Midwinter in the Garden - January Jobs for the Keen Gardener

January is traditionally the coldest month of the year, and the cold, wet and windy weather, combined with short days make for challenging gardening conditions – but a keen gardener’s work is never done!

Whilst there isn’t going to be a huge amount growing in your garden at this time of year, there are lots of jobs you can do to start preparing for a fantastic year.

Here are a few to start you off.

Harvest

Hardy winter brassicas like cabbages and cauliflowers are at their best now, and you may also be able to harvest leeks, winter roots like parsnips and swedes, and winter salad veggies.

Work off the Christmas pounds with some digging

If you’re anything like the Keen Gardener team, there’s a good chance you may have eaten (and drunk) pretty well over the Christmas period…

This year, rather than joining the hordes of people at the gym, get out into the garden and shift some of the Christmas weight by doing some digging!

January is a great time to dig over any of your vacant plots. If you add some manure or compost to the soil now, it will have time to enrich your growing medium ahead of planting in the spring. 

Stay inside and do some planning

With the British weather, there will inevitably be some January days when you simply can’t get out in the garden – but that doesn’t mean you can’t be productive.

Use those cold and rainy days as an opportunity to plan for the year. Start with your vegetable plot, making sure you rotate crops to minimise the chance of disease, and reduce the risk of exhausting the nutrients in your soil.

You can then move onto your flowerbeds and borders, before thinking about your hanging baskets. Once you’ve got your plan in place, head over to the Keen Gardener shop and order your seeds.

Clear and weed

Start as you mean to go on by clearing out all the weeds, leaves and clutter from your beds, borders, and from around your trees.

 Whilst the cold weather and frosts may have taken their toll on the foliage and visible weeds, we can guarantee you that the roots will still be there, ready to sprout up and smother your garden as soon as the temperatures increase.

It might be a laborious task, but taking the time to remove weed roots now will pay dividends throughout the year.

Once you’ve sorted the weeds, it’s a good idea to remove all the dead leaves from your lawn and around your trees and bushes.

Plant

Whilst there isn’t a huge amount planting you can do in January, there are a few hardy fruits and veggies that you can get in the ground now. As long as the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged, you can plant:

• Broad beans
• Garlic
• Rhubarb
• Fruit trees and bushes

You can also start off your peas, onions and leeks inside, ready for planting out in the spring. Flower wise, your options are fairly limited, but you can get your bare-root roses in.

Prune

January is the best time to prune some varieties of fruit trees and shrubs, to ensure you get a bumper harvest come late summer. Take a sharp pair of secateurs to your apples, pears, gooseberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants.

You can also dead head your winter flowers, cut back ornamental grasses, and remove old stems on your perennials.

How Keen Gardener can help

Need tools, seeds or garden equipment for the year ahead? At Keen Gardener, we’ve got you covered. Head over to our online store and pick up the best products, all backed up by our lowest price promise.