IF you are looking for some quiet time out from all the festive activities, then this is a good point in the year to get outdoors and appreciate your garden.
It may not be at its best in many ways, but everything is stripped back enough for you to take a look at the ‘bare bones’ structure.
What needs mending or clearing? Which plants need more space and which need pruning? Do some border plants need to be split to create new plants and do some need to be moved, or removed altogether? Do you want to think about some new planting, making new beds, or improving access? You don’t need to do these jobs immediately, but it is nice to start thinking about how to use the next couple of months to improve your garden.
This is also a time to look back and reflect on the year that’s ending. Make notes of what did particularly well and which varieties didn’t suit your garden. Try to work out why, although the good and the bad can often be down to the weather.
And if you weren’t given a garden diary for Christmas, buy an A5 notebook and write 2025 on the cover. Use this to note down all you do in the garden next year. This will become a vital resource of the what, when, how, and why of what happens in your garden.
Broad beans
If you started seeds in pots in the autumn, then it is definitely time to let plants get their roots in the ground. Choose a spell when the ground isn’t too cold and dig out a trench to fill with compost. There is no need to use manure for growing peas and beans since plants can access their own nitrogen from the air with the help of some soil bacteria. Plant out in a double row with 15-20cm between plants and 20-25cm between the two rows.
If you have a greenhouse or polytunnel, you will get earlier crops by planting in these structures. Outdoor plantings should be protected with crop cover – they are pretty hardy but appreciate an extra layer to protect against frost.
Check plants regularly to see if there is damage from slugs or rodents. You may need to take action to protect your plants from attack.
Uncover plants as soon as they start to flower. Beans are self-pollinating, but they always set more pods if early bees and other insects have access to the flowers.
Plant out broad beans raised in pots. (Photo: Ben Russell)
Swiss chard
This plant is a gift through the winter and spring. Coloured varieties ring the changes from all the greens in the vegetable garden and you can enjoy both the fat stems and the spinach-like leaves.
Plants are pretty hardy and will survive an average West Cork winter with ease. Watch out for slug damage and only take a few stems from each plant at one picking. Plants start to rev up production as the weather warms and you can end up with a serious glut of chard before the plants start to bolt in April. White (also called silver) varieties tend to produce fatter stems and bigger leaves than red, pink, or yellow ones.
You can grow chard all year round if you make several sowings. Most people make two: one in spring and another in late summer. These should provide enough pickings for most chard lovers. Plants are easy to grow, so add a packet of seed to your list for next year if you want to try growing this tasty vegetable.
Enjoy the rainbow colours of Swiss chard. (Photo: Ben Russell)
Amaryllis
Did you get one of these plants for Christmas? With a little care they can provide some entertainment and will produce some exotic and beautiful flowers. If you have children in the house, push a cane into the pot and mark off every day or two how far the stem has grown. This plant grows fast and will lean towards a light source. You may get 60cm or more of stem before the buds appear.
One bulb will produce one or two stems and each stem produces two to four big, bright, bold flowers. Enjoy the performance that this plant provides and delight in the flowers before they fade.
A word on pruning
Don’t rush into pruning if the weather is very cold or very wet – this can lead to dieback, or spore introduction, at pruning cuts. There are plenty of weeks, and fine days ahead, when pruning can be a more pleasant experience.
If you are itching to get going, then research and make notes on the best way to prune each tree or bush. Find a good method and stick to it for the best results. And you can use the waiting time to sharpen and oil tools so they are in the best condition for making clean cuts.
