THE next couple of months will likely bring the coldest weather of the year. This past week saw snow in many places and plenty of frost too. It’s hard to get some jobs done in these conditions, so focus on the ones that are possible and keep others at the top of the list for when the weather improves.
Start gathering what you need for the year ahead
• Buy seeds. It’s worth getting this done early in the year while there is a good choice of varieties. If something did well for you last year then try it again; if something did poorly then it’s worth trying a different variety.
• Buy early seed potatoes. These are available now although, apart from a few in a greenhouse or polytunnel, you probably won’t plant until March. Be sure to open up packages as soon as you get them and spread the seed potatoes out in trays or egg boxes with the sprouting end upwards. Place in a light, frost-free place and they will have strong green shoots by planting time.
• Collect support sticks and poles. If you have land with some hazel trees growing on it, then you don’t have to buy tomato poles or pea and bean support sticks. Hazel branches are the best, but others will do. Cut before leaves start to open when you can see the framework of the tree and the poles that you want. Cut the twiggy tops to a length suitable for supporting tall pea rows and any straight lengths can be used for anything from row markers, to making a climbing bean frame.
• Buy potting compost. You will need a few bags if you want to grow plants from seeds, or if you want to fill containers with a good growing medium. Choose a low peat mix if you can – this protects our peat bogs, although some peat free mixes can be a bit coarse. Maybe buy one bag and take a look before you commit to buying more for raising tiny seedlings.
Snow doesn’t usually last long enough to do any harm. (Photo: Ben Russell)
Look after what’s growing
Many plants do well if you give them a feed early in the year. Some nutrient mixes take a while to break down and to be taken up by roots to be used where they are needed.
If you want a quick hit that acts fast, use a liquid feed and pour round the base of each plant. Any small plant will benefit from this treatment. Spring cabbage, winter lettuce, onions and garlic all do well from a January feed. You may also want to put manure round rhubarb plants.
All fruit bushes and trees benefit from a feed too. Mow grass down around trunks or clear weeds from beds before applying a potash rich feed that will encourage flower and fruit growth.
And don’t forget to add nutrients to empty beds.
Manure, compost and seaweed are all bulky feeds that will help you to grow great crops in your garden beds. If you don’t need nutrients in bulk, then you can buy a few bags of manure from a garden store. You can also use dried and powdered feeds, but do try to use ones that are based on good organic
materials.
It’s best not to dig when the ground is wet or frozen. This can be hard to achieve at this time of year, but it does no harm to spread the feed over the surface of the bed and dig it in when conditions allow.
Use a liquid feed to help young lettuces grow plenty of leaf. (Photo: Ben Russell)
Dealing with the big freeze
Apart from making snowmen and sliding down steep grassy slopes, there are some other actions that may be needed. Check around the garden beds. If any covers over crops are weighed down with the white stuff then give them a shake or a brush so the weight doesn’t snap vulnerable plants underneath. And try not to track too many paths across lawns – frozen grass can be darkened and damaged by the weight of footsteps.
Most plants that have grown through the winter won’t be harmed by a bit of snow and it’s unlikely we will get a deep or long-lasting fall. The best thing is to appreciate your garden in this new form – you won’t see it like this often, so relax and enjoy the beauty of any snowfall.
Too early to sow?
Well the answer is yes for most things. There are a couple of exceptions though. It’s always worth making a sowing of lettuce if it isn’t too cold in an unheated greenhouse. Cover the pots with bubble wrap and seedlings should emerge soon. The same applies to early sowings of hardy peas and broad beans in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
If you can provide added heat from a propagator then you can sow aubergines in the next couple of weeks.
