything like mine you’ll have massive clumps of a variety of perennials, so if an area is being taken over, divide and conquer! Split the plants and if they are your favourites - spread them to other areas of the garden or give / swap to fellow gardeners. Schools and charities may very well be interested in surplus plants.

Above all - have fun with it and good luck!