| Vegetables - Grow Your Own | |
|---|---|
Winter is truly here as we enter January In the vegetable garden this is a time of rest, for the plants anyway! Gardeners however, can turn their attention to all those unfinished jobs that were pushed aside during the busy sowing and harvesting period of the summer. Rainy days will fill water butts, and garlic can be planted until February.
|
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Winter in the vegetable garden |
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| Fruit Garden | Herb Garden | Ornamental Garden | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Plant new fruit Prune apples & pears Propagate currants |
 Protect planters Divide large clumps Check for pests & diseases |
 Insulate outside taps Protect pots Clean the greenhouse |
In
general
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Perennial plants provide habitat for
over wintering creatures - Winter rains can wash many nutrients from the soil. Keep it covered with leafmould or fresh autumn leaves.
- Find out how to make your own leafmould here.
- Weeding done now will save time in the spring. Perennial weed roots thicken and can spread over the winter months, making them more of a problem if left until next spring. See our organic weed control page for more information.
- Don’t be too tidy, leave perennial plants until the spring to cut down as they provide habitat for over wintering creatures and lovely seed heads for the birds to feed on.
- Attract birds into your garden and areas where pests are known to be a problem by hanging fat balls or wild-bird seed nets.
- When the temperature drops to freezing, place a bowl of water out every day for the birds and other wildlife. Make sure that ponds and birdbaths are not frozen over.
- Do lots of planning for the spring, have a look through The Organic Gardening Catalogue and perhaps grow something different. Review what you grew last year and make a crop rotation plan for next year.
Garden Organic members can view our factsheet on crop rotation for more information.
Access to this factsheet requires members' password.
Find out more about Garden Organic membership
