2015 in the Garden - 7 January Jobs

Happy New Year! 2015 is here, and with it, a whole new world of gardening opportunity.

Whatever your green-fingered ambitions for the year, January can be a bit of a lean month in the garden. The short days and cold temperatures mean that there isnt a huge amount growing, but despite the lean times, there are still plenty of jobs for you to be getting on with before spring arrives.

Here are 7 to get you started

1. Humbug!

Christmas is over for another year, but rather than taking it to the tip, you can get more out of your Christmas tree by shredding it down for mulch. Check out our fantastic range of high quality shredders.

2. Mulch

Whether or not youve just created your own festive mulch “ January is a good time to spread a thick layer of mulch around your fruit trees and bushes to enrich the soil, ready for the new growing season.

3. Clear & weed

January is the perfect time to start clearing away weeds, leaves and clutter from your garden trees and borders.

Start with the trees, removing any suckers from the base of the trunk, then move on to your borders, removing weeds and leaves before your spring bulbs start to appear.

Next, dig over the gaps in your borders “ at this point, its worth spending a little time to remove the roots of perennial weeds. Its a bit of a pain, but will pay dividends and save you loads of time throughout the year!

4. Nourish

At this time of year, its a good idea to start preparing your soil for the growing season ahead.

If you havent done so already, dig over all your veg borders ready for planting, then spread a layer of compost or manure over all your borders, and around your shrubs, trees and hedges.

5. Prune

Pruning your fruit trees and shrubs will help to ensure a bumper harvest later in the year. Whilst youll want to leave your plums, apricots and cherries alone, January is the best time for pruning the following fruit trees and bushes:

• Apples
• Pears
• Blackcurrants
• Gooseberries
• Redcurrants

If youre in need of tools, then check out our range of high quality tree pruning tools and secateurs.

After youve pruned your fruit trees, you can now dead head any winter flowers like winter pansies to stop them going to seed. Youll also want to cut back any ornamental grasses, and old stems on your perennials to promote new growth.

6. Plant

Once youve enriched the soil in your borders, then January is time to start planting out your fruit bushes, trees and canes. You can also start to force your rhubarb “ place a bin or bucket over a crown, and youll be able to harvest some light pink, tender stems come March.

Its also a good time to plant out bare root roses “ choose a sunny position for the best results come summer.

7. Lawn care

Whilst theres no point in cutting, and its too early to scarify, there are still a couple of things you can do to your lawn.

Start by removing any dead leaves and clutter, which can cause serious damage to your lawn if left unchecked.

Repairing and defining the edges now, whilst the grass is short and dormant will make the job much easier, and save you effort come springtime. Use an edging blade for the best results “ youll find a great range over at our lawn tools section.

How Keen Gardener can help

We hope that gives you a bit of inspiration for the year ahead “ visit our online store, where youll find a comprehensive range of the best gardening tools around, all at unbeatably low prices.