It's January do I just lean on my garden tools and reflect?

Winter is still upon us with a little hint of spring in the year. Snowdrops can be seen in the hedgerows but winter frosts may still br present. It's at times like this that we think there's not much to do in the garden. We cannot be more wrong!  rnThis time of year can be used to plan your garden for the year ahead. Some of you will already have done this during autumn, but if like me you have been lazy it's never too late to start. There are still vegetables to harvest and even some vegetables to sow.  rnBelow is a list of vegetables that are still providing for your table and also list of those that can be seeded early:  rnVegetables to be Harvestedrn rnArtichokes, Jerusalemrn rnBroccoli, sproutingrn rnCabbage winter/springrn rnCauliflower winter/springrn rnKalern rnKomatsunarn rnMizunarn rnMustardrn rnSwedern rnTurnipsrn rnCarrotsrn rnCeleriacrn rnChicoryrn rnGarlicrn rnLettucern rnLeaksrn rnOnionrn rnParsniprn rnPotatoesrn rnPumpkinsrn rnRadishrn rnSea Kalern rnShallotsrn rnSwiss Chardrn rnThe following vegetables and may be considered to sow during January:  rnOnionrn rnPeppers and Chiliesrn rnIf you have a heated greenhouse you may wish to consider sowing tomatoes, peppers, aubergine, petunias, begonias. For those others with non-heated greenhouses carrots, cabbage, leaks, peas and spinach may also be considered to be sowed. As you can see vegetables are not the only thing to considered about during January. Your early bedding plants are also a focus.  rnIf like me you are planning your garden for the year ahead you may wish to consider crop rotation of your vegetables. Most will know that vegetables can be classified into one of three types. Firstly legumes which are basically vegetables such as peas, tomatoes, peppers, celery, beans and squashes.  rnSecondly you have brassicas these are vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower is, broccoli, radishes, turnips and Swedes.  rnFinally we have root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, the route, onions, leeks, garlic and not forgetting the humble potato.  rnIn order to prevent disease you should try where ever possible to rotate these three types of vegetables within your beds. Brassicas should follow legumes and root vegetables should follow brassicas. This will reduce the risk of those pesky garden insects taking hold in your next year's crops. It should also ensure that the correct nutrients and nitrogen are left in the soil for the following years crops. Not only will this be more organic but it will also save you money as it will reduce the need for costly chemicals.  rnA good helping of compost, which of course you have made yourself and a helping of well rotted manure really should do the trick. When planting legumes it is very important that the manure has been dug deeply into the soil. When planting brassicas no compost is usually required as the nitrogen left over from the legumes should be sufficient.  rnWhere your garden beds are empty it is crucial that you hoe out your weeds on a frequent basis as these weeds will reduce the nutrients in the soil that your up coming crop will need. This is doubly so when you have a crop planted.  rnOther tasks that you can be proceding on with our ordering your seeds for the coming year. You can also make ready your beds for your outside tomatoes and lettuces mixing in compost and well rotted manure where required. Really don't do this when the ground is frosty as you do not want to mix frozen soil into that which is not already frozen.  rnThis time of year before spring has taken hold it is important that you prune out all diseased wood on your fruit trees before they start budding. Only do this on Apple and Pear trees during January as other types of fruit trees are more affected by the frost. In the same vein make certain that all plants are protected from frost are still well covered as frost continues to be with us.  rnYou can tidy up any garden bamboo that you have in your garden, clean any greenhouse windows to make sure you get full effect of the sun, book your lawnmower in for a service and throw out any out of date seeds. You may even consider chitting your potatoes.  rnI think we have safely shown that January is not such a lazy month as you might otherwise have thought. Happy gardening!

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