Emcy's Gardening Tips
Ken's month by month general gardening tips
January:
Gardening is always governed by the weather, especially in January. If the garden and lawn are either frozen or waterlogged - keep off, as you can do more harm than good. The only job you can do is keep the bird feeders topped up along with their water bowls, and put up new nest boxes and clean old ones out ready for the new breeding season.
If, however, ground conditions are suitable then crack on with the winter digging, as any later frosts will help the the soil to break down in the spring. Now is also a good time to dig in manure/home-made compost or simply dress it on top around shrubs for the worms to break down. Adding lime to Brassica beds will improve growth and give some clubroot control.
January is also a good time for planting trees and hedges, moving established shrubs and for the pruning of apple and pear trees. Currant and gooseberry bushes can also be done now.
Pots of spring flowering bulbs and primroses can be planted now to give some colour over the next 3-4 months.
February:
February is still generally a cold month, and while the weather is still likely to be at its worst, there are normally signs that things are beginning to wake up. At this time of year, the gardener is eager to get working; with buds starting to show on trees and shrubs, and bulbs starting to break through the soil.
Now is the time to order your seeds, if you haven't already done so, and grade them to makes a sowing calendar for spring.
It's early, still but you can start slower growing annuals and perennials such as osteospermum, begonia and pelargonium off from seed in a heated greenhouse or on a warm windowsill.
If growing your own, now is the time to buy your seed potatoes and onion sets. Keep your seed potatoes in a cool, light environment while they are being 'chitted'. It's too early to plant them, and if left in their bag they can produce long sprouts that will break off at planting time anyway. Egg cartons are a popular item to keep them in while chitting.
Start your Spring cleaning: now is the perfect time to start cleaning and sterilising your greenhouse, seed trays etc. Jeyes Fluid is excellent for this, or you can use hot, soapy water if you prefer.
Image credit: Poppet with a camera